84 Report of the American 



annually taken in pursuit of other fish having usually been thrown aside 

 as worthless. Now several dealers on the lakes, especially the Messrs. 

 Schacht, of Sandusk}', are entering into the trade, and manufacture 

 caviar, isinglass, and dried smoked meat in great quantities. 



The demand for fish-sounds continues very great, and the shores of 

 New England and the provinces are carefuU}" gleaned of all air-bladders 

 procurable of the cod family. Of the species, the bladder of the hake is 

 most sought after, bringing about one dollar a pound, and is used chiefl}', 

 it is said, in the manufacture of gum-drops. 



The seal fishery during 1873 has also been very productive, the num- 

 ber taken at the Fur-Seal Islands in the Behring Sea being up to the 

 maximum — namely, 100,000. The seals resort by millions to these 

 islands, and it is said that a considerabh' larger number might be caught 

 without any detriment to the trade. The capture of the hair-seals off the 

 coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland, although less extensive than 1872, 

 has also been a source of great profit. This business is now carried on 

 entirel}^ by steamers, of which not less than twenty belonging to New- 

 foundland were occupied, some of them getting two full cargoes. The 

 largest catch of an}' vessel, it is believed, was about 42,000 ; these hav- 

 ing been taken in the course of a few weeks, and, from the skins and 

 oil, yielding an immense profit. 



The rapid decrease of lobsters on the coast of the United States, and 

 the extent of the interest connected with canning them as an article of 

 food, has induced a special effort to bring back the supply. The amount 

 of this interest may be appreciated when we are told that during 1873 

 more than twenty thousand tons of canned lobsters were brought into the 

 United States, or shipped elsewhere, from the shores of New Brunswick 

 and Nova vScotia alone. An ordinance has been issued by the Canadian 

 authorities prohibiting, under severe penalties, the capture of any lobsters 

 weighing less than a pound and a half; and Massachusetts will probably 

 enact a law prescrib'ng a limit of size — namel}^ a minimum of eleven 

 inches in length. In Maine, the legislation anticipated is that of a close 

 time of two or three months in the summer, when none shall be taken, 

 but imposing no restriction at other seasons as to size or weight. 



The oyster fisheries, as far as the canning interest is concerned, suffered 

 a severe shock during the financial panic, from which it has not yet recov- 

 ered, although the consumption of the oyster while fresh is perhaps as 

 great as usual. Vessels now carry entire cargoes from Maryland and 

 Virginia to England, where they are becoming an established article of 

 trade. 



It will be of interest to announce that the United States Fish Commis- 

 sion is experimenting on a method of effectually freeing beds of planted 

 oysters from the ravages of the starfish, so destructive to them. 



