104 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



rowboats, and 34 diving boats. In the sponge fisheries 

 as a whole, 122 diving boats, having a value of $40,000, 

 were used. 



Persons employed in the sponge fisheries in 1908, 

 exclusive of 172 proprietors not fishing, formed a 

 total of 2,097, distributed as follows: 125 proprietors 

 and independent fishermen; 1 salaried employee; and 

 1,971 wage-earners, who received $437,000 in wages 

 (including provisions furnished to the value of $132,- 

 000). The persons reported for the vessel fisheries, 

 exclusive of 90 proprietors not fishing, numbered 1,466, 

 and comprised 32 proprietors and independent fisher- 

 men, 1 salaried employee, and 1,433 wage-earners, re- 

 ceiving wages to the amount of $343,000 (including 

 provisions furnished to the value of $95,000). In the 

 shore and boat fisheries 631 persons were employed, of 

 whom 93 were proprietors (exclusive of 82 not fish- 

 ing) , and 538 wage-earners, who received wages to the 

 amount of $93,000 (inclusive of provisions to the value 

 of $37,000). 



The total investment in apparatus of capture was 

 $78,000, which comprised hooks and diving apparatus 

 to the value of $76,000, and nets and other fishing ap- 

 paratus to the value of $1,300, reported by certain of the 

 vessel sponge fishers who had a fish catch. Of the total 

 investment in the sponge industry in apparatus of 

 capture, $55,000 was credited to the vessel fisheries and 

 $22,000 to the shore and boat fisheries. The invest- 

 ment in shore and accessory property for the sponge 



fisheries was $4,900, practically all of which was re- 

 ported by the shore and boat fisheries. 



In the following tabular statement the sponge catch 

 for 1908 is shown in detail, classified according to kind 

 or grade of product, and according to apparatus of 

 capture, whether taken by hooks or with diving 

 apparatus: 



ap- 

 the 



i I-ess than $100. 



The catch with diving apparatus represented 

 proximately two-thirds of the total value, and 

 catch with hooks one-third. 



In the following tabular statement the quantity and 

 value of the sponge product for 1908 are compared 

 with the figures for a series of years as reported by the 

 Bureau of Fisheries: 



SPONGE PRODUCT. 



1 Not reported separately. 



Bed snapper. The red-snapper fishery has increased 

 steadily in importance, as shown by the following 

 tabular statement of the product for a number of 

 years : 



The increase in both quantity and value of product 

 since 1880 is remarkable, while the average value per 

 pound for 1908 represents a great advance over that 

 for the earlier years shown. This fishery was confined 

 almost entirely to the Gulf waters, and the catch was 

 made exclusively with lines. 



Shad. The shad fishery was by far the most impor- 

 tant of the Atlantic coast district, contributing 25 per 

 cent of the value of all products of these waters in 1908. 

 Shad ranked third in value among the fish of the state, 

 representing 9 per cent of the value of all products. 

 Compared with the catch for 1902, which was 1,819,- 

 000 pounds, valued at $125,000, the product of 1908 

 shows an increase of 56 per cent in quantity and of 



