138 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
28. — Table showing the extent of the wholesale alligator trade of the west coast of Florida in 1889 and 1890. 
Designation. 
1889. 
1890. 
_ 
7 
11 
$550 
ii 
$550 
$1,0, 350 
$350 
40, 077 
$33, 484 
$39, 258 
$5, 774 
Cash capital " 
i)U0, 450 
$350 
39, 435 
$30, 103 
$35, 924 
$5, 821 
Wages paid 
Alligator hides handled number.. 
Enhancement in value 
III.— FISHERIES OF ALABAMA. 
Geography of the coast. — The coast line of Alabama is much shorter than that of 
any other State in the Gulf region, being' only 180 miles long, made up chiefly of 
Mobile Bay, the only indentation of importance in the shore of the State. The Mobile 
Biver enters the head of the bay, and is a stream of considerable size, formed by two 
main branches, the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers. The shores are low, and for the 
most part sandy and marshy. A number of islands occur off the coast, especially at 
the mouth of Mobile Bay and in the western part of the State. Mississippi Sound, a 
large body of water extending the entire length of Mississippi, occupies that portion 
of Alabama west of Mobile Bay, the sound and bay being connected by Grant Pass. 
The only fishing settlements on this coast of sufficient size to warrant special mention 
are Mobile, at the head of Mobile Bay, and Bon Secours, on the bay of the same name, 
which is an eastward prolongation of the lower part of Mobile Bay. 
General importance of the fisheries. — Alabama is interested in the fisheries to a 
less extent than any other Gulf State, although in proportion to the length of coast 
line the value of the products compares very favorably with the other States in this 
region. Alabama has undergone a satisfactory increase in the past decade in the 
essential elements of capital invested and value of products, the advance amounting to 
254.16 per cent and 29.84 per cent, respectively. The increase is chiefly due to the 
development of the oyster industry, which is probably destined to attain much greater 
proportions, as the natural advantages of the State for oyster-culture will doubtless 
be more appreciated and receive greater attention in the near future. A large number 
of edible fishes occur in the waters of the State, the most important of which are 
mullet, trout, croakers, pompano, channel bass, snappers, and Spanish mackerel. 
General statistics . — Four tables show in a condensed form the extent of the fish- 
eries of Alabama in 1889 and 1890; these relate to the number of persons employed, the 
nationalities represented among the fishermen, the capital invested, and the products. 
From Table 29 it will be seen that of the 618 persons engaged in the fishing 
industry in 1890, 93 were employed in vessel fisheries, 416 in shore or boat fisheries, 
and 109 in factories, fish-liouses, etc. 
The American nationality very largely predominates among the fishermen of this 
State, as shown in Table 30. In 1890 there were 540 citizens of the United States and 
78 foreigners, chiefly Spanish. The foreign element is found chiefly in the shore fish- 
eries, is only sparingly present in the vessel fisheries, and is entirely absent from the 
shore industries. 
