GULF OF MEXICO: WESTERN FLORIDA. 551 



kets. The daily catch of a seine is estimated at 233 fish, placing tlie annual catch at about 41,000 

 iisli. No fish-pots or baskets are in use at this place. The webbing, out of which the seines are 

 made, is of northern manufacture, but the lines, leads, &c., are prepared by the mau who is to use 

 the net. In the boat are four or more men, with the seine, the captain standing in the bow, watch- 

 ing for fish. One man is perched on the net, holding one end in his hand, and ready to jump over 

 with it at a word from the captain. The boats have already been described. 



The most common way of fishing is to set the net around holes or deep places which appear 

 likely to contain fish. Such hauls are sometimes very productive. From the uncertainty attend- 

 ing this mode of fishing they are called "blind hauls." The winter fishing is almost entirely car- 

 ried on in this manner, for the fish are then huddled together at the bottom, the surface water 

 being too cold for them. 



In spring schools of migratory fish appear, and at that time ''blind hauls'' are not made, for 

 sufficient quantities can be caught from among the schools in clear water on the sand-flats. Gill- 

 nets are not used extensively in the spring, but are universally employed in the fall months, when 

 the mullet fishery is being prosecuted. As the weather becomes warmer and the demand for fish 

 decreases, the nets and seines are laid by, one by one, until but one or two remain in use, fishing 

 for the Cedar Keys local trade, or perhaps to supply a few neighboring towns. 



Until the last six years seine fishing was considered impracticable in this vicinity, and then it 

 was undertaken as a matter of necessity rather than of choice. There are but few places where 

 the bottom is not more or less covered with "coon" oysters, sharp rocks, or a dense growth of 

 weeds. The "coon" oysters are as sharp as razors, and so are the rocks in some spots. It would 

 seem ridiculous to drag a seine over such a bottom and expect to find the net worth anything after- 

 ward. The grass and weeds are also great obstacles, for they raise the lead-line and thus give 

 the fish a chance to escape; or, if the net is heavy enough to pull up the weeds, they would accumu- 

 late to such an extent as to render dragging an impossibility. In spite of all these difficulties seines 

 are successfully used. Good judgment is necessary and heavy lead-lines are requisite. 



GILL-NET FISHING FOR MULLET. In the months of October, November, and December, when 

 the roe-mullet are running, they are the only object of the fisheries, and all fishermen, excepting 

 the oystermeu, are engaged in their capture. The gill-nets, so extensively used in this fishery, were 

 introduced by Northern men about six or eight years ago. They are of Boston or New York man- 

 ufacture, and are made of light cotton twine, hard laid, six threads. There are sixty-five stationary 

 gill-nets in use. Their average length is about 75 fathoms and depth 10 feet. The average stretch 

 of mesh is 3 inches. They are in use for six months, from September to February, inclusive. Each 

 boat takes charge of one net. The average daily catch of the gill-net is placed at 85 fish, and the 

 same for the year at 17,000. Nets made of linen are considered inferior to those made of cotton, 

 because the linen is said to rot much quicker. Many of the fishermen object to the manufacturer's 

 plan of mounting the nets with double lines for the corks and leads, and therefore buy the material, 

 but make the net to suit themselves. Each man, of course, has his peculiar ideas of the way in 

 which the nets should be made, so there are always slight, but generally inconsiderable, differences 

 in the nets of different men. 



This kind of fishing is done only at flood-tide, which occurs as often in the night as in the day. 

 At the first of the flood the boats start out; in each boat is a net and a man. The men fish in 

 pairs, so that the schools may be the more readily surrounded, or a channel may be stopped up 

 with greater ease and dispatch. This plan benefits both men. Sometimes there are three or four 

 boats iu company surrounding a school. In such cases v also, all are benefited, being jointly able 



