PRODUCTS OF THE COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



By John N. Cobb. 



The heavy drain upon the ordinary food resources of the world, 

 as a result of the devastation wrought throughout the countries of 

 Europe by the warring armies, and the reduction in producing 

 power through this and the drafting of the erstwhile tillers of the 

 soil into these fighting armies, has focused attention upon the 

 denizens of the fresh and salt waters of the world as a source from 

 whence the shortage caused by the above factors may be partly, if 

 not wholly, met. The U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, ably seconded by 

 various state fish commissions, and public and private organiza- 

 tions, firms and individuals, has done excellent work in creating 

 new and extending old markets for fishery products, and also in 

 creating a demand for hitherto neglected aquatic products. 



Owing to its extremely favorable situation, with the Atlantic on 

 its eastern and southeastern side, the Pacific on the west and the 

 Great Lakes on the north, with its interior covered with a network 

 of rivers, some of them amongst the largest in the world, while 

 thousands upon thousands of big and little lakes dot the country, 

 the commercial fisheries of the United States have been extremely 

 important and valuable from early times. For a number of years 

 they have surpassed those of any other country in both extent and 

 value, and this superiority has been more than maintained since 

 the great drive upon the fisheries began three years ago. 



As a result of the lack of a central body collecting annual 

 statistics of our fisheries (Congress has never provided the U. S. 

 Bureau of Fisheries with sufficient money and personnel to make 

 possible a thorough statistical canvass of all our fisheries each 

 year), it is not an easy matter to arrive at the proper quantity 

 and value of the same. Where available, and of sufficiently late 

 date, data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries have been used. 

 A few states collect fairly accurate statistical data annually and 

 these have been used in such cases, while by correspondence and 

 in various other ways the author has collected much valuable data 



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