18 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



third, while shore and boat fishermen earned, relatively 

 to their numbers, less than those employed in any other 

 branch of the industry. 



It was, moreover, true of every main geographic 

 division, shown in the table on page 14, that the gross 

 wages paid in the shore and boat fisheries relatively to 

 the numbers given employment at any time of the 

 year, however short the term of employment, ranked 

 lowest among the four classes of fisheries. In three 

 of the five divisions — the Atlantic, Pacific, and Great 

 Lakes — such relative earnings were greatest for wage- 

 earners in vessel fisheries; and in two — the Gulf of 

 Mexico and Mississippi River divisions — they were 

 greatest for wage-earners on transporting vessels. 



The earnings of wage-earners on the Atlantic coast 

 were, relative to their numbers, less than those for any 

 other main geographic division except the Mississippi 

 River division. Notwithstanding this fact, such rela- 

 tive earnings in the New England states were larger 

 than for any of the main geographic divisions. The 

 reason for this is that in these states a large majority of 

 the fishermen are employed upon vessels, while in the 

 Middle Atlantic and South Atlantic states the majority 

 are engaged in shore and boat fisheries. 



Comparison with prior censuses. — Comparative sta- 

 tistics for the number of fishermen (not including 

 shoresmen), as reported at the present census and at 

 the censuses of 1890 and 1880, are given in the follow 

 ing table. It should be noted, however, that the 

 figures for 1889, obtained in the census of 1890, do not 

 include persons for whom fishing was a transient occu- 

 pation, and that those for 1880 do not include the 

 inland waters, excepting the Great Lakes. For these 

 reasons any comparison of the different years is of 

 doubtful value. Possibly fisheries of minor impor- 

 tance were carried on in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, 

 Nevada, North Dakota, Utah, and Vermont in inte- 

 rior waters not directly tributary to any of the large 

 divisions, and were not included in the canvass of 1908. 



It would appear that at the census of 1890 a num- 

 ber of fishermen not now classed as commercial fisher- 



men were included. In 1908 the Atlantic coast states, 

 including Florida, reported 11,172 fewer fishermen 

 than in 1889, but 15,647 more than in 1880; while the 

 Pacific coast states in 1908 reported a total which is 

 3,169 more than in 1889 and 8,135 more than in 1880. 

 The states bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, exclusive 

 of Florida, but including the entire states of Louisiana 

 and Mississippi, employed in 1908, 7,308 more than in 

 1889 and 7,766 more than in 1880. 



1 Not including shoresmen. 



2 Not including transient fishermen. 



s Not including those employed on inland waters, excepting the Great Lake. 



