Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1905-02-02
REVENUE FROM SEA.
Business of Salt Water Fisheries of
Middle Atlantic States.
What the Returns of Six Fri cd pal
states Show Regarding the
CAtch-SOme Interesting
Particulars.

At time OF year when more fish is
consumed than at any other seaso II
few facts concerning the industry of
supplying the market with that arti-
Gle 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-
ginia. Though the scope of this sur
vey is comparatively 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 $9,129,99 went
for these bivalves, to say nothing of
s1,156,564 for seed oysters. The
amount first mentioned is only little
over half Of the total valuation Cat
wholesale rates) of the sa 1t water fish
cries for a year. CLAIMS yielded 81 ,074.-
S34, that sum being divided in the pro-
portion of about nine to one between
lard and soft shell CLAIMS. Shad, how
ever. ranked next after oysters, hav-
ing cost the markets $1.253. 1877. Men
haden. WI ich are converted into oil
and fertilizers, and do not find place
on the table, took the fourth place in
the proce sion, being credited with
S9S7,229 while bluefish brought $759.-
1872, weakfsh S55S 200, crabs (hard and
soft $495, 5,3S5, abewives (fresh and salt
ed &262,352, white perch $154,239, eeIs,
$152,GSf, butterfish S149 .9S4, sea bass
$12G,66>, cod $119,590, founders SILL
rs, and scallops $11o,537. OF course.
the amounts Of certain fish (cod, for
instance) caught along the Mid71e
Atlantic coast do not correspond with
the consumption in the sme region,
because large quantities are brought
from New England. Halibut. one of
the staples Of the fish trade, does not
appear in Commits sioner Bowers tables |!
at all.
Inasmuch as the weights, as we'll as
the value. of each, kind of fish caught
are mentioned, it is an easy matter tc
figure out the average price in every
instance. Thus menhaden sold at !
One-fifth Of cent pound, alewives at
four-tifths. sea bass at cents, weak
fish at 212, cod at 3, common mackerel |
and shad at 4, bluefis hat 41a, white
bait at 7, sheepshead at s, Spanish
mackerel and scallops at 9, striped
pin at 40 and shrimps at so cents a
pound.
Locality has something to do with
prices. however, either because of diff
fererces' in quality or differences in de-
manc Thus. New York and New Jer-
sey shad brought only a fraction over
cents, nd the Virginia product only
?, while that of Delaware and Penn
,yivania commanded Al and AZ cents,
respectively. Again, striped bass from
Mary land sold for 8 cents, and that
rom New York for 13. Even more
inequalities are afforded by
he returns for terrapin. Those pro-
iucefi in Virginia averaged less than 80
'ents, Maryland IS, New Jerseys a
rife over 30 cents. and New York's
only $40 pCunGs), 81. What is prac-
icailv nnreallel case is found in the
igures for oysters. Virginia produced
2,4'3,GS3 pounds and Maryland 39,79s,-
21 but as the former sold for only 6
ents pound and the latter for ~,
Maryland received the more money. In I
he meantime New York sold, her 12,- ,
so,921 pounds for nearly II cents a
ound. ,