APPENDIX C. 



INSTRUCTIONS TO SPECIAL AGENTS. 



GENERAL. 



In conformity with the act of Congress of June 7, 1900, the census 

 of the fishing industry is to be made by the Director of the Census 

 in cooperation with the Commissioner of Fisheries. The object of 

 this cooperation is to avoid a duplicate canvass and insure uniform- 

 ity and agreement in the reports of the two bureaus. To secure 

 such a result and to minimize the work of correspondence, correc- 

 tion, and revision, the utmost pains must be taken to obtain correct 

 information for all branches of the investigation. 



The census is to be made under the immediate supervision of the 

 chief statistician for manufactures, and all employees engaged in 

 field work must follow the instructions of that official. 



Industries and period covered. The census must cover, in addition 

 to all varieties of seafood and fish products, shellfish, whales, seals, 

 turtles, crabs, shrimp, alligators, and sponges. It will include also 

 the pearl mussel fisheries of the rivers of the country. All com- 

 mercial fisheries, vessels engaged in fishing, and vessels engaged 

 in transporting fish from the fishing grounds, which operate from the 

 ports of the continental United States, Alaska, or Porto Rico, must 

 be reported. Vessels engaged in fishing or transporting fish for a 

 portion of the year and in other work for the remainder of the 12 

 months must be reported, and in such cases the report must cover 

 the operations of the entire year. Vessels engaged in transporting 

 fish from port to port as regular freight must not be reported. The 

 census also covers the operations of establishments engaged in 

 canning or preserving fish or in the manufacture of fertilizer, oil, 

 etc., from sea products. 



Dealers in fish products, either wholesale or retail, who are not 

 also engaged in catching or in canning or preserving fish, should not 

 be reported. It is difficult in many instances to separate the statis- 

 tics for the mercantile portion of the industry, but the following 

 rules should be applied whenever practicable: 



1. When dealers in fish or fish products are also engaged in can- 

 ning or preserving fish or in catching fish, no attempt should be 

 made to separate these statistics the entire establishment should be 

 included in the census report, except as provided in Rule 2. 



2. If an establishment is engaged primarily in the purchase and 

 Bale of fish or fish products and incidentally in catching fish or in 

 canning and preserving the same, the statistics for the mercantile 

 portion should be segregated and the census report relate exclusively 

 to the fishing or canning and preserving branch of the establishment. 



3. In cases where the purchase and sale of fish or fish products 

 is combined with the canning or preserving of fish or with catching 

 fish, and a combined report is made, as indicated in Rule 1, the re- 

 port must show separately the quantity received and the quantity 

 and value of products disposed of in connection with the wholesale 

 or retail branch of the establishment. 



4. The freezing of fish or the shucking of oysters when done by 

 merchants is considered as a portion of the mercantile business and 

 should not be reported. If the same establishments are engaged in 

 the catching of fish or the canning and preserving of the same, the 

 statistics for the entire establishment should be included, as indi- 

 cated in Rule 1. 



For census purposes the term "commercial fishery" includes all 

 fishing operations conducted for profit i. e., for the sale of the catch, 

 but it does not include the operations of individuals, clubs, etc., 

 catching fish for their own consumption or for sport. 



The census reports must cover the year ending December 31, 

 1908, or the fishing season which most nearly conforms to this calen- 

 dar year. The fishing season covers different periods in different 

 sections of the country and the reports must be prepared to meet 

 local conditions. The period covered by each report must be given 

 on the title-page of the schedule. 



Daily reports and correspondence. The canvass will be made by 

 the regular employees of the Census Office and the employees of 

 the Bureau of Fisheries detailed for this purpose. Each employee 

 detailed for field work must make a report on a form provided for 

 this purpose for every day on which he is actually employed. At 

 the close of each day the daily report must be forwarded by regis- 

 tered mail in the return penalty envelope addressed to the Director 

 of the Census. 



Day's work. The relative efficiency of each employee engaged 

 in field work will be determined by the number and completeness 

 of the schedules secured, and each daily report must account for 

 the work of the day. Inquiries concerning schedules or further in- 

 structions must be made by letter and not on the daily report forms. 

 Employees must give sufficient notice of the date they will complete 

 the district to which they are assigned, so that, if necessary, they 

 may be assigned to other territory without loss of time. 



Schedules. Fishing and the allied industry of packing and can- 

 ning will be reported on the following schedules: 



Schedule EE1-247. To be used in reporting shore or boat fish- 

 eries. If shore or boat fisheries are conducted in connection with 

 vessel fisheries or with canneries or packing houses, reports should 

 also be made on schedules EE2-248 and EE3-249. If it is necessary 

 to make the report on two or more schedules, care should be taken 

 that no amounts are duplicated. The vast majority of the reports 

 will be prepared on schedules EE1-247 and EE2-248. 



Schedule EE2-248. To be used in reporting fisheries conducted 

 with vessels which have been documented. As indicated by the 

 schedule, it was designed for the purpose of securing a separate re- 

 port for each vessel. If several vessels are operated under the same 

 ownership and it is impracticable to obtain a separate report for 

 each, a consolidated report may be made on one blank covering the 

 catch of all the craft, provided they operate from the same fishing 

 port. In preparing consolidated reports of the catch of two or more 

 vessels, a separate schedule must be prepared for each vessel and 

 answers made to the first four inquiries. The entire catch may then 

 be reported under inquiry 5 of any one of the schedules for fishing 

 vessels. Inquiry 5 of the remaining fishing vessels should be 

 answered by referring to the schedule on which the cateh is reported. 



Schedule EE3-249. To be used in reporting packing houses, 

 canneries, and fish curing establishments. Reports must not be 

 made for wholesale or retail dealers in fish unless such dealers are 

 also engaged in fishing. The packing of fresh fish in ice, freezing 

 fish, shucking oysters, or picking crab meat must not be reported 

 when done by dealers, but when these industries are carried on by 

 fishermen, statistics for them must be included in the reports, as 

 indicated above. 



In cases where oyster fishermen shuck the oysters before selling 

 them, the agent must report separately under "Remarks" the 

 number and wages of the employees engaged exclusively in shuck- 

 ing. They must also report, by estimate, if necessary, both the 

 value of the oysters in the shell and their value after being shucked. 



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