212 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



as much as the value of the apparatus of capture and 

 boats used in the shore and boat fisheries, which 

 amounted to $593,000. 



The investment in apparatus of capture in the shore 

 and boat fisheries was nearly thirteen times as great as 

 that in the vessel fisheries. The importance of this 

 item is shown by the fact that in 1902 it represented 

 28 per cent and in 1908, 27 per cent of the total invest- 

 ment in the fisheries of the state. The decrease from 

 1902 to 1908 in the value of the investment in apparatus 

 of capture, which was from $574,000 to $367,000, is 

 chargeable entirely to the shore and boat fisheries, for 

 the value of the apparatus of capture used in the vessel 

 fisheries increased more than $5,000. 



The numbers of the principal kinds of apparatus of 

 capture employed, all of which, except 16 gill nets, 10 

 eel pots, 41 seines, and 12 traps, were used in shore and 

 boat fisheries, were as follows: 



Products, by species. The fishery products of the 

 state, distributed by species and by apparatus of cap- 

 ture, are shown in Table 1, on page 215. 



The product of the North Carolina fisheries included 

 more than 40 species of fish, besides frogs, crabs, 

 shrimp, terrapin, turtles, clams, and oysters; the skins 

 of mink, muskrats, and otter; whalebone and whale 

 oil; and the hides and oil of porpoises. 



Of the important products, shad, oysters, mullet, 

 and clams showed large decreases in 1908 in both quan- 

 tity and value. Almost the entire increase in the total 

 quantity of products is accounted for by the unprece- 



dented size of the menhaden catch. Although this 

 amounted to 40,000,000 pounds inore than in 1902, it 

 caused an increase in value of only $40,000. While 

 the catches of some of the other species increased in 

 both quantity and value, the increase in the total value 

 for the state was due chiefly to the general increase in 

 the price per pound received for fishery products. 



In the following tabular statement the quantity and 

 value reported for some of the important products are 

 given for 1902 and 1908: 



The total weight of the 1908 product was 101 ,422,000 

 pounds and its total value $1,776,000. The 40 species 

 offish reported contributed 94,133,000 pounds, valued 

 at $1,406,000, or 94 per cent of the weight and 79 per 

 cent of the value. Shad constituted the most valuable 

 product and oysters ranked second, the value of the 

 former being $373,000, or 21 per cent of the total value 

 reported, and that of the latter $236,000, or 13 per cent 

 of the total value. Three species of fish squeteague, 

 mullet, and. alewives for which values of $206,000, 

 $175,000, and $140,000, respectively, were reported, 

 ranked next in importance. For no other product was 

 a value as great as $100,000 reported; but clams worth 

 $82,000 were taken, and crabs and 16 species of fish 

 each added from $10,000 to $70,000 to the total value 

 of the product. 



Products, by class of fisheries. The products of the 

 shore and boat fisheries and of the vessel fisheries are 

 given in detail, by species and apparatus of capture, in 

 Tables 2 and 3, on pages 216 and 217, respectively. 



The next tabular statement distributes, by species, 

 arranged in the order of value, the total value of 

 products for the state as a whole and for each class of 

 fisheries. 



The catch of the shore and boat fisheries aggregated 

 45,556,000 pounds, or 44 per cent of the total weight, 

 and was valued at $1,613,000, or 91 per cent of the 

 total value of the fishery products of the state. Shad 

 contributed 22 per cent of the total value reported 

 for this class of fisheries, representing a larger per- 

 centage of the value than any other species. Sque- 

 teague, mullet, and oysters each furnished more than 

 10 per cent of the total value. 



The catch of the vessel fisheries was 55,865,000 

 pounds, or 55 per cent of the total quantity for the 

 state; but its value was only $163,000, or 9 per cent 



