INSHORE FISHERIES 



227 



The total value of the fishery, not including the bait sold to 

 the fishermen, equaled $382,450. In 1899 these factories 

 were not carried on at all as no fish appeared on the coast. 

 In 1902, the fish were not abundant along the coast of 

 Maine. No factories of the State were operated except 

 at Boothbay Harbor. The reported value of fresh and 

 salted menhaden was $1,872. In 1906, fishermen were 

 employed in this industry from Maine, not in the State but 

 in waters South of Cape Cod, coming into the Maine waters 

 long enough only to ascertain whether or not the fish were 

 schooling. 



The condition of the New England menhaden fishery for 

 different years since 1880 may be seen in the following 

 table, which shows the value of the product for 1880, 1898 

 and 1902 : * 



In 1880 the total number of persons employed in the 

 menhaden fishery in the manufacture of oil and guano in 

 the United States was 3,635; the capital invested was 

 $2,362,841; and the value of the product was $2,116,787. 

 In New England there were 1171 fishermen and 339 fac- 

 tory hands, 173 vessels, 282 boats ; the value of fishery and 

 fixtures was $531,087, a little over one-half the factory value 

 of the country. 



It will be seen that there has been a very noticeable de- 

 cline since 1880. There was a tendency toward decline 

 in Rhode Island for a number of years previous to 1898. 



1 Goode, p. 361 ; Statistics of the Fisheries of New England, 1898 

 and 1902. 



