The sun., 1909-06-27
Our Fishing Indu stry.

The 1908 report OF the United States Couans
sioncr OF Fisheries, George N. Bowers. shows that
the ha,cheries In loos yielded S7o.oo.ooo more hsh
than In any other year and delivered about
4Ssooo.op eggs TO State and foreign hatcheries
Tn. total output was over ASH 100000 eggs and
nsh, Of which over ZOO 100000 were nsh.
The conspicuous increases were In whitensh.
silver biueblack and humpback salmons- rainbow
and brook trouts. black bass, yellow perch. white
perch. cod. natfsh and iobsters all OF which were
produced In greater quantities than ever before
Efforts 10 establish the Eastern lobster on the
pac,nc coast OF the United States have been con
tnued and much the largest plant OF aduit HOLSTERS
ever attempted has been made in the waters OF
Puget Sound.
me bureau Of fisheries is investigating the
habits and distribution OF pearl mussels IN the
Mississippi Valley and experimenting In nussei
culture there because 900 900 Is invested In the
pearl button Industry OF the United States whose
yearly output Is worth 100000. and that indus
try Is dependent on the supply OF fresh water
rnusscls which is rapidly becoming exhausted.
So far the cultivation experiments have been
quite successful. promising practical results.
Fxperimcnts In sponge culture have reached q
stare where the methods can be recommended
for commercial purpos es. sponges SIX inches ana
upward In diameter havln- been produced In
four years from cuttings planted by Inexpensive
means.
The bureau Is continuing a comprehensive sur
Philippine Islands. The work will continue an
other year
In the one calendar year 1907 the salmon hsh'
cries OF Alaska produced a value OF No.,so,lS
on a total Investment OF sa,2l6.o2S. practically
81 COO 900 more value In production than the en-
tire investment.
Boston and Gloucester. the two greatest nshing
por,s of the country had a catch In the same year
Of more than l0l 800 600 pounds. valued at over
Is 900 600 from grounds of the east coast o: the
tinted States the Canadian provinces and New
foundland. Receipts at Gloucester produced
a. coo 90 more than In the previous year
That Boston and Gloucester are far less de-
n.ndcn, than Is generally thought for their hsh
deliveries on the grounds or other coasts than
those OF the United States is shown by the follow
ing table OF the 1907 deliveries referred TO;
From coast OF Pounds. Value,
limited States. ........... .iaS.e7S2ss &3,eei.ss
Newfoun land .......... a.3oo,lS5 6ss.Sia
Other British provinces al.oeS.oas eea.lG
ro,.l.. lsl.57l.75s SB3.ios
These figures show that about three fourths OF
Boston and Gloucester's annual catch by Amer
lean nshine vessels Is taken from grounds on the
United States coast, That fact has very I'm.
portant bearing on the much mooted internal
question Involved.
The commissioner says: THE most serious con-
dition now confronting the American fishing In
dus,ry Is the failure OF the States to AFFORD ade
ouate projection 10 migratory hshes In State and
interstate waters. With the history OF the New
England salmon fishery as warning. some OF
the states seem yet absolutely Indifferent TO the
CRYING needs OF fisheries for species OF similar
habits, whose ob,erat,on is as certain as that OF
the salmon In the kenncbec and the sturgeon In
the Potomac unless radical corrective measures
are taken. The nshcs most In need OF consdcra-
ton are the shad. the striped bass and the stur.
geon on the Atlantic coast and the salmons In
the Pacinc States.
In 1908 calendar year our exports Of nsh
amounted in value TO Ss,a32,o72 and our imports
exclusive Of Alaska) 10 $4,000 o6S. In both cases
about the same as In the years 1907 and 1905 The
fact that VIC pay out 81, ,ooo.ooo month for i'm
ported nsh measures the necessity for conse rra.
ton OF our fshing resources.