﻿538 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  LOUISIANA. 
  

  

  Few 
  states 
  are 
  better 
  supplied 
  with 
  water-courses 
  than 
  Louisiana, 
  

   and 
  none 
  has 
  a 
  greater 
  abundance 
  of 
  food-tish 
  in 
  its 
  fresh 
  waters. 
  The 
  

   State 
  consequently 
  affords 
  an 
  excellent 
  field 
  for 
  conducting 
  extensive 
  

   fisheries, 
  and 
  the 
  industry 
  has 
  already 
  attained 
  great 
  prominence. 
  As 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  now 
  sparsely 
  settled 
  become 
  more 
  populous, 
  and 
  as 
  

   transportation 
  facilities 
  increase, 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  

   Louisiana 
  are 
  destined 
  to 
  attain 
  still 
  greater 
  magnitude. 
  The 
  fishery 
  

   resources 
  in 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  are 
  now 
  but 
  little 
  utilized, 
  and 
  even 
  

   where 
  fishing 
  is 
  most 
  active 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  possibility 
  of 
  an 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  

   busiuess 
  without 
  seriously 
  impairing 
  the 
  supply. 
  

  

  The 
  section 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  fishing 
  is 
  now 
  carried 
  on 
  

   comprises 
  the 
  Atchafalaya 
  Eiver 
  and 
  its 
  tributary 
  bayous; 
  here 
  the 
  

   annual 
  yield 
  of 
  catfishes 
  is 
  enormous, 
  the 
  fishery 
  being 
  conducted 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  for 
  those 
  species. 
  The 
  industry 
  is 
  also 
  rather 
  imx)ortant 
  in 
  the 
  

   Mississipi)i, 
  Eed, 
  and 
  Ouachita 
  rivers; 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  other 
  small 
  rivers, 
  

   bayous, 
  and 
  lakes 
  commercial 
  fishing- 
  interests 
  exist. 
  IsText 
  to 
  catfish, 
  

   the 
  leading 
  product, 
  come 
  buffalo-fish, 
  fresh-water 
  drum, 
  crappy, 
  and 
  

   black 
  bass. 
  Besides 
  fish 
  proper, 
  crawfish, 
  shrimp, 
  terrapins, 
  and 
  turtles 
  

   are 
  taken 
  in 
  considerable 
  quantities, 
  and 
  alligators 
  and 
  otters 
  are 
  hunted 
  

   for 
  their 
  hides. 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  fish 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  lines 
  is 
  larger 
  than 
  with 
  

   all 
  other 
  forms 
  of 
  apparatus 
  combined; 
  more 
  than 
  5,000,000 
  pounds 
  

   were 
  thus 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  investigation. 
  The 
  only 
  

   other 
  kinds 
  of 
  apparatus 
  of 
  importance 
  are 
  fyke 
  nets 
  and 
  seines. 
  

  

  Tahle 
  showing 
  l)y 
  ivaters 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  employed 
  in 
  each 
  fishery 
  in 
  Louisiana. 
  

  

  * 
  Exclusive 
  of 
  duplications. 
  

  

  