CL REPORT OF COMMI.^SIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Pribilof Islands, and 10,740 iu the Pacitic Ocean during the northward 

 migration of the herd. 



The pelagic seal industry — based almost entirely upon the capture 

 of breeding females — has been diuiinishing for several years. Although 

 the present reduced fleet made a slightly larger catch in 1898, it was 

 due to its having concentrated ui^on the American herd, the pursuit of 

 the Asiatic herd having been practically abandoned. Upon the return 

 of Mr. Townsend a report on the condition of the American herd as 

 observed on the Pribilof Islands during the season was presented to 

 the Secretary of the Treasury in compliance with the act of Congress 

 requiring such investigations and reports by the Fish Commission. 



THE WHALE FISHERY. 



The American whale fishery has been declining for many years. The 

 yield of whale products for 1898 was, however, larger than usual, the 

 importations amounting to 12,520 barrels of sperm oil, 5,29.'» barrels 

 of whale oil, and 216,120 pounds of whalebone. About 5G vessels now 

 comjirise the American fleet, 23 of which are engaged in the Pacific 

 Ocean and 33 in the Atlantic Ocean. The fleet is credited as follows: 

 New Bedford, 25; Provincetown, 10; Boston, 4, and San Francisco, 17. 



The increase in the value of the catch in 1898 was due chiefly to the 

 large catch of bone made by the Pacific fleet in the Arctic Ocean, where 

 110 bowhead whales were taken. The vessels engaged iu taking sperm 

 whales number about 17 in the Atlantic and 1 in the Pacific. 



An interesting fact in connection with the yield of oil was the taking 

 of 1,700 barrels of sea-elephant oil by the bark Swallow, of Boston. 

 This vessel arrived at Kerguelen Island in December, 1897, and in three 

 months secured about 1,000 sea elephants. The Kerguelen Island seal 

 fishery has not been regularly prosecuted for many years, the only 

 other vessel which has taken seals there being the Francis Allen, of 

 New London, which visited the island four years prior to the Swalloic. 

 The larger animals taken by the Swallow yielded about 8 barrels of oil 

 apiece. It is proposed to send this vessel to Kerguelen again during 

 the coming winter. 



FISHERIES OF SAN FRANCISCO. 



Mr. A. B. Alexander, fishery exj)ert of the steamer Albatross, was 

 engaged during the year 1898 and for some time in 1899, in collecting 

 monthly statistics of the yield and value of the fisheries of San Fran- 

 cisco. The fisheries conducted from this port yielded 39,549,639 pounds 

 of products, valued at $7,333,244. In addition to important local 

 fisheries, the whale fishery and most of the fisheries of Alaska are con- 

 ducted from San Francisco, together with certain fisheries of Oregon 

 and Washington. 



Salmon is the leading feature of the fisheries centered at this port, 

 the quantity landed there in 1898 from Alaska Territory, the Sacra- 

 mento and other rivers being valued at $5,249,866. The products of the 

 whale fishery were valued at $705,107. The oyster industry of San Fran- 



