El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-11-23
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ment of the fisheries industries IN the
country to almost S60,OOO,OOO, which Is
about equivalent to the annual value
of the products. About fCur-flIths OF
the value of the products is from the
salt water fisheries. The balance is
secured from the Mississippi river and
tributaries, the Great Lakes and the
minor interior waters.
The most valuable food fish is not
a fish but a shell fish. It is-the Oys-
ter. The annual oyster crop IS now
worth more than S2OsOOO,OOO. The Oys-
ter is found most abundantly along
the coast of the middle Atlantic states,
the New England states coming second,
the Gulf states third and the Pacific
coast fourth in the production Of this
popular biValVe. Next TO the oyster IN
value is the cod, which is produced
most extensively in the New England
fisheries, although it is also supplied
in smaller quantities by the fisheries
Of the middle Atlantic and Pacific
coast
Fishermen Number 100000.
About 2OO,O persons are engaged in
the fishing industries in this country,
IN addition to a large number of men
and women engaged IN canning and
packing the fish which is being pre-
served for future use. It is difficult to
estimate correctly the number of per-
sons engaged in canning fish because
1t varies in different seasons. In a
number of establishments canning Oys-
force is employed in the winter which
is engaged in canning fruit and vege-
tables during the summer The girls
who pare peaches or tomatoes in their
season can easily shuck oysters dur
ing the winter and the economy Of this
utilization of the same plant for both
vegetables and fish is an important
advantage.
Work is Dangerous.
The real work Of catching the fish
has many dangerous features and yet
it is one that appeals to thousands of
strong, healthy men who are willing
to run risks for the sake of the free
dom and outdoor life it provides. There
has been a fearful loss of life con-
nected with the deep sea fishing in the
past In single decade around GIou-
cesUer, Massachusetts, as many as 1858
men and 147 vessels have been lost at
sea One reason of this loss Of life
has been the ShallOWneSS of the dOries
which carry the travis Often these
dOr1es- which hold from one to five
men, become separated from the yes
sci TO which they belong and the men
drift around in the open sea and per
ish from lack Of food and fresh water
There has been a great change in fish
ing methods during the past few years
however. and every precautiOn is taken
to check the loss of life The dOries
are built deeper so they viii not upset
so readily and they are kept stocked
with a certain amount of food and
water.
One of the newer developments Of
the fishing industry along the Ameri-
can coast is the trawl-net, which has
been used extensively in Europe for
some time 1t is opposed by the line
fishermen of New England upon the
ground that it depIetes the fisheries
by indiscriminate capture of many IN
dersized fish. The matter was brought
before congress at its last session by
the Introduction of a bill prohibiting
the landing of traWl-caught fish upon
American shores. There was a lengthy
hearing of both sides Of the question
before the house committee on mer-
chant marine and fisheries. after
which it was referred by a joint reso-