FISHERIES, BY STATES. 



Ill 



The increase in the catch has not been so rapid in 

 the case of shad as in that of some other varieties, 

 but there has been a marked increase in the price 

 since 1902. Red snappers were not mentioned in 

 the report for 1897, but they occupied the third place 

 in 1908. 



Persons employed. The statistics in regard to the 

 number of persons employed in the fisheries of Georgia 

 are given in the following tabular statement: 



i Exclusive of 11 proprietors not fishing. 



The seven persons employed on transporting ves- 

 sels were connected with vessel fishery interests, 

 while all the shoresmen were connected with the 

 shore and boat fisheries. The comparison therefore 

 shows a total of 2,123 persons for the shore and boat 

 fisheries and of 402 for the vessel fisheries. The 

 intermittent character of much of the employment is 

 manifest from the low average individual wage. 



Equipment and other capital. The following table 

 presents statistics in regard to the capital invested in 

 the industry: 



The item showing the largest value is shore and acces- 

 sory property, which was valued at $185,000. Of this 

 amount, $37,000 belonged to vessel fishery interests 

 and $148,000 to those of shore and boat fisheries. 

 Craft of various kinds made up the next largest item, 

 the value exclusive of outfits being $163,000. To this 

 the value of vessels contributed $84,000 and that of 

 boats $79,000. The entire amount of cash capital 

 reported was from the shore and boat fisheries. That 

 none was reported by the vessel fisheries is due partly 

 to their close association with canneries whose accounts 

 carry the items of capital. Sailing vessels were more 

 important than steam vessels in number, tonnage, and 

 value, but the greater part of the investment in out- 

 fits pertained to steam craft. Steam and motor boats, 

 although less than one-fourth as numerous as sail- 

 boats, exceeded them in average value by more than 

 50 per cent. The bulk of the apparatus of capture 

 was used in shore and boat fisheries, the largest invest- 

 ment being in gill nets. Lines and dredges, tongs, 

 etc., were the only kinds of apparatus reported for the 

 vessel fisheries. The number of the various kinds of 

 apparatus in use in the shore and boat fisheries in 1908 

 was as follows: 



Cast nets 333 



Fyke and hoop nets 51 



Gill nets 982 



Pound nets 12 



Seines 123 



Spears 7 



Stop nets 6 



Traps, catfish 150 



Traps, otter '. 325 



Products, by species. The quantity and value of the 

 products of the Georgia fisheries are given, by species 

 and by apparatus of capture, in the table on page 

 113. The value of the oyster product formed 48 per 

 cent of that of all products. Shad and red snappers 

 ranked second and third, respectively, in value of 

 catch. All other species amounted to 2,401,000 

 pounds, valued at $142,000. Only three of these 

 prawn, catfish, and sea bass appear in quantities 

 exceeding 200,000 pounds, while terrapin was the 

 only one for which a value above $20,000 was reported. 

 The three leading species oysters, shad, and red 

 snappers have contributed the bulk of the increase 

 both in the quantity and in the value of fishery prod- 

 ucts since 1880, although their gain has been rela- 

 tively no greater than that of the less important 

 species. 



Products, by class of fisheries. The following tabular 

 statement gives the product of vessel fisheries by 

 species. The fish were taken by lines, and the oyster 

 product (amounting to 4,509,000 pounds, valued at 

 $117,000) was taken by dredges, tongs, etc. 



