The value in round numbers of the products of the national fisheries of all kinds, as returned in the censuses, was $12,000,000 in 1840, and $10,000,000 in 1850. The tables of fisheries in 1860 include 422 establishments in the whale fishery, having a capital of $13,292,060; value of materials used, $2,789,060; number of hands employed, 12,301; wages paid, $3,509,080; value of product, $7,749,305: oyster fishery, 427 establishments, $498,252 capital, $452,250 materials, 2,271 hands, $446,656 wages, and $1,410,497 product; other fisheries, 1,121 establishments, $4,129,447 capital, $1,060,910 materials, 15,811 hands, $2,121,841 wages, and $5,124,603 product; total, 1,970 establishments, $17,919,759 capital, $4,302,355 materials, 30,383 hands, $6,077,577 wages, and $14,284,405 product. The value of products in 1866 was $12,500,000. The fishery table in 1870, which does not include the whale fishery, returns 2,140 establishments, employing 20,504 hands; capital, $7,469,575; wages paid, $3,449,331; value of materials used, $1,642,276; of products, $11,-096,522. The chief producing states were: Massachusetts, $6,215,325; Maine, $979,610; Connecticut, $769,799; Michigan, $567,576; Ohio, $383,121; New Jersey, $374,912; Washington territory, $289,746; North Carolina, $265,839; New York, $235,750; Wisconsin, $214,190; California, $150,260; Rhode Island, $124,505; Florida, $101,528. The principal items were 559,982 quintals of cod, 2,451 tons of halibut, 31,210 barrels of herring, 221,003 of mackerel, 69,561 barrels and 25,700 thousand whitefish, 647,312 bushels of oysters, 2,617,000 shad, 24,118 barrels of salmon, and 1,810,000 lbs. of canned salmon.

The following table shows the value of the products of the national fisheries since 1858, brought in by vessels making entry at the custom house, but does not include the product of the shore fisheries, nor fish brought in by coasters and fishing smacks, except so far as unofficial information has been obtained, which in recent years has been much fuller than formerly, through the efforts of the bureau of statistics to obtain a complete statement:

The principal items in 1872, not including the whale fishery, were 733,487 quintals of codfish, valued at $3,194,286; 430,403 of mackerel, $2,456,009; 159,923 of herring, $340,963; 178,539 of other cured fish, $657,615; 693,700 bushels of oysters, $238,080; 45,077,273 lbs. of fresh fish (other than shell fish), $1,106,500; 1,437,343 gallons of oil, $508,402; 10,757 skins, $117,411; value of shell fish (other than oysters), $591,324; of other fishery products, $316,057. The quantity of salt withdrawn from warehouse for curing fish in 1871, under the act of 1866, was 64,671,139 lbs., valued at $66,007; in 1872, 57,830,929 lbs., worth $60,-155. The table below includes the quantities of dried or smoked and of pickled fish exported, with the quantities of mackerel inspected, at various periods since 1790:

Exports

* Spermaceti, whale, and other fish oil.

+ Other products of the fisheries.

+ In 1804. § In Massachusetts.

In 1871 the total value of exports of the products of the national fisheries was $2,612,890; of foreign fisheries, $376,018; in 1873, domestic exports, $2,913,897, including oysters to the value of $243,723, and whale and other fish oil to the value of $1,250,074; foreign exports, $544,690. The principal points of shipment are Great Britain, Hayti and Santo Domingo, France, Cuba, Porto Rico, the French and Dutch possessions in America, and the British West Indies. The imports of foreign fish and products thereof in 1871 amounted to $3,031,-513; in 1873 to $3,191,506, including 8,636,279 lbs. of fresh fish for daily consumption, imported free of duty, valued at $278,921; 223,-612 gallons of whale and other fish oil, $106,-249; 68,692 barrels of herring, $359,262; 90,889 of mackerel, $610,457; and sardines and anchovies to the value of $1,172,704. With the exception of the sardines, which were brought from France and Great Britain, and some herrings imported from Germany, the imports were almost exclusively from British America. -The British American colonies are the seat of fisheries among the richest in the world, which have been pursued since the first settlement of those countries. Their early history is referred to above.

In 1832 Nova Scotia employed 570 vessels and shallops and 640 boats, and exported 160,640 quintals of dried, 37,154 barrels of pickled, and 8,641 boxes of smoked fish, valued at $509,820; in 1843, 240 vessels, 3.400 boats, and 10,000 men. In 1851 the number of vessels was 812; of boats. 5,161; nets and seines, 30,154; men. 10.394; exports, 196,434 quintals of dried, 263,842 barrels of pickled, and 15,409 boxes of smoked fish, valued at $941,896. These figures are exclusive of Cape Breton, the product of which in 1847 was valued at $302,016. In 1869 the number of vessels was 635, with an aggregate tonnage of 21,656, besides 319 sail boats, 3,793 skiffs, etc, and 3,558 whale boats. The exports of New Brunswick in 1829 were valued at $137,930; in 1838, $200,405; in 1848, $126,-130. The value of the fisheries of Nova Scotia in 1860 was $2,562,000; New Brunswick, $388,385; Canada, $700,000; total, $3,650,385. The products of the Dominion of Canada in 1869 amounted to $4,584,151 66; in 1870, to $7,677,391 72. For the year ending June 30, 1871, the products were valued at $7,673,200, viz.: Ontario, $193,524; Quebec, $1,193,612; New Brunswick, $1,185,033; Nova Scotia, $5,101,031; (Cape Breton, $1,283,050). The number of fishermen was 33,029, viz.: Ontario, 1,959; Quebec, 5,596; New Brunswick, 5,161; Nova Scotia, 20,313; (Capo Breton, 5,780). Quebec also returned 83 vessels, 2,651 fishing boats, 1,664 flatboats, 359 sailors, and 2,568 shoremen, as employed in the fisheries.