8 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



locality to reach fishermen who were away at the time 

 of former visits. In such cases the agent usually was 

 able to secure satisfactory information from persons 

 who were familiar with the operations of the fisher- 

 men. In addition to the difficulty just indicated in 

 any canvass of the fisheries, a source of error arises in 

 connection with the shore and boat fisheries from the 

 fact that many of the shore and boat fishermen do not 

 keep records' of the catch, but give the information to 

 the best of their recollection. 



The extent to which the independent fishermen — 

 that is, those fishing solely on their own account — 

 figure in the returns can be seen by referring to the 

 statistics for Alabama. Although from these statistics 

 the total number of independent fishermen in Alabama 

 can not be ascertained, it appears from the figures 

 that all the 77 fishermen on interior waters and 

 more than 600 of the 647 engaged in the shore and 

 boat fisheries of the Gulf were independent fishermen, 

 showing that in the aggregate over 70 per cent of the 

 total number employed in the fisheries of the state be- 

 longed to this class. This fact throws some light upon 

 the conditions which were met, and indicates to some 

 extent the difficulties attending an accurate canvass. 



With almost invariable courtesy the fish dealers and 

 principal fishermen in the different cities and towns 

 visited assisted the agents engaged in the canvass 

 by giving them the names and locations of the inde- 

 pendent fishermen in the surrounding territory. The 

 agents were likewise aided by the inspectors, fish and 

 game wardens, and other state officials conversant 

 with the fishing industry in the several states, who 

 supplied the names of all proprietors, firms, or inde- 

 pendent fishermen within their spheres of observation. 

 Through these various channels and by constant 

 inquiry of each fisherman reporting as to other unlisted 

 independent fishermen in the neighborhood, it was 

 possible for the agent to extend the canvass until it is 

 believed that reports were secured from practically all 

 commercial fishermen. In particular, a number of 

 schedules were secured from fishermen who, although 

 they had followed this occupation for a number of 

 years, claimed they had never before been canvassed. 

 The canvass did not cover Colorado, Idaho, Montana, 

 Nevada, North Dakota, New Mexico, Utah, or Ver- 

 mont, as the commercial fisheries, if any, which existed 

 in these states were of minor importance. 



Under these conditions it is probable that some 

 apparent inconsistencies will appear from the com- 

 parison of the statistics with those compiled by the 

 Bureau of Fisheries. Such inconsistencies as have 

 been detected in the analysis of the data are of minor 

 importance and are no indication that the statistics 

 compiled by either office are wrong. The totals com- 

 piled by both offices can be safely accepted as repre- 

 senting the magnitude of the fishing industry of the 

 United States, or the particular section of the country 

 to which they pertain. 



Three schedules were used in securing the data — 

 one for the shore and boat fisheries, one for the vessel 

 fisheries, and one for the canning and packing houses. 

 The tables relating to the fisheries were prepared from 

 the information secured on the first two schedules 

 mentioned above. 



In the statistical presentation the entire country is 

 divided into five main divisions, as follows: Atlantic 

 coast, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific coast, Great Lakes, and 

 the Mississippi River and its tributaries. In connection 

 with this division, which corresponds, generally speak- 

 ing, to the principal bodies of water which bound the 

 greater part of the United States and the large river 

 system which occupies the great central valley, it will 

 be noted that a few states have fisheries in more than 

 one division, as, for example, New York and Pennsyl- 

 vania, which have fisheries in both the Atlantic coast 

 and the Great Lakes divisions; Florida, which has fish- 

 eries on the Atlantic coast and also on the Gulf of 

 Mexico; and Louisiana, which is represented in the 

 Gulf fisheries as well as in those of the Mississippi. For 

 purposes of comparison with previous statistics, the 

 fisheries of the Atlantic coast are shown in a few tables 

 in three divisions — those of the New England states, the 

 Middle Atlantic states, and the South Atlantic states, 

 respectively. The last-named group includes North 

 Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the east coast of 

 Florida, and the Middle Atlantic division, all the 

 Atlantic coast states from New York to Virginia, inclu- 

 sive. In most of the states a distribution has been 

 made according to the waters in which fishing was 

 prosecuted; thus in Wisconsin separate statistics are 

 presented for the fisheries of Lake Superior, Lake 

 Michigan, and the Mississippi River and its tributaries. 

 In Washington and in Oregon the fisheries of the Co- 

 lumbia River and its tributaries have been classed as a 

 separate district, all the other waters in each of these 

 states constituting a single district. In New York 

 there are four divisions or fishing districts — Long 

 Island Sound, all other waters of the Atlantic coast, 

 Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. On account of their 

 importance, separate statistics are also given for the 

 fisheries of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, which 

 include portions of the fisheries of Delaware, Maryland, 

 and Virginia, and the Susquehanna River fisheries of 

 Pennsylvania and Maryland. 



The catch has been credited to the port from which 

 the fisherman sails, and therefore is not always credited 

 to the state from whose waters it was taken. For 

 example, California fishermen bring some of their catch 

 from Alaskan waters, and Connecticut oystermen take 

 a great many oysters from Rhode Island beds and from 

 the New York waters of Long Island Sound. 



Some 40 different kinds of apparatus of capture, 

 including various forms of nets, pots, traps, lines 

 dredges, harpoons, and sponge apparatus, were used, 

 and the tables show the principal forms employed in 

 each division and class of fisheries. 



