44 FISHERIES OF THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 



THE FISHERIES BY COUNTIES, 



Essex County leads all the others in the importance of its fisheries. 

 The number of persons employed was 7,193. Of these, 4,278 were on 

 vessels, 1,362 in the shore fisheries, and 1,553 were shoresmen employed 

 in the wholesale trade and in the preparation of fishery products. 

 The capital invested was $4,986,997. The products taken in the 

 vessel and shore fisheries amounted to 125,170,485 pounds, valued 

 at $3,404,866. 



Gloucester is the principal port in Essex County. In 1905 the 

 fisher}" interests of Gloucester gave employment to 5,784 persons, of 

 whom 3,926 were on vessels fisliing and transporting, 306 in the boat 

 or shore fisheries, and 1,552 were shoresmen, engaged chiefly in pre- 

 paring fish for market. Compared with the canvass of 1902, the total 

 shows a decrease of 176 persons. The number of vessels, exclusive 

 of those in Rockport, was 275 fishing and 7 transporting, with a com- 

 bined tonnage of 16,348 net tons, and a total value of $1,319,400, 

 with outfits valued at $575,619. The apparatus used on vessels con- 

 sisted of 145 seines, valued at $97,470; 5,583 gill nets, valued at 

 $63,281; hand lines and trawls valued at $123,786, and swordfish 

 harpoons valued at $220. In the shore fisheries there were 241 boats 

 employed, valued at $48,460, including 62 gasoline boats, valued at 

 $31^550. The apparatus employed in the shore fisheries consisted 

 principally of lines, seines, and gill nets. The number of vessels 

 using purse seines in the mackerel fishery was 84, and the catch of 

 mackerel, fresh and salt, by seines, amounted to 8,883,962 pounds, 

 valued at $632,507. The product of the vessel fisheries of Gloucester, 

 including fresh and salted fish, amounted to 99,281,193 pounds, 

 valued at $2,790,031, and that of the shore fisheries, 7,242,558 pounds, 

 valued at $106,259. The total products amounted to 106,523,751 

 pounds, valued at $2,896,290. A comparison with the returns of 

 1902 shows a decrease of 7,900,706 pounds and $119,862 in the value 

 of products, which may be accounted for by a decrease of 18 in the 

 number of vessels fishing from Gloucester. 



The next county in importance is Suffolk, the fishery industries of 

 which gave employment to 2,997 persons, of whom 1,767 were on 

 vessels, 304 in the boat fisheries, and 926 Avere shoresmen employed 

 in the wholesale fish trade. The total investment amounted to 

 $3,630,081, and the products aggregated 64,663,139 pounds, valued 

 at $1,184,412, an increase over the 1902 returns of 22,196,855 

 pounds and $28,932 in value. The increase in products is largely in 

 the cheaper grades of fish, hence the small increase in value noted. 



The vessel fishery in this count}^ shows a steady increase in the 

 number, tonnage, and value of vessels fishing, and a corresponding 

 increase in the catch. In 1905 there were 113 vessels engaged, with 



