FISHERIES OF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES. 
391 
FISHERIES OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
General features of the fisheries . — The fishing iiuliisti'j" of Pennsylvania is of less 
extent than in any other Middle State except Delaware, and, if only the local waters 
are considered, the fisheries are insignificant. The rank of Pennsylvania among the 
coast and lake States, including the fisheries of Lake Erie, which are not covered by 
the present report, is eighteenth. 
Pennsylvania is the only State of this region that does not have a frontage on salt 
water. By means of a small fleet of vessels, however, it maintains extensive fisheries 
in salt water, in Delaware Bay and the adjacent ocean. Two very important rivers, 
the Delaware and the Susquehanna, are within the State, and contain an abundance 
of resident and anadromous fish. In these all of the commercial fishing is done. The 
larger part of the yield is marketed in Phdadelphia and Baltimore. Besides receiv- 
ing large quantities of fishery products b om i)oints within the State, Philadelphia also 
has an exceedingly extensive fish trade with Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and 
the ocean shores of iN'ew Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The city is the 
inincipal catfish and eel market of the United States. 
The leading branches of the industry aie the extensive seine and gill-net fisheries 
for shad in the two rivers and the oyster vessel fishery in Delaware Bay tributary to 
Philadelphia. This is the only State in which’ the oj'ster fishery is not of prime 
inqiortanee. Alewives are taken under the same conditions as shad, and rank second 
among the fishes found in the State limits, but are less valuable than the sea bass 
caught in the salt-water vessel fisheries. 
Statistical sunimarii . — The extent of the fisheries of this State iti 1889, 1890, 1891, 
and 1892 is shown in the three following tables. 
The number of persons engaged in the industry in 1892 was less than in any 
of the iireceding years, the decrease being mostly due to a reduced fleet of oyster 
vessels. The fishing population in 1889 was 2,331, and in 1892 was 2,220. In the 
last year the vessel fishermen numbered 288, the shore and boat fishermen 1,015, 
the shoresmen 310, and the transporters 7. 
The investment in 1892 was $970,011, and was larger than in any of the other 
years, the decline in vessel property being more than compensated for in shore prop- 
erty and cash capital. Forty vessels were .employed, against 58 in 1889. The small 
boats numbered 817. Seines, gill nets, and fyke nets were the only important appa- 
ratus for fish proper; these were valued at $45,109, while all other a})paratus was 
worth only $5,047. 
The lu'oductof the fisheries in 1892 was 0,324,508 pounds, valued at $284,031. In 
1889, 7,105,777 pounds were taken, worth $324,530. The decrease was chiefly in shad 
and oysters, the catch of the former being reduced on account of an unfavorable sea- 
son, the diminished output of the latter being due to less extensive operations. 
Persons employed in the fisheries of Pennsylvania. 
How engaged. 
1889. 
189U. 
1891. 
1892. 
In ve.ssel fisheries 
382 
36.5 
348 
288 
lu s^jore fislieries 
]. 632 
1,619 
1,631 
1,015 
On tran.sporting fessels 
0 
5 
5 
7 
Ou shore, in markets, etc 
291 
302 
289 
310 
Total 
2,331 
2, 291 
2, 273 
2, 220 
