760 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
while another brings in only $20 per year. A few owners allow the fishermen the 
general use of their fisheries, reserving one species for themselves, as they are 
allowed by law to do. 
Practically no effort is made to collect rent for any of the fishery rights of 
Hawaii. This is largely owing to the sparseness of the population and the conse- 
quent lack of markets for the fish, also somewhat to the disinclination of the people 
to pay rent. Some years ago the Government leased the Waiakea lands (at Hilo), 
including the fishing rights, to private parties. The lessees tried to collect rent for 
the use of the fishery, but without much success, and as the lease terminated in 
October, 1899, the waters became free to everybody, the new lease exempting the 
fishing rights. 
The principal fishery right on Maui is at Kahului. The rest of them are prac- 
tically free now. Merely nominal rents are exacted for the use of the fisheries 
around Molokai. Numerous attempts have been made by the owners to collect rent 
from the fishermen who frequent the waters around Lanai, but without success. 
No effort was made to secure complete data on the value of these fishery rights, 
as the whole matter would necessarily have to be passed upon by the courts in a short 
time and the owners did not care to go into the subject fully then. 
For a more complete exposition of the laws concerning private fishery rights, 
reference is- made to the preliminary report of Doctors Jordan and Evermann, 
pages 355-380 of U. S. Fish Commission Report for 1901. The same paper contains 
a discussion of the laws regulating the fisheries and of the measures recommended 
for the further protection and improvement of the industry. 
GENERAL STATISTICS. 
The three tables below show in a condensed form, by islands, for the year 1900, 
the persons employed and their nationality, the boats, apparatus, fish ponds, and 
shore and accessory property used in the fisheries, and the catch by species, together 
with the value of same. 
The island of Oahu leads all the others in almost every phase of the industry, 
followed by Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, and Niihau in the order enumer- 
ated. 
The Hawaiians predominate in the fisheries, followed in the order named by 
the Japanese, Chinese, South Sea Islanders (people from the Gilbert and Marquesas 
islands), Americans, and Portuguese. The total number of persons employed in 1900 
was 2,315. This does not include the persons engaged in the wholesale trade of 
Honolulu and Hilo, or the persons engaged in the various fish markets, as these have 
been shown elsewhere. 
Oahu led in total investment, with $200,541. Hawaii was a poor second, with 
$25,172 of total investment. The total investment for all the islands was $272,591. 
So far as quantity of catch is concerned, akule led, but in value amaama was first. 
Other leading species were malolo, ulua, aku, oio, awa, moano, kawakawa, opelu, opihi, 
and ula. Oahu leads all the other islands in quantity and value of catch, followed by 
Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, and Niihau, in the order named. The total 
catch for all the islands amounted to 6,222,155 pounds, valued at $1,083,646. 
