290 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



The export trade in fish with South America has 

 developed rapidly, especially that with Chile and Ar- 

 gentina, salmon being the principal kind exported. Of 

 the great gain made in exports of fishery products to 

 Brazil between 1890 and 1900, about one-half has been 

 lost since the latter year. During the years from 1900 

 to 1908 the export trade with Asia, Oceania, and Africa 

 also receded from the high-water mark of 1900. 



Imports. — The aggregate value of fishery products 

 imported into the United States in 1908 was 

 $13,135,724, of which amount the sum of $12,292,770 

 represents the value of food-fish imports, including 

 shellfish. Herring, the chief article imported, sup- 

 plied 20 per cent of the latter value. The proportions 

 that other leading commodities represented of the total 

 value of the food-fish imports (including shellfish) were 

 as follows: Anchovies and sardines, packed in oil or 

 otherwise treated, 18 per cent; fresh fish, 14 per cent; 

 canned or preserved mackerel, 12 per cent; lobsters, 

 11 per cent; and preserved cod, haddock, hake, and 

 pollack, 7 per cent. Thus these commodities, together 

 with herring, account for 83 per cent of the total value 

 of food-fish and shellfish imports. 



The bulk of the herring product, 97 per cent, was 

 pickled or salted and of the quantity thus treated, 37 

 per cent came from the Netherlands and a slightly 

 greater proportion, which, however, was of smaller 

 value, from the United Kingdom. Anchovies and sar- 

 dines, packed in oil or otherwise treated, came chiefly 

 from Norway and France. The value of fresh fish im- 

 ported was more than twenty times that of the fresh 

 fish exported. The most important source of supplies 

 of these latter imports was Canada, which also formed 

 the principal market for our fresh fish exports. 



Of the value reported for mackerel, 42 per cent rep- 

 resents imports from the United Kingdom, and 34 per 

 cent imports from Norway. Lobsters were brought 

 chiefly from Canada, while a substantial quantity came 

 from British South Africa. Preserved cod, haddock, 

 hake, and pollack were imported chiefly from Canada. 



The proportions which the specified kinds of imports 

 have represented of the total food-fish imports have 

 been nearly the same in previous years, although her- 

 ring has gained somewhat more rapidly than any of 

 the other classes of fishery products. Not one of the 

 classes of food-fish products for which statistics are 

 presented shows a decrease in importation in 1908, as 

 compared with 1890. 



In respect to whale and fish oil, imports from New- 

 foundland and Labrador led, but the increase in the 

 value of the imports from Norway is to be noted, as 

 is their high grade. The growth of such imports from 

 Japan was also remarkable. The value of the total 



importation of sponges, of which 77 per cent repre- 

 sents the value of sponges obtained from the British 

 West Indies and Cuba, was less in 1908 than in either 

 1890 or 1900. 



Canada supplied the greatest value of imports of 

 fishery products, contributing 37 per cent of the total 

 in 1908, the same proportion in 1900, and 51 per cent 

 in 1890. Imports from Europe furnished 54 per cent 

 of the value of the imports in 1908; but the European 

 country which led in this respect, the United King- 

 dom, though ranking second to Canada, supplied im- 

 ports valued at less than half of the value of the 

 Canadian product. The value of imports from the 

 United Kingdom formed 17 per cent of the total 

 value of our imports of fishery products in both 1908 

 and 1900 and 9 per cent in 1890. 



Norway and Sweden, next in importance, supplied 

 15 per cent of the total value of the imports in 1908, 

 and the Netherlands 9 per cent. The value of the 

 imports from the Netherlands formed in 1908 about 

 the same proportion of, the total value as in 1900, but 

 a slightly larger proportion than in 1890, while for 

 Norway the increase shown was more rapid than for 

 any of the other leading countries. Of the total value 

 of imports from Norway and Sweden in 1908, 

 $1,927,412 represents the value of importations from 

 Norway and $95,874 that of importations from Sweden. 



While imports from Canada, the United Kingdom, 

 Norway and Sweden combined, and the Netherlands 

 have increased in value absolutely and relatively since 

 1890, those from France have lost both in absolute 

 and in relative value since 1900. The imports from 

 Belgium and the West Indies have also fallen off in 

 value since 1900. The values credited to these three 

 countries in 1908 are, however, greater than the cor- 

 responding figures for 1890. In 1890 imports from 

 France ranked second in value, those from Canada 

 being first. In 1900 the former were surpassed only by 

 those from the United Kingdom and Canada; while in 

 1 908 France ranked fifth. This loss of position was due, 

 especially, to a decrease in the importation of sardines. 



The great increase in the value of the Norwegian 

 imports was made up largely of increases in the value 

 of anchovies, as well as in the values of mackerel and 

 miscellaneousfish. Pickled or salted herring accounted 

 chiefly for the increase in value shown for the United 

 Kingdom, but there was also a large gain in the value 

 of imports of miscellaneous fish from that country. 

 The increase in the value of Canadian imports was 

 common to all commodities except dried or smoked 

 herring, but was most pronounced in the case of fresh 

 fish, preserved cod, haddock, hake, and pollack, miscel- 

 laneous shellfish, and lobsters. 



