FISHERIES OF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES. 203 



FISHERIES OF NEW YORK. 



Compared with 1891 the returns for the fishery industries of New 

 York State show a considerable decrease as regards the total number 

 of persons employed and the value of the products, the former item 

 decreasing from 12,246 in 1891 to 9,186 in 1898, and the latter from 

 $4,817,369 to $3,545,189 in the same period. In the item of value of 

 investment there has been a large increase — from $5,283,200 in 1891 to 

 $7,589,787 in 1898; but this increase has been principally in the val- 

 uation of shore property and cash capital, the returns for which show 

 an increase from $3,374,655 to $5,741,221. Omitting these items, the 

 value of investment has decreased during the period under comparison 

 from $1,908,545 to $1,848,566. 



The decrease in the number of fishermen of this State has been 

 principally in the shore or boat fisheries, due not only to the reduced 

 extent of the fisheries, but also to the semiprofessional fishermen find- 

 ing emplo3^ment in the various other industries developing along the 

 coast. The number of shoresmen has also decreased, while on the 

 other hand the vessel fisheries have largely increased, especially those 

 for blue-fish and menhaden. 



The most important fishery industry of the State is the oyster 

 industry, which in 1898 yielded 56 per cent in value of the total prod- 

 ucts. Next comes the menhaden fishery, with a yield of $405,488, or 

 8 per cent of the total; but these figures fail in doing justice to that 

 industry, since the rendering of the fish into oil and fertilizer gives 

 employment to nearly as many men and as large a capitalization as 

 the taking of the fish. The blue-fish fishery is almost as important as 

 the menhaden, the value of the product in 1898 being $387,167. This 

 is the most important fishery of the State for the taking of food-fish 

 proper, and its extent has increased almost constantly during the past 

 ten years, the total yield in 1898 being 11,214,433 pounds, whereas ten 

 years previously it was less than half that amount. This is not due to 

 an increase in abundance of that species, but to its enhanced popu- 

 larity as a food article and to an increase in the size of the fleet and 

 the extension of the fishing season and grounds, vessels now leaving 

 port in March and going as far south as Cape Lookout. The fisheries 

 for hard clams, cod, shad, squeteague, and soft clams, which, in the 

 order named, rank next in value, all show a decrease from the extent 

 of ten years ago. With the exception of blue-fish and menhaden, the 

 only products showing an increase as compared with ten years ago are 

 sturgeon, lobsters, mackerel, and scallops. 



The returns for the extent of the fisheries of New York in 1897 and 

 1898 are here presented in three tables, relating, respectively, to 

 quantity and value of the products, the persons employed, and the 

 capital invested. 



