XLIV REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



THE FOOD-FISHES AND FISHERY IXDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Introduction, including a general review of the fisheries and a statistical enmmary. 



Part I. — The natural history of useful aquatic animals. ' 



II. — The fishing grounds. 

 III. — The fishing towns, containing a geographical review of the coast, river, 



and lake fisheries. 

 IV. — The fishermen. 

 V. — The apparatus of the fisheries, and fishing vessels and hoats. 

 VI. — The fishery industries, a discussion of methods and liistory. 

 VII. — The preparation of fishery x^roducts. 

 VIII. — Fish-culture, fishery laws, and iishery legislation. 

 IX, — Statistics of production, exportation, and importation. Summary 



tables. 

 X. — The whale fishery — a special monograph. 

 XI. — A list of books and papers relating to the fisheries of the United States. 



Section II, "Fishing Grounds of North America," was also completed 

 during the year, excepting the index, which will be ready in a few weeks. 

 This section consists of vii + 144 pages, and will be accompanied by 17 

 maps. 



10. — THE BLACK COD OF THE PACIFIC. 



The value of the black cod of the North Pacific Ocean and the expec- 

 tation of its coming value as an element of the American fisheries was 

 dwelt upon in the preceding report. An elaborate rei)ort on this fisli, 

 prepared by Mr. James G. Swan, of Port Townsend, Washington Ter- 

 ritory, will be found in the Bulletin of the Fish Commission for 1885, 

 page 225. Nothing further has been done during the year in the way 

 of developing the fishery or in introducing it into (iommerce. 



20. — USE OF THE COD GILL-NETS. 



It will be remembered that a few years ago the U. S. Fish Commis- 

 sion succeeded in inducing the fishermen of the east coast of Massa- 

 chusetts to use the gill-nets with glass-ball floats, as employed by the 

 Norwegians in the capture of the winter or spawning cod. At the 

 present time the number of vessels using gill-nets exclusively is in- 

 creasing, and at the same time the total yield of the fisheries; probably 

 half, if not more, of all the fish taken now in the cod fisheries of New 

 England are captured with the gill-net. 



At the suggestion of Mr. Swan, of Port Townsend, the Commission 

 furnished several cod gill-nets to parties working in Puget Sound, for 

 the purpose of determining their availability in that locality. Unfor- 

 tunately the rapid tide and the lack of skill in the use of the nets, 

 caused them to drift on the rocks in the deep water and be lost. 



The only drawback to the more extended use of gill-nets for the taking 

 of cod and other sea fish consists in the rapidity with which the twine 

 rots, probably owing to the amount of mucous rubbed oft' from the fish. 

 In some cases it is necessary to supply a new set every four or five 

 weeks. 



