232 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



in quantity and value of products, and a decrease in 

 the number of persons employed. For the total 

 investment in equipment, the investment in appara- 

 tus of capture, and the value of products, the sta- 

 tistics show gains at each canvass, as compared with 

 the one preceding. The variations in quantity are due 

 chiefly to the great fluctuations in the menhaden catch, 

 which was over 112,000,000 pounds in 1889, less 

 than 1,000,000 pounds in 1902, and nearly 18,000,000 

 pounds in 1908. The total value of products, however, 

 is little affected by the catch of this low-priced fish. 



Persons employed. — The distribution of the persons 

 employed in the fisheries of the state is shown in the 

 tabular statement given below. Almost one-half of 

 the total number were employed in the shore and 

 boat fisheries. 



1 Exclusive of 24 proprietors not fishing. 



2 Includes provisions furnished to the value of $34,000. 



Equipment and other capital. — Statistics with respect 

 to the distribution of the equipment and other capital 

 reported for the fisheries of the state are as follows : 



Of the total capital employed in the fishing indus- 

 try, 43 per cent was invested in vessels and their out- 

 fits and boats and 15 per cent in apparatus of capture, 

 while 42 per cent represented the value of shore and 

 accessory property and the amount of cash reported. 



Exclusive of shore and accessory property and cash, 

 the investment credited to fishing and transporting 



vessels aggregated $626,000, of which 82 per cent rep- 

 resented the value of the vessels and 18 per cent the 

 value of apparatus of capture. For the shore and 

 boat fisheries the corresponding - investment was 

 $251,000, of which 53 per cent represented the value 

 of boats and 47 per cent the value of apparatus of 

 capture. 



The following tabular statement shows the number 

 of the more important kinds of apparatus of capture 

 reported: 



Beam trawls 



Eel and lobster pots. 



Fyke nets 



Gill nets 



Pound and trap nets 

 Seines 



apparatus or capture: 1908. 



Total. 



13 



22,840 



608 



630 



276 



61 



Used in- 



Vessel 

 fisheries. 



10 

 010 



46 

 622 



93 



17 



Shore and 



boat 

 fisheries. 



3 



22,230 

 562 



8 

 183 

 44 



Products, by species. — Table 1, on page 234, gives the 

 weight and value of the fishery products of the state, 

 distributed by species and by apparatus of capture. 



The value of the shellfish products of the state, 

 including the squid, constituted 69 per cent of the 

 value of all fishery products. The oyster product, as 

 measured by value, was the most important in the 

 state. In quantity also, if figured at gross weight, 

 the oyster catch largely exceeded the catch of all other 

 fishery products, amounting to nearly 50,000 tons on 

 this basis. 



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

 vessel fisheries are shown, by species and apparatus of 

 capture, in Table 2, on page 235, and the products of 

 the shore and boat fisheries are similarly distributed 

 in Table 3, on page 236. The following tabular state- 

 ment gives the distribution, according to species, of 

 the total value of products reported for the state and 

 for the vessel fisheries and the shore and boat fisheries, 

 respectively: 



Total 



Fish 



Scup 



Squeteague, or weakfish 



Flatfish and flounders. . 



Menhaden 



Cod 



Butterfish 



Mackerel 



Swordfish 



Tautog 



Sea bass 



Haddock 



Eels 



Mackerel, chub 



Pollack 



Allother 



Oysters 



Lobster 



Clams 



Squid 



Allother 



value of products: 1908. 



Total. 



$1,752,000 



543,000 



158,000 



72,000 



50,000 



48,000 



42,000 



42,000 



25,000 



18,000 



17,000 



12,000 



11,000 



11,000 



9,800 



7,800 



21,000 



969,000 



152,000 



77,000 



6, 600 



3,800 



Vessel 

 fisheries. 



$1,198,000 



314,000 



98,000 



31,000 



30, 000 



47, 000 



23,000 



13, 000 



21,000 



18, 000 



3,900 



5,900 



8,500 



1,300 



5,400 



4,100 



3,800 



879,000 



2,200 



900 



900 



100 



Shore and 



boat 

 fisheries. 



$554,000 



228,000 



60,000 



41,000 



19,000 



900 



19,000 



29,000 



4,200 



200 



13,000 



6,900 



2,500 



9,200 



4,500 



3,800 



17,000 



90, 000 



150,000 



76,000 



5,700 



3,800 



