192 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



oysters was 826,000 bushels, valued at $393,000, but of 

 this only 1,300 bushels, valued at $500, came from 

 private beds. Between 1904 and 1908, therefore, the 

 seed oysters from private areas increased 894,000 

 bushels in quantity and $248,000 in value; while the 

 seed product from public areas decreased 53,000 

 bushels in quantity and $157,000 in value. 



In the case of the market oysters essentially all of 

 the product is taken from private areas, only 15,000 

 bushels, valued at $12,000, out of the total market 

 oyster product of 920,000 bushels, valued at $884,000, 

 being from public areas in 1908. In quantity the 

 oysters reported for the vessel fisheries exceeded those 

 from the shore and boat fisheries in the proportion of 

 nearly five to one. The vessel catch comprised chiefly 

 seed oysters. The following tabular statement gives 

 the distribution of the oyster product between the 

 vessel fisheries and the shore and boat fisheries and 

 between public and private beds : 



Squeteague. — Squeteague ranked second in value 

 among the products of the New Jersey fisheries. 

 Practically all of the catch of this species was taken 

 in the shore and boat fisheries. The quantity and the 

 value of the catch have increased steadily, as is shown 

 by the following comparison with previous canvasses: 



Hard darns. — Hard clams ranked next to squeteague 

 in value, nearly all of the product being from the 



shore and boat fisheries. The following statement 

 shows that the hard-clam product has been decreasing 

 in value since 1897: 



Shad. — This species ranked fourth, with a catch 

 valued at $229,000. All of the shad product was taken 

 by the shore and boat fisheries. The decrease from, the 

 amounts reported in former years has been considera- 

 ble, as indicated in the following statement : 



Cod. — The cod product of New Jersey in 1908 was 

 3,767,000 pounds, valued at $130,000. More than 

 three-fifths of this quantity was taken in the vessel 

 fisheries. The total catch of 1904 was far below that 

 of 1897 or of 1908, as may be seen from the compara- 

 tive statistics which follow. 



Sea bass. — Another important species was sea bass. 

 About two-thirds of the product was taken in shore 

 and boat fisheries. The catch has steadily increased 

 since 1897, as the following comparison shows: 



