364 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 

 FISHERIES OF RHODE ISLAND. 



The tisheries of Rhode Island in 1898 gave employment to 1,687 per- 

 sons, of whom 444 were on vessels, 896 in the boat or shore fisheries, 

 and 347 were shoresmen. The investment in vessels, boats, fishing 

 appai*atus, shore property, and cash capital amounted to ^957,142. 

 The products aggregated 32,854,396 pounds, valued at $955,058. 



The number of fishing and ti*ansporting vessels employed was 93, 

 having a net tonnage of 1,454 tons and a value of Sl67,850. The 

 value of their outfits was ^6,597. There were 854 boats in the shore 

 fisheries, valued at ^72,381. The appai*atus of capture in the vessel 

 fisheries was valued at $50,763, and in the shore fisheries at $99,902. 

 The value of shore and accessory property- was $439,149 and the cash 

 capital amounted to $80,500. 



The products consisted of 20,728,529 pounds of fi^h, including food 

 species, refuse fish, and menhaden, valued at $333,789; 457,378 bushels 

 of oysters, valued at $505,378; 46,227 bushels of clams and quahogs, 

 valued at $52,385; 19,231 bushels of scallops, valued at $10,471; 578,066 

 pounds of lobsters, valued at $43,290, and a variet}' of other species and 

 secondary products having a value of $9,745. 



Since 1889, the 3^ear covered by the last general canvass, there has 

 been a slight decrease in the number of persons employed and of 

 $63,036 in the investment. The products have also decreased 94,511,071* 

 pounds in quantity, but have increased $19,914 in value. There has 

 been a large increase in both the quantity and value of food species, 

 while the menhaden catch has decreased from 112,580,000 pounds, 

 valued at $281,450, to 3,140,000 pounds, valued at $7,591. 



There has been a tendency toward decline in the menhaden fishery 

 for a number of years. In 1892, for which a special canvass of some 

 of the important species was made, the catch of menhaden had decreased 

 to 34,0-15,230 pounds, valued at $115,992. The great falling otf in the 

 catch in 1898 is due principally to the fact that in the early part of 

 that year the menhaden industry was consolidated under the control 

 of a company having headquarters in New York Cit}", and most of the 

 vessels which had formerly been engaged in the menhaden fisheries of* 

 Rhode Island were transferred to New York and have therefore been 

 credited with their crews and catch to that State. This also accounts 

 for the decrease in the number of persons employed and the amount 

 of capital invested. The fish utilized by the menhaden factories in 

 Rhode Island were practically all supplied by vessels owned by the 

 company above referred to. 



The scallop and clam fisheries have both declined as compared with 

 the statistics for the year 1892, the catch of the former in 1898 being 

 19,231 bushels, valued at $10,471, and of the latter 15,015 bushels, 

 valued at $20,569, while in 1892 the yield of scallops was 52,690 bushels 

 and of clams 33,950 bushels. Quahogs were more abundant daring 1393 



