CXLVIII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Fishery Trade and Local Fisheries of Puerto Eico, by W. A. Wilcox; 

 Preservation of Fishery Products for Food, by 0. H. Stevenson. 



The last contains full and detailed information respecting the various 

 methods employed in smoking, salting, drying, canning, and otherwise 

 preserving fish and other products of the fisheries for food. This pub- 

 lication will relieve the office of a vast amount of correspondence on this 

 subject, and will be of great value to persons engaged in the fisheries. 



The office continues to issue single-sheet statistical bulletins, which 

 present in condensed form the results of the field work in advance of 

 the regular publications of the Commission. These bulletins are widely 

 distributed among persons engaged in the fisheries, and are also posted 

 in custom-houses and other public offices. Those which have appeared, 

 during the year are: 



No. 8.— Fisheries of the Gulf States— 3897. 



No. 9.— Fisheries of the South Atlantic States— 1897. 



No. 10. — Statement of the quantity and value of certain fishery products landed 



at Boston and Gloucester by American vessels during the year 1898. 

 No. 11. — Fisheries of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia — 1897. 

 No. 12. — Statement of quantities and values of fishery products recorded as 



landed or prepared at San Francisco, Cal., during the year 1898. 



The information transmitted to the office by agents of the Commission 

 at Boston and Gloucester has been stated on single-sheet bulletins and 

 distributed monthly to persons engaged in the fisheries of those ports. 



FISHERIES OF PUERTO RICO. 



In December, 1898, Mr. William A. Wilcox sailed for Puerto Eico on 

 the Fish Commission steamer Fish Eaivl; and was engaged during 

 January and February in investigating the foreign fishery trade and 

 local fisheries of that island. His report shows that in 1897 Puerto 

 Eico imported 31,155,983 pounds of dry, pickled, canned, and other fish, 

 valued at $2,123,931. The value of imported fishery products was 

 $1,325,070 111 1893; $1,649,601 in 1894; $1,987,676 in 1895; $1,815,010 

 in 1896. The supply of dry and pickled fish in Puerto Eico comes chiefly 

 from Nova Scotia, with occasional cargoes from Newfoundland. The 

 receipts of fishery products of this character in 1 97 R,mouuted to 

 33,449,422 pounds from the following localities : North American British 

 possessions, 28,048,735 pounds; United States, 4,909,141 pounds; all 

 other countries, 491,546 pounds. This amount approximated 85 per cent 

 of dried fish and 15 j)er cent of pickled fish. The proportions of dried 

 fish by species were 90 per cent cod, 7 per cent haddock, and 3 per cent 

 hake. Ponce is the most important place on the island in connection 

 with the foreign fishery trade, receiving nearly half of the imports. 



The report contains information relative to the character of fishery 

 products best adapted to the climate of Puerto Eico; the customary 

 methods followed in importing and distributing the supply, and other 

 information relative to the conditions affectiug the trade on that island. 

 Suggestions are made on many points calculated to effect the increase 

 of the foreign fishery trade and the importation of American fishery 



