﻿4 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  In 
  May, 
  1890, 
  a 
  general 
  canvass 
  of 
  the 
  shad, 
  alewife, 
  and 
  salmon 
  

   fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  was 
  begun, 
  to 
  determine 
  their 
  ])resent 
  

   commercial 
  vahie, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  employed, 
  the 
  value 
  and 
  kind 
  

   of 
  apparatus 
  used, 
  with 
  other 
  important 
  statistical 
  details. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  a 
  similar 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  fishery 
  industries 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  coast 
  was 
  begun, 
  particularly 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  Cali- 
  

   fornia 
  sardine 
  industries 
  and 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  and 
  striped-bass 
  

   fisheries, 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  advisability 
  of 
  establishing 
  hatcheries 
  for 
  

   these 
  species. 
  An 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  plants 
  of 
  

   eastern 
  lobsters 
  in 
  California 
  waters 
  was 
  also 
  made 
  to 
  obtain 
  data 
  for 
  

   further 
  experiments. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  these 
  inquiries 
  

   were 
  satisfactorily 
  progressing. 
  

  

  The 
  inquiries 
  conducted 
  by 
  local 
  agents 
  at 
  Gloucester 
  and 
  Boston, 
  

   covering 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  offshore 
  vessel 
  fishing 
  of 
  i^ew 
  England, 
  

   serve 
  the 
  i)urpose 
  of 
  keeping 
  the 
  Commission 
  well 
  informed 
  regarding 
  

   the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  fishing 
  banks 
  off 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  New 
  p]ngland, 
  

   Nova 
  Scotia, 
  and 
  Newfoundland. 
  The 
  statistical 
  tables 
  published 
  

   hereafter 
  (pages 
  132-135) 
  show 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  centering 
  

   at 
  these 
  important 
  fishing 
  centers 
  during 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1895. 
  At 
  

   Gloucester 
  there 
  were 
  discharged 
  by 
  American 
  fishing 
  vessels 
  about 
  

   76,631,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish 
  and 
  salt 
  fish, 
  valued 
  at 
  $2,205,600; 
  at 
  Boston 
  

   the 
  quantity 
  of 
  fish 
  landed 
  aggregated 
  73,808,000 
  pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  

   of 
  $1,346,000. 
  The 
  combined 
  receipts 
  were 
  thus 
  150,439,000 
  pounds, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $3,551,600. 
  As 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  previous 
  year 
  there 
  was 
  

   a 
  net 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  fish 
  landed 
  at 
  Gloucester 
  amounting 
  

   to 
  about 
  3,000,000 
  pounds, 
  the 
  falling 
  off 
  being 
  principally 
  in 
  mackerel, 
  

   halibut, 
  cnsk, 
  and 
  hake, 
  while 
  the 
  receipts 
  of 
  <'od 
  exceeded 
  those 
  of 
  1894 
  

   by 
  5,430,000 
  pounds, 
  and 
  of 
  1893 
  by 
  8,781,000 
  pounds. 
  The 
  fish 
  brought 
  

   into 
  Boston 
  in 
  1895 
  weighed 
  13,657,000 
  pounds 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  

   year, 
  nearlj^ 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  imi)ortant 
  species 
  showing 
  a 
  decrease. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1896 
  the 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  streams 
  of 
  

   the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  were 
  planned, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  select 
  suitable 
  sites 
  for 
  

   hatcheries, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  continue 
  the 
  natural 
  -history 
  studies 
  carried 
  on 
  

   in 
  former 
  years. 
  Examinations 
  of 
  Lakes 
  Washington, 
  Peud 
  d'Oreille, 
  

   Ccenr 
  d'Alene, 
  Crater, 
  and 
  Klamath 
  were 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  

   field 
  i^arties, 
  chiefly 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  plants 
  of 
  

   whitefish 
  made 
  in 
  them 
  in 
  previous 
  years 
  and 
  tlie 
  advisability 
  of 
  intro- 
  

   ducing 
  other 
  new 
  species. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  this 
  work 
  had 
  

   been 
  begun 
  and 
  was 
  being 
  actively 
  carried 
  on. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  regular 
  animal 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  rook- 
  

   eries 
  retpiired 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  by 
  act 
  of 
  Congress, 
  arrangements 
  

   were 
  made 
  fin- 
  special 
  studies 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1895 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

   history 
  of 
  the 
  hei^ds 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  and 
  Commander 
  islands, 
  for 
  purposes 
  

   of 
  comparison 
  with 
  their 
  condition 
  in 
  former 
  years, 
  and 
  with 
  reference 
  

   to 
  the 
  means 
  necessary 
  for 
  tiieir 
  protection, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  

   conditions 
  on 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  and 
  American 
  coasts. 
  The 
  investigations 
  

   on 
  the 
  Commander 
  Islands 
  were 
  made 
  possible 
  through 
  the 
  courtesy 
  

  

  