134 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



1880 to 1908 it constitutes about three-fifths of the total 

 gain. The price of oysters, however, has fallen to such 

 an extent that, although the quantity in 1908 was 

 more than three and one-half times as large as in 1897 

 and about four and one-half times as large as in 1890, 

 the value of the product increased only 76 per cent in 

 the former period and 154 per cent in the latter. 



Oysters were reported only from the Gulf district. 

 Here the shore and boat fisheries took 2,763,000 bush- 

 els, valued at $617,000, and the vessel fisheries 888,000 

 bushels, valued at $146,000. While the "relaying" of 

 oysters in saltwater in order to improve their flavor was 

 quite extensive in 1880, according to the Geographical 

 Review of the Fisheries, 1 very little oyster planting was 

 done at that date. Although the planting seems to 

 have reached a considerable extent by 1897, the firstcol- 

 lected data are those of the present census. In 1908 

 over one-third of the market oysters came from pri- 

 vate areas. As the price of oysters from private areas, 

 owing to their superior flavor, is much higher than that 

 of oysters from public areas, the product from the 

 former areas, though much smaller in quantity, was 

 nearly as valuable as the product from the latter. In 

 the case of seed oysters conditions were reversed, the 

 yield of the public areas, which formed only about six- 

 sevenths of the quantity of seed oysters, representing 

 thirteen-fourteenths of the value. 



The practice of relaying mature oysters to improve 

 their flavor probably accounts in part for the high 

 average price of the seed oysters taken from the public 

 areas in the shore and boat fisheries, as compared with 

 the price of the seed oysters in the same class of fish- 

 eries taken from private areas. 



Shrimp. Ninety-six per cent of the shrimp taken 

 and 88 per cent of their value were credited to the shore 

 and boat fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico district. Of 

 the remaining product, the fisheries of the Mississippi 

 River and its tributaries furnished a little more than 

 two-fifths of the weight and nearly two-thirds of the 

 value. The growth in the shrimp product within the 

 period for which statistics are available has been very 

 irregular, as is shown in the following tabular state- 

 ment: 



l The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States, sec- 

 tion 2, p. 580. 



Catfish. In order of value catfish ranked third in 

 the state as a whole and in the Gulf district, and first 

 in the Mississippi River district, where it contributed 

 39 per cent of the quantity and 45 per cent of the value 

 of the entire product. More than one-third of the 

 value of the entire catfish haul came from the Missis- 

 sippi River fisheries, and with the exception of a very 

 small quantity reported by vessel fisheries all of the 

 remainder was from the shore and boat fisheries of the 

 Gulf. The species has shared in the general increase 

 shown by the products of the Louisiana fisheries. In 

 1880 it was not reported separately, but was included 

 in "Other species;" in 1897 the yield was 1,950,000 

 pounds, valued at $47,000; and in 1908 the product 

 was more than twice as large and more than three 

 times as valuable. 



Squeteague, or sea trout. This species was taken only 

 in the Gulf district, 92 per cent of the quantity and 94 

 per cent of the value being reported by the shore and 

 boat fishermen. The weight of the catch taken has 

 nearly doubled, and its value has trebled since 1897. 

 In 1880 the squeteague was included under the head 

 of "Other species." 



Buffalo fish. Buffalo fish, like catfish, were taken 

 but little in vessel fisheries. In 1908 they ranked third 

 among the fishery products of the state and second 

 among the products of the Mississippi River district. 

 Over half of the weight of the buffalo-fish catch was 

 reported by the Mississippi River district, but the 

 Gulf shore and boat catch, less by about 40,000 pounds, 

 had a greater value. In 1880 buffalo fish were included 

 under the head of "Other species," and in 1897 they 

 furnished a product which had only about one-eighth 

 of the weight and one-tenth of the value of that of 1908. 



Mink skins. This product, which ranked fifth with 

 respect to value at the census of 1908, was not reported 

 at prior canvasses. 



