Show MILLIONS IN FISHERIES Water Products Worth ith n a Year 1 to State o Th The value of the water products taken ta Ia- ta- ta ken Ien find and nd sol sold by the United States Stat s fishermen fish fish- fishermen erm ermen n In I 1906 lOCi was approximately l 56 5 and this sum Is s exclusive of the considerable fisheries of Insular possessions and the tIre Immense Immen e quantities I of fish taken n for fOI home con consumption and alid b by sportsmen The rue number of persons lon who make a livelihood In this Industry i is about and the tho capItal capital cap cap- ital itai Inv Invested exceeds The fhe roost most valuable of all aU the Ibo fishery t products Is the thie oyster In the thc output of which the United Stat States surpasses es I all other countries combined The crop of t 1901 ma may be placed at bushels with a n market value of 15 Virginia ha has recently a assumed as as- sLimed the thc first rank rani us as an nn oyster oster pro- pro state stale owing chiefly to lo the tho more V general practice of oyster farming the tho states stales yield being now upward of bushels with a value to the V producers of The rite great g sea high fisheries for cod haddock hake halibut mackerel herring herring her her- ring and other r well known foo food fishes V have have- been fa fairly successful as a whole and anti have yielded about The rho lake of or mackerel was less than In any of the tire four receding preceding years yeatS The sud mcI- den mien decrease 1 crea t In the Iho abundance of this I tl lI fish h lJ beginning In 1 and continuing V to lo the pre present time I Is one of or the thc most remarkable ca cases caes e of ot the tho kind Swordfish were PI probably never er V known to b be so abundant 1 as In the summer and fall of or 1904 arid large e numbers were captured for fo the New England markets Tire Tilt lobster fishery Ushery continues lo to show a l diminishing yield with a disproportionate dis dis- proportionate onate Increase In value In 1905 1906 the catch was less than in the previous year rena anti and on the fa 1 Massachusetts seUs coast was particularly light TIt The decrease In iii the tire abundance ance of tire the lobster which began about fifteen years ago anti and has been due to over- over thrIlling fishing and antI violatIon on of the law lai can cm bo be arrested only by extensive cultural operations and rigidly enforcing restrictive re- re measures S At present a large part parl of the lobsters consumed consume In the United States Stales conies comes from Crom Nova No Scotia The Tho whale fishery which was wal nt at one time lime carried on by an nn immense Immen fleet of fine sailing calling vessels and anti was as the leadIng lead- lead Ing imig fishing industry of the country I Inov Is I IV V v no ot V V- V VI I In tho iho North Pacific and amid Arctic oceans ocean and is an air expensive p uncertain and often of of- ten hu business The value of the baleen blubber oil and sperm oil taken tal-een has been le less s than and thieve thero I Is no rio reason to be be- i lieve that th the fishery will ever show any permanent Improvement The rhe fishes of or the Atlantic At- At l antic lantic and amid Pacific seaboards tire seaboards the s-the the sat sal mons mans the shad the alewives the tire striped bass the tire perches etc hn fo hav come to the streams Ire m In abundance an and amid represent ent t of or Income to 10 the tire fisherman i The lire h fisheries of the great lakes have yielded over and In general are In a satisfactory condition The sponge fishel fishery confined to lo the const coast of Florida has a special Interest at tins tills time bec because u e of oC the tire efforts of oC t the he bureau bUteau to perfect a method metho of oC cultivation cultivation cul cul- for Cor maintaining the supply Tho- Tho rh yield has continued to fall nil below that of or previous years eurS and ind n owing to the absence In Inthe the markets of desirable sizes the price has reached a higher V point than limn ever el before The catch on the ke key grounds has been very ery small for fOl several everal years an and amid the spongers ers attribute the fact to the prevalence of cloud cloudy water atei but there Is little doubt that It is In large largo measure due clue t lo 10 o actual exhaustion of the lie grounds s. s |