﻿XII 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  A 
  plan 
  has 
  been 
  adopted 
  to 
  bring 
  to 
  the 
  knowledge 
  of 
  those 
  inter- 
  

   ested 
  reliable 
  and 
  jirompt 
  statisticfi 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  monthly 
  

   bnlletins 
  showing 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  landed 
  at 
  certain 
  

   important 
  ports, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  special 
  bulletins 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  

   the 
  fishery 
  industries. 
  These 
  reports 
  are 
  issued 
  to 
  those 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   the 
  business 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  boards 
  of 
  trade. 
  As 
  this 
  plan 
  has 
  

   received 
  general 
  commendation 
  from 
  those 
  interested, 
  it 
  is 
  designed 
  to 
  

   extend 
  the 
  system 
  to 
  embrace 
  all 
  centers 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  trade. 
  At 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  each 
  year 
  these 
  statistics 
  will 
  be 
  issued 
  in 
  complete 
  form, 
  and 
  

   comprehensive 
  and 
  reliable 
  data 
  will 
  be 
  at 
  once 
  available. 
  

  

  The 
  field 
  inquiries, 
  described 
  at 
  length 
  in 
  the 
  accompanying 
  report 
  of 
  

   the 
  Division 
  of 
  Statistics, 
  covered 
  an 
  extensive 
  territory, 
  and 
  attention 
  

   may 
  be 
  called 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important. 
  

  

  The 
  canvass 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  and 
  alewife 
  fisheries, 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  special 
  

   interest 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  fish-cultural 
  operations 
  with 
  shad 
  during 
  

   recent 
  years, 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  exhaustive, 
  including 
  statistics 
  of 
  the 
  per- 
  

   sons 
  employed, 
  appliances 
  used, 
  extent 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  

   other 
  special 
  information. 
  It 
  was 
  developed 
  that 
  in 
  1896 
  there 
  were 
  

   27,000 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  these 
  fisheries 
  and 
  a 
  capital 
  invested 
  of 
  about 
  

   $2,172,000. 
  The 
  catch 
  amounted 
  to 
  50,775,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  shad 
  and 
  

   62,066,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  alewives, 
  valued 
  at 
  $1,656,000 
  and 
  $409,000, 
  

   respectively. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  canvass 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  States 
  are 
  

   embodied 
  in 
  a 
  special 
  report 
  published 
  as 
  an 
  appendix 
  to 
  the 
  report 
  for 
  

   1896. 
  The 
  leading 
  fishery 
  product 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  the 
  chinook 
  salmon, 
  

   and 
  the 
  next 
  most 
  important 
  is 
  the 
  oyster. 
  In 
  1895 
  17,305 
  i)ersons 
  

   were 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  and 
  $7,275,000 
  

   were 
  invested. 
  In 
  some 
  sections 
  the 
  fisheries 
  are 
  largely 
  increased, 
  

   San 
  Diego 
  and 
  Los 
  Angeles 
  counties 
  especially 
  having 
  built 
  up 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  new 
  trade 
  with 
  the 
  interior 
  States, 
  though 
  San 
  Francisco 
  con- 
  

   tinues 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  chief 
  trade 
  center 
  for 
  the 
  reception 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   the 
  products. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1896 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  falling 
  oft' 
  in 
  the 
  quanti- 
  

   ties 
  of 
  fish 
  lauded 
  by 
  American 
  fishing 
  vessels 
  at 
  the 
  ports 
  of 
  Boston 
  

   and 
  Gloucester, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  prior 
  year, 
  the 
  decrease 
  affecting 
  

   both 
  ports. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  receipts 
  were 
  130,673,706 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  

   $3,286,898. 
  Each 
  species 
  participated 
  in 
  the 
  decrease, 
  except 
  halibut 
  

   and 
  mackerel, 
  though 
  at 
  Boston 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  cod 
  landed 
  was 
  in 
  excess 
  

   of 
  the 
  previous 
  years. 
  

  

  Inquiries 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1896 
  confirm 
  the 
  previous 
  reports 
  that 
  

   the 
  shad 
  and 
  striped 
  bass 
  introduced 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  continue 
  to 
  

   increase, 
  the 
  former 
  being 
  so 
  i)lentiful 
  as 
  to 
  retail 
  at 
  very 
  low 
  prices. 
  

   The 
  striped 
  bass 
  are 
  specially 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay 
  

   region, 
  and 
  their 
  rate 
  of 
  .increase 
  is 
  such 
  that 
  at 
  present 
  their 
  artificial 
  

   i^ropagation 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  considered. 
  

  

  The 
  regular 
  annual 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  rookeries, 
  under 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  this 
  oftice, 
  were 
  carried 
  on 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1896 
  in 
  

  

  