FISHERIES OF THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 45 



a net tonnage of 6,582 tons, valued at $742,460, an increase over 1902 

 of 35 vessels and S168,010. Nearly the entire product of the 

 fisheries of this county was taken in vessels, the catch amounting to 

 59,504,783 pounds, valued at $1,048,030. The apparatus in use on 

 vessels consisted of lines, seines, gill nets, and harpoons for swordfish. 

 The catch by lines was greater than that of any other form of appa- 

 ratus in use, amounting to 57,878,395 pounds, valued at $903,770. 

 The principal products of the vessel fisheries were 12,611,290 pounds 

 of cod, 33,671,519 pounds of haddock, 7,605,820 pounds of hake, 

 1,876,490 ■ pounds of pollock, 2,041,026 pounds of cusk, 756,488 

 pounds of fresh mackerel, 317,000 pounds of salt mackerel, and 

 411,500 pounds of swordfish. 



The shore fisheries of Suft'olk County in 1905 gave employment to 

 304 persons, using a variety of apparatus, the principal form being 

 lines. The line fishermen are nearly all Italians, who are increasing 

 in numbers yearly. They fish from camps located on the islands in 

 Boston Harbor, bringing their catch each morning to Boston, and 

 selling it from the place assigned to them at the head of T wharf. 

 The catch consists of eels, flounders, cod, haddock, pollock, whiting, 

 and hake, the total amounting to 4,293,200 pounds, valued at $105,456. 



The lobster fishery from the near-by beaches and islands in the 

 harbor shows a large decline in recent years, the catch in 1905 amount- 

 ing to 100,356 pounds, valued at $14,724. This is less than one-third 

 of the catch shown by the returns for 1902. 



Clams are still taken from the mud flats in the harbor, but are 

 diminisliing in quantity. The catch in 1905, by 15 boats, amounted 

 to 17,280 bushels. 



The cunner fishery has shown a steady decline year by year, decreas- 

 ing from 57,600 pounds in 1902 to 5,000 pounds in 1905. 



Sixty men, using 45 gasoline boats, equipped with gill nets, engaged 

 in catching herring for bait, the products amounting to 525,000 

 pounds, valued at $6,562. 



In Barnstable County, which is third m importance, the capital 

 invested was $1,038,636, the number of persons employed was 2,529, 

 and the products amounted to 45,134,489 pounds valued at $1,221,205. 

 Compared with the returns for 1902, an increase of $319,810 appears 

 in the investment, an increase of 278 in the number of persons 

 employed, and an increase of 8,978,471 pounds in quantit}^, and 

 $288,377 in value of the products. Tlie number of vessels engaged in 

 fishing and transporting was 143, valued at $330,375, an increase 

 over previous returns of 18 vessels fishing and 1 transporting. The 

 apparatus of capture on vessels consisted of seines, gill nets, beam 

 trawls, dredges, tongs, rakes, lobster pots, harpoons for swordfish, and 

 gear used in the whale fisheries. 



