542 GEOGEAPHICAL EEVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



the Beacon Brothers. This company, having provided the outfit, receives 35 per cent, of the catch 

 aud pays 35 per cent, of all the bills. The other Go per cent, is divided equally among the two 

 captains and the crew, who pay the remaining 05 per cent, of the bills. At the other three, the 

 two Spanish fisheries on Lacosta Island and the Captiva fisheries, their vessels are hired, and this 

 arrangement is in practice. The bills are paid from the total proceeds and the remainder is divided 

 thus: Vessel, 20 per cent.; fishery, 15 per cent.; and crew, 65 per cent. The crews in either case 

 receive the same. 



DISPOSITION OF CATCH. The prices obtained in Cuba for the fish are: Salted mullet, 3 

 cents and 4 cents a pound ; dried mullet roe, 3 cents, 4 cents, and 4i cents a pound. The duties 

 on the fish and roes amount to 81.40 oil the quintal. The markets to which shipments are made 

 are Havana, Matanzas, Cardenas, and Sagua la Grande. 



FISH-CUEING. The curing of the fish is thus effected: On one side of the table are the 

 "splitters," ten in number; on the other side are seven men arranged as follows: The second and 

 third men from either end remove the gills and entrails; they are the "gillers." The end men 

 scrape the black lining from the inside, aud the fourth or middle man is an expert, who takes out 

 the spawn; he is called the "spawner." Five of the splitters, as they finish splitting the fish, 

 throw them in a pile to the gillers, who do their work and turn the fish with spawn over to the 

 spawner, and those without spawn to the scraper. As soon as the spawn is removed, the fish go 

 to the scraper and by him are finished with, so far as dressing them is concerned. The fish are 

 now thrown into a trough of salt water and allowed to remain in soak until they are all split, when 

 they are removed to be salted and packed away. The saltiug process is described below in the 

 paragraphs on the Sarasota fisheries. 



The roes, noticed by the writer at the Spanish fisheries in process of being dried, were 

 maggoty, but the fishermen seemed to think they were all right, remarking that that condition 

 was "nothing unusual." At the other two fisheries the roes were in excellent condition, clean and 

 sweet. Their fish and roes were superior to those at the Spanish fisheries. The process of drying- 

 roes at these four fisheries was the same as that adopted at the Sarasota fisheries, aud which is 

 described below in detail. 



FISHERIES OF SARASOTA BAY. 



FISHING STATIONS OF SARASOTA BAY The next group of fisheries are those of Sarasota 

 Bay, comprisiug Hunter's Point fishery, Eoberts fishery, and Sarasota fishery. The first named is 

 on the dividing line between Sarasota and Palmasola Bays. The buildings there are owned by 

 Sweetzer & Thomson. 



At Hunter's Point are eighteen fishermen. Many are natives of the Bahamas, aud are called 

 here, as also at Key West, "Conchs"; the rest are Americans. The men employed in carrying 

 to market the fish which the regular fishermen catch are counted as belonging to the fishery gangs, 

 and receive either a share of the catch or wages. 



SEINES AT HUNTER'S POINT. At Huuter's Point fishery there are two seines in use. One of 

 them is 100 fathoms long and 16 feet deep, with a 2-inch mesh, requiring eight men to handle it. 

 The other is 75 fathoms long, 12 feet deep, and has a mesh of 1^ inches stretch. Four men handle 

 this net. These seines are used in October, November, December, and January. Mullet is the 

 fish most largely taken. In 1879, 10,000 pounds were caught at a haul. The catch is frequently 

 so large that the fish cannot all be saved. In one instance the fish carried away the seine from 

 the men. 



HUNTER'S POINT FISHING BOATS. The boats used in this fishery are larger and of a better 



