760 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



while another brings in only $20 per year. A few owners allow the fishermen the 

 general use of their fisheries, reserving one species for themselves, as the}^ are 

 allowed by law to do. 



Practically no effort is made to collect rent for any of the fishery rights of 

 Hawaii. This is largely owing to the sparseness of the population and the conse- 

 quent lack of markets for the fish, also somewhat to the disinclination of the people 

 to pay rent. Some years ago the Government leased the Waiakea lands (at Hilo), 

 including the fishing rights, to private parties. The lessees tried to collect i-ent for 

 the use of the fishery, but without much success, and as the lease terminated in 

 October, 1899, the waters became free to everybody, the new lease exempting the 

 fishing rights. 



The principal fishery right on Maui is at Kahului. The rest of them are prac- 

 tically free now. jMerety nominal rents are exacted for the use of the fisheries 

 around Molokai. Numerous attempts have been made bj'^ the owners to collect rent 

 from the fishermen who frequent the waters around Lanai, but without success. 



No effort was made to secure complete data on the value of these fishery rights, 

 as the whole matter would necessarily have to be passed upon by the courts in a short 

 time and the owners did not care to go into the subject fully then. 



For a more complete exposition of the laws concerning private fisherj' rights, 

 reference is made to the preliminary report of Doctors Jordan and Evermann, 

 pages 355-380 of U. S. Fish Commission Report for 1901. The same paper contains 

 a discussion of the laws regulating the fisheries and of the measures recommended 

 for the further protection and improvement of the industry. 



GENERAL STATISTICS. 



The three tables below show in a condensed form, by islands, for the year 1900, 

 the persons employed and their nationality, the boats, apparatus, fish ponds, and 

 shore and accessory property used in the fisheries, and the catch by species, together 

 with the value of same. 



The island of Oahu leads all the others in almost every phase of the industry, 

 followed by Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, and Niihau in the order enumer- 

 ated. 



The Hawaiians predominate in the fisheries, followed in the order named by 

 the Japanese, Chinese, South Sea Islanders (people from the Gilbert and Marquesas 

 islands), Americans, and Portuguese. The total' number of persons employed in 1900 

 was 2,345. This does not include the persons engaged in the wholesale trade of 

 Honolulu and Hilo, or the persons engaged in the various fish markets, as these have 

 been shown elsewhere. 



Oahu led in total investment, with $200,544. Hawaii was a poor second, with 

 125,172 of total investment. The total investment for all the islands was $272,591. 



So far as quantity of catch is concerned, akule led, but in value amaama was first. 

 Other leading species were malolo, ulua, aku, oio, awa, moano, kawakawa, opelu, opihi, 

 and ula. Oahu leads all the other islands in quantity and value of catch, followed bv 

 Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, and Niihau, in the order named. The total 

 catch for all the islands amounted to 6,222,455 pounds, valued at $1,083,646. 



