14 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
ceptionally poor in 1906, owing to a continued scarcity of fish, but 
the outlook for 1907, as shown by the spring catch, was remarkably 
favorable. The yield of halibut was smaller, but the catch of cod, 
haddock, and other ground fishes was large. While the catch of 
lobsters was less than formerly, there have been local evidences of a 
greater abundance which are by many, people regarded as a forerun- 
ner of general improvement. The Pacific cod and halibut fisheries 
showed a shght decline, but the salmon fishing and canning industry 
exhibited some increase. The shad fishery on the Atlantic rivers in 
the spring of 1907 was more productive than in the previous year, 
owing to a greater abundance of fish, but the conditions are quite 
unsatisfactory. The capture of increasing quantities of mature shad 
on their way to the spawning grounds demands concerted movement 
of the various States for protective legislation. In the most im- 
portant of all our fisheries, the oyster, there is to be noted a healthy 
condition, owing to growing dependence on cultivation. 
NOTES ON IMPORTANT FISHERIES. 
Boston and Gloucester—A good criterion of the extensive New 
England vessel fisheries is afforded in the trade centering at the two 
great markets of Boston and Gloucester, where an aggregate of 
170,401,210 pounds of fish, having a value of $4,072,362, was landed 
by American vessels in 1906. Of this immense quantity 129,230,658 
pounds, worth $2,808,228, were secured on grounds lying west of the 
sixty-sixth degree of west longitude—that is, directly off the New 
England coast. 
Mackerel.—The total catch of salted mackerel in 1906 was approxi- 
mately 10,448 barrels, valued at $171,970, which includes 4,376 bar- 
rels taken on the Cape shore and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This 
quantity falls short of the 1905 catch by 18,853 barrels. The catch 
of fresh mackerel was 35,240 barrels, representing a value of $423,000. 
This quantity was 14,672 barrels less than was taken in the previous 
year. 
The condition of the mackerel fishery is viewed with considerable 
alarm. The methods involve great expense, and the battling move- 
ments of the fish for the last few years, with consequent poor catches, 
have caused heavy losses. The scarcity is widespread, according to 
the annual report of the Boston Fish Bureau, which states that the 
world’s catch of salted mackerel in 1906 was but 99,137 barrels, di- 
vided among various countries as follows: United States, 10,138 bar- 
rels; Canada, 30,000 barrels; Ireland, 30,000 barrels; Norway, 28,999 
barrels. The total catch of these countries in 1905 was 185,094 bar- 
rels, or 85,957 barrels more than in 1906. 
Cod—In 1906 there were landed at Boston and Gloucester 
36,195,616 pounds of fresh and 18,323,098 pounds of salted cod, an 
