102 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



red-snapper fisheries of the Gulf district was 7,659,000 

 pounds, valued at $432,000, which represented over 99 

 per cent of the total value reported for the red-snap- 

 per catch of the state, and 57 per cent in quantity 

 and 68 per cent in value, of the total catch of the 

 species reported for the United States. 



Table 3, on page 108, gives the products of the Atlan- 

 tic coast fisheries of Florida, distributed by species and 

 by apparatus of capture. 



Measured by value of products, the shad fishery was 

 the most important in the Atlantic coast district. All 

 but 3,600 pounds of the shad catch of the state was 

 taken in the Atlantic coast waters. The oyster 

 product consisted entirely of market oysters. Prawn 

 was an important item, the yield amounting to 

 4,152,000 pounds, valued at $84,000, the entire 

 product of the state being reported from this district. 

 Shrimps, on the other hand, were reported from both 

 the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. 



The value of products reported for 1908, by princi- 

 pal species arranged in order of importance, is shown 

 in the following table for the state as a whole and for 

 the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast fisheries. 



In the fisheries of the Atlantic coast the value of 

 shad, mullet, and squeteague constituted about one- 

 half of the total value of products; and in the fisher- 

 ies of the Gulf the value of sponges, mullet, and red 

 snapper constituted more than two-thirds of the total 

 value of products. 



Products, by class of fisheries. The products of the 

 shore and boat fisheries for 1908 are shown in detail, 

 by species and by apparatus of capture, in Table 4, on 

 page 109. 



The total catch of the shore and boat fisheries was 

 63,992,000 pounds, or 86 per cent of the total for the 

 state, and its value was $2,459,000, or 73 per cent of 

 the total for the state. Among the shore and boat 

 fisheries the mullet fishery was the most important, 



contributing 26 per cent of the total value of products; 

 shad ranked second, with 13 per cent of the total 

 value; and oysters third, with 12 per cent. 



The distribution between the vessel fisheries and 

 the shore and boat fisheries of the value reported for 

 the leading species in 1908 is given below: 



'Less than S100. 



The shore and boat fisheries of the Gulf waters had 

 a total catch of 28,216,000 pounds, valued at 

 $1,215,000, which represented 44 per cent in quantity 

 and 49 per cent in value of the shore and boat catch 

 of the state. Of the total products of the Gulf coast 

 fisheries of the state, 75 per cent in quantity and 57 

 per cent in value were reported by the shore and boat 

 fisheries. In the shore and boat fisheries of the Gulf 

 the catch of mullet exceeded in value that of any other 

 species, representing about one-third of the total value 

 of all products of the fisheries in question. Oysters 

 were next in value and sponges third. 



The total catch of the shore and boat fisheries in 

 the waters tributary to the Atlantic Ocean was 

 35,776,000 pounds, with a value of $1,244,000, repre- 

 senting 56 per cent in quantity and 51 per cent in 

 value of the shore and boat catch of the state. Of the 

 total products of the Atlantic coast fisheries of the 

 state, the shore and boat fisheries were credited with 

 98 per cent both in quantity and in value. 



The products of the vessel fisheries for 1908 are 

 presented in detail, by species and by apparatus of 

 capture, in table 5, on page 110. 



The total catch of the vessel fisheries of Florida was 

 10,094,000 pounds, valued at $930,000, representing 14 

 per cent in quantity and 27 per cent in value of all 

 fishery products of the state. In this class of fisheries 

 the sponge product was the largest item in value, and 

 snappers ranked second. The total of these two prod- 

 ucts was $854,000, or 92 per cent of the total value 

 of the products of all vessel fisheries of the state. 



