FISHERIES, BY STATES. 



263 



The fisheries of the state have shown a steady 

 growth, the value of their products having more than 

 quadrupled during the twenty years between 1888 

 and 1908. The value of vessels and boats has 

 increased steadily since 1888. In the value of appa- 

 ratus of capture, however, there has been a gradual 



decrease since 1899, and the number of persona 

 employed in 1908 was smaller than in 1895, 1899, or 

 1904. 



Persons employed. The following table shows the 

 distribution of the persons employed in 1908 for the 

 state and for the two districts: 



i Exclusive of 35 proprietors not fishing. 



The fisheries of the Pacific Ocean district gave 

 occupation to approximately seven-tenths of the total 

 number employed in fishing and to three-fourths of the 

 number employed in the shore and boat fisheries. 



Equipment and other capital. The following tabular 

 statement shows in detail the number and value of 

 vessels and boats, the value of shore and accessory 

 property, and the amount of cash invested in 1908, 

 both for the state as a whole and for the two districts : 



Of the total capital invested in the fisheries of 

 Washington in 1908, 46 per cent, or somewhat less 

 than one-half, represented the value of fishing and 



' Includes provisions furnished to the value of $187,000. 



transporting vessels, the value of fishing vessels 

 alone forming 39 per cent, or not quite two-fifths. 

 The investment in vessels was mainly hi power 

 craft of at least 5 tons register, the value of which 

 constituted 42 per cent, or slightly more than 

 two-fifths, of the total capital employed, while the 

 value of all other classes of vessels formed only 5 per 

 cent of the total. In the fisheries of the Pacific 

 Ocean district 61 per cent, or almost exactly three- 

 fifths, of the capital was invested in vessels, as com- 

 pared with a corresponding percentage of a little over 

 2 for the Columbia River fisheries, where all of the 

 comparatively small number of vessels employed were 

 engaged in transporting the catch. 



Next to the value of vessels, that of apparatus of 

 capture was the largest item of capital, amounting to 

 34 per cent, or about one-third of the total. By far 

 the largest proportion 68 per cent, or slightly more 

 than two-thirds of the capital employed in the fish- 

 eries of the Columbia River represented the value of 

 apparatus of capture. The value of boats formed 11 

 per cent of the total investment for the state, that 

 of shore and accessory property 6 per cent, and the 

 amount of cash 3 per cent, all the cash reported being 

 invested in the Pacific Ocean district. 



Statistics as to the number and tonnage of vessels 

 and the number of boats are given hi the next tabu- 

 lar statement. 



The vessels engaged in fishing in 1908 comprised 85 

 steam and 22 sail vessels, with a combined tonnage of 

 3,991, and 11 unrigged craft, the value of all classes of 

 fishing vessels being $955,000. Of these, all of which 

 were used in the Pacific Ocean district, 45 belonged 



