FISHERIES, BY STATES. 



157 



Principal species. Table 7, on page 164, gives the 

 yield of the more important species during earlier 

 years for which complete statistics are available, 

 together with the percentage of the total value of 

 products formed by the value of each species. The 

 species are ranked in the order of the value of the catch 

 in 1908. 



Cod. The most important product of the Massa- 

 chusetts fisheries was cod, which contributed 28 per 

 cent of the total value in 1908. The state catch of 

 cod formed 66 per cent of that of the United States. 

 The quantity and value of the product were less in 

 1908 than in 1889, but greater than for any other year 

 shown. Cod were taken chiefly by the vessel fisheries, 

 which reported 93 per cent of the total value. Fifty- 

 three per cent of the aggregate product was taken by 

 the Essex County fishermen. Nearly the whole prod- 

 uct, 97 per cent, was caught by lines. 



Haddock. Haddock ranked second in value, con- 

 tributing 15 per cent of the total value of the Massa- 

 chusetts product. The Massachusetts catch con- 

 tributed 80 per cent of the total value of the haddock 

 product of the United States and was taken almost 

 wholly in the vessel fisheries. The catch increased in 

 weight and value in the period from 1889 to 1905, but 

 prior to 1902 it was outranked in value by halibut and 

 in 1902 by mackerel. Suffolk County had a larger prod- 

 uct than Essex County, slightly over half of the total 

 being taken in the former district. About the same 

 proportion of haddock as of cod, 96 per cent of the total 

 value, was taken with lines. 



Mackerel.. The catch of this species, which stood 

 third in value, contributed 11 per cent of the total 

 value of the Massachusetts product, and represented 

 90 per cent of the value of the entire mackerel 

 product of the United States. The 1908 catch was 

 the smallest since 1898, both in quantity and value. 

 In 1902 mackerel ranked next to cod. Vessel fisheries 

 took 97 per cent of the 1908 catch, on the basis of 

 value, and of the value credited to this class of fisheries 

 65 per cent was reported by the Essex County district. 

 Mackerel were taken mostly with seines, 78 per cent of 

 the total value representing the value of the seine 

 haul. Gill nets took most of the remainder, the 

 catch with this form of apparatus representing 19 per 

 cent of the total value. 



Herring. The value of the herring product con- 

 stituted 5 per cent of the total value of products for 

 the state, and 43 per cent of the total value of herring 

 for the United States, Massachusetts ranking second 

 to Maine in this respect. Both the weight and the 

 value of the herring catch have fluctuated more or 

 less at the various canvasses, but the percentage 

 which the catch represents of the total value of prod- 

 ucts of the state has decreased steadily since 1898. 

 Since 1905, despite a large increase in quantity, this 

 fish has suffered a substantial decrease in value. Of 



the total value of the herring product, 72 per cent 

 was reported by the vessel fisheries and 28 per cent 

 by the shore and boat fisheries. Essex County fur- 

 nished 74 per cent of the total value for the state. 

 The largest catch of herring, representing 57 per 

 cent of the total value, was made by gill nets. The 

 catch with seines represented 18 per cent of the value, 

 while nearly all the remaining value was credited to 

 pound and trap nets and to dip nets in proportions 

 approximately equal. 



Pollack. Pollack was another important species, 

 the value of the Massachusetts catch constituting 

 over three-fourths of the value of the total pollack 

 product for the country. Nearly 85 per cent of the 

 Massachusetts catch was made in vessel fisheries, 

 while more than one-half of this total value came from 

 the Essex County district. In value and in relative 

 importance, pollack has increased rapidly and uni- 

 formly since 1898, although in 1908 the quantity 

 taken was considerably less than in 1905. Of the 

 total value of the pollack product reported in 1908, 

 80 per cent represented the value of the catch taken 

 with lines. 



Halibut. The halibut catch showed an increase in 

 both quantity and value in 1908 over 1905, but a 

 marked falling off as compared with the returns for 

 earlier years. In 1 889 and 1898 it ranked next to cod, 

 and not until the canvass of 1905 did it represent less 

 than 10 per cent of the total value of products for the 

 state. The catch of this state, though far below that 

 of Washington, contributed 20 per cent of the total 

 value of the halibut product of the United States and 

 ranked second in importance. Halibut was practically 

 a vessel fishery product. Only 6 per cent came from 

 the southern counties of Massachusetts, 74 per cent 

 being reported from Essex County. Nearly all of the 

 product was taken with lines. 



Hake. The Massachusetts hake product represented 

 63 per cent of the total value of the hake catch for the 

 United States. In spite of the great fluctuations in 

 quantity, the value has steadily increased since 1889. 

 It is preeminently a vessel fishery product. Twenty- 

 five per cent of the total value was reported by the 

 Essex County district and 63 per cent by the Suffolk 

 County district. Practically the entire catch was made 

 by lines. 



Catfish. Catfish, or wolf fish, were taken to the value 

 of $8,000. Nearly the entire catch, amounting to 

 557,000 pounds, was taken with lines. The vessel fish- 

 eries were credited with 368,000 pounds, valued at 

 $4,400. 



Clams. Hard, soft, and razor clams were reported 

 by the Massachusetts fisheries. The latter species 

 were not taken in large quantities. For the other 

 two species the values of the product reported were 

 nearly the same. Clams were taken almost wholly 

 in shore and boat fisheries. Fifty-seven per cent of 



