The Western news., 1903-07-08
REVENUE FROM SEA.
Business of Salt Water Fisheries Of
Middle Atlantic States.
Whnt the Returns Of Six Prd ca PAL
States show Regarding the
Catch-Souae Inte restinr
P0rti0ulArA.

y
consumed than at any other season
a few facts concerning the industry of
supplying the market with that arti-
che of diet are not without interest.
The United States commissioner of
fisheries, George NJ: Bowers, recently
issued report on the value Of the
catch for a. year along the coast of six
states-New York. New Jersey, Penn
sylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Vir-
gma. Though the scope of this SUR
vey is comparat lively limited, it never
theless embraces details which will
probably be new to many readers. The
figures are those of 1901. but to great
extent they are probably representa-
tive of other years, reports the New
York Tribune.
The largest amount of money paid
by the dealers to the fishermen is for
oysters. No less than S9.129,992 went
for these bivalves, to say nothing of
$1,156,564 for seed oysters The
amount first mentioned is only little
over half of the total valuation (at
wholesale rates) of the salt water fish
cries, for year. CLANS yielCed $1.074,-
s34, that sum being divided in the pro-
portion of about nire to one betwee n
hard and soft shell CLAIMS. Shad, how
ever, ranked next after oysters, hav-
ing cost the markets S1,253.197 Men
haden. which. are converted into oil
and fertilizers, and do not find a place
on the table, took the fourth place in
the proces sion, being credited with
s9s7,22s, while bluefsh bro, CT S759.-
152. weastish $55s2O9, crabs (hard and
snft) S495.3S5, alewives (f"n,H ard sat
ecN %262352. white perch S154.239. eels.
$l5a $50. butterfish Sl49,9S4. sea bass
S126,66s, cod S119,5"o. founders SILL
IT'S, and scallops $l1O,537. OF course,
the amounts of certain fish (cod. for
instance) caught along the Mo-"
Atlantic coast do not corresp pond wit
the consumption in the same rcc
because large quantities are broug!
from New England. Halibut, one Of
the staples of the fish trade, does not
appear in Commissioner Bowers ia bles
at all.
1nasmuch as the weights, as we'll as
the value of each kind of fish caught
are mentioned, it Is an easy matter to
figure out the average price in every
| instance. Thus menhaden sold at
one-ffth Of a cent pound, alewives; at
| four-ffths, sea bass at cents, weak
t;<,. al ", cod at 3. common mackerel
and shad at 4, bluefs hat Az. white
bait at 7, sheeps'haad at s, Spanish
mackerel and scallops at 9, striped
bass at nearly 10, Holsters at IL, terra
pin at 40 and shrimps at 50 cents a
pound -,
| Locality has something to do with
prices, however, either because of diff
ferences in quality or differences in de-
mand. THUS, New York and New Jer-
sey shad brought only fraction over
cents, nd the Virginia product only
?, while that of Delaware and Penn
sylvania commanded Al and 4.2 cents,
respectively. Again, striped bass from
Maryland sold for cents, and that
from New York for 13. Even more
striking inequalities are afforded by
the returns for terrapin Those pro-
duced in Virginia averaged less than 30
cents, Maryland Is, New Jerseys a
trifle over 40 cents. and New York S
(only $40 pounds, 81. What is prac-
tieally a pareallel case is found in the
figures for oysters. Virginia produced
AZ. $50 pounds and Maryland 3e.79s,-
927, but as the former sold for only
cents pound and the latter for ~
Maryland received the more money. In
the mea ntime New York sold her 49,
3so,921 pounds for nearly IA cents a
pound.