102 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



red-snapper fisheries of the Gulf district was 7,659,000 

 pounds, valued at $432,000, which represented over 99 

 per cent of the total value reported for the red-snap- 

 per catch of the state, and 57 per cent in quantity 

 and 68 per cent in value, of the total catch of the 

 species reported for the United States. 



Table 3, on page 108, gives the products of the Atlan- 

 tic coast fisheries of Florida, distributed by species and 

 by apparatus of capture. 



Measured by value of products, the shad fishery was 

 the most important in the Atlantic coast district. All 

 but 3,600 pounds of the shad catch of the state was 

 taken in the Atlantic coast waters. The oyster 

 product consisted entirely of market oysters. Prawn 

 was an important item, the yield amounting to 

 4,152.,000 pounds, valued at $84,000, the entire 

 product of the state being reported from this district. 

 Shrimps, on the other hand, were reported from both 

 the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. 



The value of products reported for 1908, by princi- 

 pal species arranged in order of importance, is shown 

 in the following table for the state as a whole and for 

 the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coast fisheries. 



Total 



Fish 



Mullet, including roe 



Red snapper 



Shad 



Squeteague 



Spanish mackerel 



Pompano 



Black bass 



Cattish 



Bream, or suniish 



Bluefish 



Sheepshead 



Drum (salt-water), or channel bass 



Grouper 



Sailor's choice 



Crevalle 



All other 



Sponges 



Oysters 



Shrimp and prawn 



Alligator hides 



Otter skins 



All other 



VALUE OF PRODUCTS: 1908. 



53,389,000 



1,337,000 



652,000 



434,000 



320,000 



196, 000 



122, 000 



65,000 



58,000 



54,000 



50,000 



45,000 



38,000 



38,000 



34,000 



32,000 



24,000 



174,000 



545, 000 



296, 000 



92,000 



48,000 



21,000 



50, 000 



Gulf of 

 Mexico 

 district. 



$2,120,000 



,324,000 



475, 000 



432, 000 



200 



63,000 



71,000 



30,000 



2,500 



18,000 



5,800 



28,000 



17,000 



22, 000 



33,000 



8,000 



5,300 



113,000 



545,000 



187,000 



400 



27, 000 



10, 000 



26,000 



Atlantic 



coast 

 district. 



51,269,000 



,013,000 



177, 000 



2,400 



320, 000 



133,000 



51,000 



35, 000 



58,000 



36,000 



44,000 



17,000 



21,000 



16, 000 



1,400 



24,000 



19,000 



61,000 



109,000 

 91,000 

 21,000 

 11,000 

 23,000 



In the fisheries of the Atlantic coast the value of 

 shad, mullet, and squeteague constituted about one- 

 half of the total value of products; and in the fisher- 

 ies of the Gulf the value of sponges, mullet, and red 

 snapper constituted more than two-thirds of the total 

 value of products. 



Products, oy class of fisheries. — The products of the 

 shore and boat fisheries for 1908 are shown in detail, 

 by species and by apparatus of capture, in Table 4, on 

 page 109. 



The total catch of the shore and boat fisheries was 

 63,992,000 pounds, or 86 per cent of the total for the 

 state, and its value was $2,459,000, or 73 per cent of 

 the total for the state. Among the shore and boat 

 fisheries the mullet fishery was the most important, 



contributing 26 per cent of the total value of products; 

 shad ranked second, with 13 per cent of the total 

 value; and oysters third, with 12 per cent. 



The distribution between the vessel fisheries and 

 the shore and boat fisheries of the value reported for 

 the leading species in 1908 is given below: 



Total.. 



Fish 



Mullet, including roe. 



Red snapper 



Shad 



Spanish mackerel 



Pompano 



Black bass 



Catfish 



Bream, or sunfish 



Bluefish 



Sheepshead 



Drum (salt-water), or channel bass. 



Grouper 



Sailor's choice 



Crevalle 



All other 



Oysters 



Shrimp and prawn . 



Alligator hides 



Otter skins 



All other 



value of products: 1908. 



$3,389,000 



!, 337, 



652, 



434, 



320, 



196, 



122, 



65, 



58, 



54, 



50, 



45, 



38, 



32 



24: 



174: 



545, 



296. 



92, 



48. 



21, 



50 



Vessel 

 fisheries. 



$930,000 



476, 000 



4,200 



418,000 



(') 



19,000 

 600 



1,000 



100 



100 



24,000 



600 



8,000 



436,000 



9,500 



Shore 

 and boat 

 fisheries. 



$2,459,000 



1 Less than -5100. 



The shore and boat fisheries of the Gulf waters had 

 a total catch of 28,216,000 pounds, valued at 

 $1,215,000, which represented 44 per cent in quantity 

 and 49 per cent in value of the shore and boat catch 

 of the state. Of the total products of the Gulf coast 

 fisheries of the state, 75 per cent in quantity and 57 

 per cent in value were reported by the shore and boat 

 fisheries. In the shore and boat fisheries of the Gulf 

 the catch of mullet exceeded in value that of any other 

 species, representing about one-third of the total value 

 of all products of the fisheries in question. Oysters 

 were next in value and sponges third. 



The total catch of the shore and boat fisheries in 

 the waters tributary to the Atlantic Ocean was 

 35,776,000 pounds, with a value of $1,244,000, repre- 

 senting 56 per cent in quantity and 51 per cent in 

 value of the shore and boat cacch of the state. Of the 

 total products of the Atlantic coast fisheries of the 

 state, the shore and boat fisheries were credited with 

 98 per cent both in quantity and in value. 



The products of the vessel fisheries for 1908 are 

 presented in detail, by species and by apparatus of 

 capture, in table 5, on page 110. 



The total catch of the vessel fisheries of Florida was 

 10,094,000 pounds, valued at $930,000, representing 14 

 per cent in quantity and 27 per cent in value of all 

 fishery products of the state. In this class of fisheries 

 the sponge product was the largest item in value, and 

 snappers ranked second. The total of these two prod- 

 ucts was $854,000, or 92 per cent of the total value 

 of the products of all vessel fisheries of the state. 



