Show Fish were important to early settlers Fish and shellfish have been important to the nations nation's economy since the earliest Colonial days A LITTLE-KNOWN LITTLE fact is that the fisheries industry was in on the groundwork of our educational system The first public school in America is reported to ha have ve been established in 1670 In Plymouth Colony with the support of revenues derived from mackerel bass and herring fisheries This support continued continued continued con con- until 1692 when Plymouth joined Massachusetts Few know that when Manhattan was purchased from the Indians fishing and rights were specifically included in the agreement TilE THE FISH available to the I consumer today are a far cry I from the salted cod upon which lour our early fishing industry mostly depended There now are arc some commercial species of fish and shellfish marketed in the United States |