﻿446 
  

  

  KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  sively 
  by 
  the 
  small-boat 
  fishermen, 
  many 
  of 
  whom 
  live 
  in 
  Mobile 
  and 
  

   vicinity. 
  Seines 
  also 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  vessel 
  and 
  shore 
  fisheries, 
  

   but 
  principally 
  in 
  the 
  latter. 
  Gill 
  nets 
  are 
  employed 
  by 
  vessels 
  and 
  

   boats 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  sturgeon. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  kinds 
  of 
  apparatus 
  alread}^ 
  referred 
  to 
  there 
  are 
  

   also 
  a 
  few 
  minor 
  appliances, 
  among 
  which 
  are 
  spears 
  and 
  nippers. 
  

   Spears 
  are 
  used 
  exclusively 
  in 
  catching 
  flounders, 
  which 
  are 
  taken 
  at 
  

   low 
  tide, 
  and 
  only 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  smooth. 
  A 
  fisherman 
  will 
  some- 
  

   times 
  secure 
  with 
  a 
  spear 
  about 
  300 
  pounds 
  of 
  flounders 
  in 
  a 
  night. 
  

   Nippers 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  cafching 
  terrapin. 
  

  

  Persons 
  engaged. 
  — 
  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   eries 
  of 
  this 
  state 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  1,098. 
  Of 
  this 
  number 
  254 
  were 
  

   employed 
  on 
  fishing 
  vessels, 
  19 
  on 
  transporting 
  vessels, 
  441 
  in 
  the 
  

   shore 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  384 
  as 
  shoresmen 
  in 
  wholesale 
  fish 
  establishments 
  

   and 
  shucking 
  houses. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1897, 
  the 
  canvass 
  for 
  1902 
  

   shows 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  309 
  men, 
  or 
  39.16 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Investment. 
  — 
  The 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  capital 
  invested 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  

   this 
  state 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  $328,285, 
  against 
  1165,189 
  in 
  1897, 
  an 
  increase 
  

   of 
  $163,096, 
  or 
  98.73 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  investment 
  included 
  77 
  fishing 
  

   and 
  transporting 
  vessels, 
  having 
  a 
  value, 
  with 
  their 
  outfits, 
  of 
  $115,535; 
  

   317 
  boats 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries 
  valued 
  at 
  $11,942; 
  fishing 
  apparatus 
  

   on 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats 
  to 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  $8,233; 
  shore 
  and 
  accessory 
  prop- 
  

   ert}^ 
  valued 
  at 
  $135,075; 
  and 
  cash 
  capital 
  utilized 
  in 
  the 
  wholesale 
  

   fishery 
  trade 
  amounting 
  to 
  $57,500. 
  

  

  Products. 
  — 
  The 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Alabama 
  in 
  1902 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  9,351,447 
  pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  

   $266,682. 
  As 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  returns 
  for 
  1897, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  

   increase 
  of 
  4,652,066 
  pounds, 
  or 
  98.99 
  per 
  cent, 
  in 
  quantity, 
  and 
  

   $132,244, 
  or 
  98.14 
  per 
  cent, 
  in 
  value. 
  The 
  increase 
  was 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  

   yield 
  of 
  the 
  oyster, 
  red 
  snapper, 
  and 
  mullet 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  The 
  three 
  tables 
  which 
  follow 
  give, 
  by 
  counties, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  per- 
  

   sons 
  employed, 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  capital 
  invested, 
  and 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  

   value 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Alabama 
  in 
  1902: 
  

  

  Table 
  showing, 
  by 
  counties, 
  tlie 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Alabama 
  

  

  'in 
  1902. 
  

  

  