﻿490 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  In 
  those 
  States 
  for 
  wliich 
  no 
  flgnres 
  are 
  shown 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  considered 
  

   expedient 
  to 
  prosecute 
  systematic 
  canvasses, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  insig- 
  

   nificant 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  fishing, 
  because 
  of 
  limited 
  resources, 
  restrict- 
  

   ive 
  hiws, 
  or 
  other 
  adverse 
  conditions. 
  Thus, 
  in 
  Florida, 
  economic 
  

   fishing 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  lakes 
  has 
  been 
  prohibited 
  for 
  a 
  term 
  of 
  years; 
  in 
  

   Arizona 
  the 
  suj)ply 
  of 
  edible 
  fish 
  is 
  very 
  small, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  

   of 
  suitable 
  waters; 
  in 
  Montana 
  the 
  sparse 
  population 
  and 
  distance 
  

   from 
  markets 
  have 
  prevented 
  the 
  inauguration 
  of 
  a 
  fisliing 
  business 
  in 
  

   those 
  sections 
  having 
  available 
  resources. 
  The 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Lakes 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic, 
  Gulf, 
  and 
  Pacific 
  coasts 
  and 
  the 
  rivers 
  dis- 
  

   charging 
  thereon 
  have 
  been 
  fully 
  covered 
  in 
  other 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  

   Commission. 
  

  

  IMPORTANCE 
  OF 
  THE 
  INTERIOR 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  report 
  there 
  is 
  presented 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  a 
  comprehensive 
  

   statement 
  of 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  minor 
  fresh 
  waters 
  

   of 
  the 
  interior. 
  In 
  the 
  investigations 
  for 
  "the 
  Tenth 
  Census 
  an 
  effort 
  was 
  

   made 
  to 
  secure 
  statistics 
  of 
  the 
  inland 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  the 
  time, 
  force, 
  and 
  

   means 
  were 
  so 
  limited 
  that 
  the 
  result 
  was 
  unsatisfactory 
  and 
  nothing 
  

   was 
  published 
  beyond 
  some 
  general 
  figures 
  which 
  indicated 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  

   about 
  $1,500,000 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  fishery 
  product 
  of 
  these 
  waters. 
  The 
  

   investigation 
  of 
  this 
  branch 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  inviting 
  and 
  important 
  

   inquiries 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  1895 
  

   that 
  the 
  opportunity 
  was 
  afforded 
  for 
  undertaking 
  the 
  work. 
  During 
  

   that 
  year 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  it 
  was 
  as 
  actively 
  carried 
  on 
  as 
  the 
  means 
  

   and 
  personnel 
  would 
  permit. 
  

  

  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  lakes 
  and 
  inland 
  water-courses 
  as 
  sources 
  of 
  

   food 
  supply 
  is 
  very 
  great 
  and 
  is 
  destined 
  to 
  increase 
  with 
  the 
  increase 
  

   in 
  population. 
  While 
  the 
  annual 
  yield 
  of 
  fish 
  for 
  market 
  reaches 
  the 
  

   enormous 
  figures 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  accompanying 
  tables, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  

   natural 
  resource 
  to 
  a 
  community 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  computed 
  in 
  dollars 
  and 
  

   pounds. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  j^urposes 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  can 
  serve 
  is 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  

   extent 
  of 
  the 
  inland 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  States 
  and 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  

   fishing 
  they 
  will 
  support, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  an 
  accurate 
  basis 
  may 
  be 
  alforded 
  

   for 
  determining 
  the 
  nature 
  and 
  degree 
  of 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   fish 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  overfishing, 
  sewage, 
  and 
  changed 
  physical 
  condi- 
  

   tions. 
  The 
  principal 
  value 
  of 
  these 
  limited 
  water 
  areas 
  is-in 
  the 
  future, 
  

   and 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  vital 
  question 
  connected 
  

   therewith. 
  

  

  THE 
  FISHING 
  POPULATION. 
  

  

  The 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  waters 
  

   covered 
  by 
  the 
  report 
  was 
  11,282. 
  Only 
  a 
  comparatively 
  small 
  percent- 
  

   age 
  of 
  these 
  can 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  professional 
  fishermen, 
  farming, 
  

   boating, 
  hunting, 
  or 
  other 
  occupations 
  taking 
  more 
  of 
  their 
  time 
  and 
  

   yielding 
  a 
  larger 
  income. 
  

  

  