64 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



early as March in Chesapeake Bay, but not until much 

 later in the more northern waters. They usually leave 

 the colder waters of the North early in September, but 

 are found around Cape Ilatteras as late as January. 



It is impossible to give thoroughly comparable data 

 for former years for the United States as a whole, but 

 composite statistics are given in the following tabular 

 statement for the years 1880, 1889-1891, 1901-2, and 

 1908: 



1 Not reported. 



This fishery appears to have been less profitable in 

 1908 than in former years. 



Purse and haul seines were the principal forms of 

 apparatus of capture used in this fishery, these two 

 alone taking 94 per cent of the total quantity in 1908. 

 Pound nets, trap nets, and gill nets took 6 per cent of 

 the product, while all other apparatus contributed less 

 than 1 per cent. The following tabular statement 

 gives the distribution of the product by apparatus of 

 capture: 



1 Less than 1 per cent. 



Mullets (Mugil cephalus and M. curema). — Two spe- 

 cies of mullet, known as the striped mullet and the 

 white mullet, figure among the fishery products of the 

 United States. The striped mullet is found on the 

 Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Florida and on the 

 coast of southern California, ascending streams; and 

 the white mullet, on the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod 

 southward. Local names are "bluefish mummichog," 

 "jumping mullet," "sand mullet," "fat-back," "sil- 

 ver mullet," "big-eyed mullet," "blue-back mullet," 

 "Liza," and "Josea." M. cepJialus is the most 

 important food fish of the South, and greatly surpasses 

 M. curema both in numbers and in economic impor- 

 tance. It averages about 1 foot in length and 1 pound 

 in weight, but sometimes reaches a weight of from 4 

 to 5 pounds and a length of 2 feet. It is caught in 

 haul seines, gill nets, cast nets, pound nets, etc., and 



is sold fresh and salted; the roe is also very valuable 

 food, and is sold fresh, salted, smoked, and dried. 



Mullet in 1908 ranked thirteenth in value among 

 the fishery products of the United States. Its value, 

 including that of roe, was $908,000, forming 2 per cent 

 of the value of the entire fishery product and 3 per cent 

 of the value of the fish product proper. In the Gulf 

 of Mexico fisheries, from which over half of the total 

 was obtained, it ranked fourth in value and repre- 

 sented 11 per cent of the total value of products 

 reported for these fisheries. The following tabular 

 statement gives the mullet catch by states, which are 

 arranged according to the value of their product: 



1 Less than 1 per cent. 



2 Includes Delaware, Texas, New Jersey, California, and New York. 



Florida, in which state mullet was the leading prod- 

 uct, furnished the bulk of the catch. 



The mullet reported as salted amounted to 3,020,000 

 pounds, with a value of $122,000, of which 1,885,000 

 pounds, valued at $80,000, were from North Carolina; 

 1,046,000 pounds, valued at $39,000, from Florida; 

 and 89,000 pounds, valued at $3,100, from South 

 Carolina. The balance was marketed fresh. In- 

 cluded with this salted mullet are 135,000 pounds of 

 salted roe, valued at $15,000. 



The value of the total mullet product in 1908 was 

 greater than that for any previous year, although the 

 quantity was exceeded in 1902-1904. The following 

 tabular statement gives the yield for those years for 

 which statistics are available: 



1 Exclusive of the product of the Pacific coast division, for which the quantity 

 was not reported. 



' Exclusive of the product of the Pacific coast division. 



The quantity and value of the salted mullet-roe 

 product for certain years are given in the following 

 tabular statement : 



