46 FISHERIES OF THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 



The number of boats in the shore fisheries was 989, valued at 

 $117,625, inchiding 190 gasohne boats, vahied at $70,255. The appa- 

 ratus used in the sliore fisheries consisted principally of seinos, gill 

 nets, pound nets, lines, lobster pots, eel pots, fyke nets, beam trawls, 

 tongs, rakes, dredges, and various forms of minor apparatus. 



ProvincetowTi, owing to its favorable location, is the principal port 

 in this county, having a fleet of 76 vessels engaged in the fisheries. 

 Of these 72 were in the general food fisheries, 3 in the whale fishery, 

 and one engaged in transporting fish. The vessels engaged in the 

 food fisheries vary in tonnage from 5 to 129 tons, the larger vessels 

 fishing on the Grand Banks, and those of less tonnage on Georges, 

 Browns, and the ofl-shore banks along the New England coast. The 

 mackerel vessels numbered 40, 38 using gill nets and 2 steamers using 

 purse nets. The products of the vessel fisheries, marketed at Prov- 

 incetown and other ports, aggregated 22,898,908 pounds, valued at 

 $446,967; 8,582,870 poimds, valued at $137,668, were taken by boats 

 in the shore fisheries. These products do not include those taken in 

 the whale fishery, the latter amounting to 56,070 gallons of sperm 

 oil, with a value of $25,720, and 14 pounds of ambergris, valued at 

 $2,900, taken incidentally. 



The number of persons employed in the fisheries of Provincetown 

 was 1,223, of which 824 were on vessels, 279 in the shore fisheries, and 

 120 in the wholesale trade. The number of boats in the shore fish- 

 eries was 193, valued at $45,755, includmg 103 gasoline boats and 3 

 small steamers. The principal apparatus in the shore fisheries were 

 30 pound nets, $42,750; 180 gill nets, $1 ,540; lines, $2,474; 368 lob- 

 ster pots, $552; 2 seines, $155; and 11 beam trawls, $132. 



Bristol County had 1,331 persons employed in the fisheries, the total 

 investment was $753,997, and the products amounted to 6,660,837 

 pounds, valued at $607,174. The importance of the fisheries of this 

 count}" depends in a large measure on the whale fishery, with its 

 allied industries of refining oil, preparing whalebone for market, etc. 

 Of the 43 vessels engaged in the fisheries, 19 were whalers, having a 

 combined tonnage of 4,317 tons, a value of $138,500, and outfits 

 valued at $214,960, including apparatus, such as guns, lances, har- 

 poons, etc., used in the capture of whales. The crews of the whalers 

 numbered 615 men, or an average of about 32 men to the vessel. 

 The products in the whale fisheries consisted of 468,404 gallons of 

 whale oil, valued at $220,845; 55,950 pounds of whalebone, valued 

 at $193,037; and 80 poimds of ambergris, valued at $14,000; a total 

 of $427,882, or more than two- thirds of the value of the entire products 

 taken in the fisheries of this county. In addition to the whalers, one 

 vessel engaged in the hunting of sea elephants in the southern Indian 

 Ocean, the value of the products amounting to $25,600. The remain- 



