FISHERIES, BY STATES. 



189 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



New Hampshire has but one county bordering upon 

 the Atlantic Ocean, and its fisheries, which are all of 

 the shore and boat class, are of relatively small im- 

 portance. The principal statistics for 1908 are given 

 in the following statement: 



Number of persons employed 79 



Capital: 



Boats $13,000 



Apparatus of capture 10,000 



Shore and accessory property and cash 200 



Value of products 53, 000 



As early as 1888 the Bureau of Fisheries reported 

 that there had been a considerable diminution in the 

 importance of the fisheries of the state, a decrease 

 being evident in the number of persons employed, in 

 the amount of capital invested, and in the quantity 

 and value of the products. This downward tendency 

 has, on the whole, continued, although the heavy de- 

 crease in the quantity of products since 1898 has been 

 accompanied by an increase in their value. Further- 

 more, since 1905 the investment in equipment has in- 

 creased, as shown in the following tabular statement: 



Of the 79 persons employed in 1908, 78 were pro- 

 prietors and independent fishermen, and only one was 

 reported as a wage-earner. 



The following tabular statement shows the invest- 

 ment in the New Hampshire fisheries in 1908: 



i Less than $100. 



Six gill nets, 2,730 lobster pots, 3 moss rakes, and 

 11 weirs were reported. 



Statistics concerning the fishery products of the 

 state, distributed according to species and apparatus 

 of capture, are given in the tabular statement at the 



end of this section. In 1908 the value of lobsters con- 

 stituted 81 per cent of the value of all products. The 

 lobster product has increased rapidly in quantity and 

 more rapidly in value since the canvass of 1888, as 

 shown below: 



In other respects the fisheries of New Hampshire 

 have suffered a decrease in importance. In 1888 the 

 catch of cod was 1,426,000 pounds, valued at $29,000; 

 that of haddock was 1,069,000 pounds, valued at 

 $20,000; and that of halibut 143,000 pounds, valued 

 at $12,000. Compared with these figures the totals 

 for 1908 were very small, as may be seen from the 

 tabular statement given below: 



1 Includes apparatus, with catch, as follows: Lobster pots, 264.000 pounds, valued 

 at $43,000; pound nets and weirs, 124.000 pounds, valued at $2,1(10: gill nets, 44,000 

 pounds, valued at $1,400; and rakes, 35,000 pounds, valued at $1,400. 



NEW JERSEY. 



In 1908 New Jersey ranked eighth in value of fishery 

 products, with a catch valued at $3,069,000. Oysters 

 were the leading product, their value forming 45 per 

 cent of the total value of the fishery products of the 

 state; while squeteague, hard clams, and shad were 

 other prominent varieties. Delaware Bay, the Lower 

 Bay, and the numerous coves and inlets along the 

 coast are among the more important fishing grounds 

 of the state. 



The following statement gives the principal sta- 

 tistics for the fisheries of the state in 1908: 



Number of persons employed 7, 231 



Capital : 



Vessels and boats, including outfit $1, 100, 000 



Apparatus of capture 345, 000 



Shore and accessory property and cash 269, 000 



Value of products 3, 069, 000 



