214 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



made in the cultivation of oysters in North Carolina. 

 The yield from private areas in 1908 was only 11,000 

 bushels, valued at $7,600. The following tabular 

 statement presents statistics in respect to the yield of 

 oysters in 1908: 



KIND AND SOURCE. 



Total 



Market 



From public areas., 

 From private areas. 



Seed 



From public areas. 

 From private areas 



OYSTEE PRODUCT: 



190S. 



Quantity 

 (bushels). 



813,000 

 754,000 



744,000 

 9,500 



59,000 



57,000 

 2,000 



Value. 



1236,000 



220,000 

 7,300 



8,500 

 300 



The total yield of seed oysters from public and pri- 

 vate areas in 1908 was only 59,000 bushels, valued at 

 $8,800, of which value $5,000 represents the value of 

 oysters taken in the vessel fisheries. The total yield 

 of oysters from public areas was 801,000 bushels, 

 valued at $228,000, or 99 per cent of the quantity 

 and 97 per cent of the value of the total yield for the 

 state. Oyster fishing was pursued mainly as a shore 

 and boat fishery, only 27 per cent of the total value 

 of the oyster product being obtained in the vessel 

 fisheries. 



Squeteague. — The catch of squeteague, which ranked 

 third in importance in 1908 with respect to value, 

 increased from 3,781,000 pounds, valued at $156,000, 

 in 1902, to 4,635,000 pounds, valued at $206,000, in 

 1908. New York and New Jersey were the only states 

 which had a larger and more valuable catch of this fish 

 than North Carolina; Florida had a product slightly 

 larger, but of smaller value. Ninety-six per cent of 

 the total value reported for North Carolina was that of 

 product taken in the shore and boat fisheries; and in 

 this class of fisheries seines, pound nets, and gill nets 

 accounted for aU except 4 per cent of the value. Prac- 

 tically all of the value of the catch (over 99 per cent) 

 was that of product sold fresh. 



Mullet. — Mullet ranked fourth in value among the 

 fishery products of North Carolina. The catch of this 

 state, together v/ith the much larger catch of Florida, 

 represented 90 per cent of the value of the mullet 

 caught in the" United States. The quantity taken in 

 North Carolina in 1908, though smaller than that taken 

 in 1902, was greater than the catch in any previous 

 year. In 1908 the mullet product amounted to 

 5,070,000 pounds, valued at $175,000, and in 1902 to 

 6,705,000 pounds, valued at $188,000. Less than 1 

 per cent of the mullet catch of 1908 was reported by 

 the vessel fisheries. Seines and gin nets were used in 

 the capture of nearly the entire product. The fisher- 



men sold 54 per cent of the fish fresh and the remainder 

 salted. A little of the roe (800 pounds) was salted and 

 sold separately. 



Alewives. — The total alewife product in 1908 was 

 10,928,000 pounds, valued at $140,000, and was the 

 smallest quantity recorded since 1880, when 15,520,000 

 pounds were taken. In 1902 the catch was 11,173,000 

 pounds, valued at $116,000, and in 1897 it was 

 15,790,000 pounds, valued at $127,000. Since 1897 

 this fish appears to have been less abundant. Like 

 shad, it was caught mostly in the fresh waters; and 

 97 per cent of the value of the catch was contributed 

 by the product of shore and boat fisheries. Of the 

 total value, 73 per cent represented the value of the 

 catch with pound nets and the remainder the value 

 of that with seines, gill nets, fyke nets, and miscella- 

 neous apparatus. Nearly two-thirds of the alewife 

 product was sold fresh; and with the exception of 

 a small quantity (1,200 pounds) which was smoked, 

 the balance was sold salted. 



Menhaden. — Of the states showing a menhaden 

 catch, North Carolina ranked third in respect to quan- 

 tity of product and fourth in respect to value, and was 

 the most southern state in which this fish was taken in 

 any quantity. The catch of 1908—57,412,000 pounds, 

 valued at $70,000 — was larger than that of any pre- 

 vious year, and showed an increase since 1902 of more 

 than 204 per cent in quantity and 125 per cent in 

 value. In 1902 the catch was 18,862,000 pounds, 

 valued at $31,000, which was at that time the largest 

 that had ever been taken in the state. This fish, 

 though representing but 4 per cent of the value of all 

 fishery products of the state, constituted 57 per cent 

 of the total quantity. The catch was obtained almost 

 wholly in the vessel fisheries, menhaden contributing 

 41 per cent of the total value and 96 per cent of the 

 total quantity reported for this class of fisheries. Of 

 the total value of the menhaden catch, only $4,200, or 

 6 per cent, was reported from the shore and boat 

 fisheries. The entire catch in the vessel fisheries was 

 secured by seines, but in the shore and boat fisheries, 

 though seines were the chief apparatus used, about 

 one-fourth of the catch was taken with gill nets and 

 pound nets. 



Other products. — Large increases since 1902 were 

 shown in the quantity and value of crabs, bluefish, and 

 Spanish mackerel. On the other hand, clams, black 

 bass, striped bass, croakers, and other minor species 

 each showed a decrease from the catch taken in 1902. 

 The quantity of white perch increased from 941,000 

 pounds in 1902 to 993,000 pounds in 1908, but the 

 price per pound decreased so that the total value was 

 only $44,000 in 1908, as compared with $63,000 in 1902. 

 This state ranked first in its catch of white perch, 

 which contributed 32 per cent of the value of all white 

 perch taken in the United States. 



