5-REPORT ON THE FISHERIES OF THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 
BY J. W. COLLINS AND HUGH M. SMITH. 
I.— GENERAL REMARKS AND STATISTICS. 
The fisheries of the New England States are so well defined as to their character, 
methods, etc., and form such an important part of the industrial life of that section, 
that it is deemed proper to present a special paper dealing with their various phases, 
in order to exhibit their extent and condition in greater detail than would be practi 
cable if the entire coast of the United States were under consideration. 
The information herein given is similar in general scope, character, and arrange- 
ment to that contained in the “ Statistical Keview of the Coast Fisheries of the 
United States,” recently published by the U. S. Fish Commission, but is much more 
detailed than ever before presented in the matter of minor civil divisions. It is 
thought that this feature of the paper will be received with favor, since it enables 
the reader to obtain the fullest statistical information concerning the extent of the 
fisheries in each coast county in New England. The material upon which the report 
is based was obtained by a personal canvass by agents of the U. S. Fish Commission 
of the 3,460 miles of coast line covered by the statistics. The report relates to the 
calendar year 1889 and includes the entire commercial fisheries of the New England 
coast. Under each State will be found a definite statement of the extent to which 
the various rivers were investigated; in general, however, it maybe said that all 
streams were canvassed to the limits of economic fishing, and the report may therefore 
be regarded as a complete exposition of the fisheries and fishery industries of this 
section. 
The tables have been compiled and arranged with the purpose of exhibiting the 
different phases of the fisheries under the following heads : 
1. Civil divisions : A clear conception can be obtained of the relation of the fish- 
eries, not only to each State but to each county along its coast. 
2. The vessel and shore fisheries: These are exhibited in such a. manner as to 
show definitely the extent and value of each. 
3. The value of fisheries by apparatus : These tables show the relative effective- 
ness of each form of apparatus as applied to the fisheries. 
4. The importance of the fisheries by species : Under this head are considered such 
fisheries as those prosecuted for the cod, the mackerel, the whale, etc. 
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