284 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



the southern coast of Key West and to the eastward off the following: Cow Key, Boca 

 Chica, Geiger's Key, Saddle Bunch Keys, and Sugar Loaf Keys. A few fishermen with 

 power boats sometimes go 6 miles beyond Boca Grande Key to the Marquesas Keys on 

 the west and 26 miles beyond Sugar Loaf Keys to Bahia Honda, on the east. Big Pine 

 Key, which lies between Sugar Loaf Key and Bahia Honda is known to be an excellent 

 fishing ground. Some spiny lobsters are obtained from East Harbor Keys, Middle 

 Keys, and Cayo Agua, about 5 miles northeast of Key West. A few are obtained to the 

 south on the shoals off the Eastern Dry Rocks. When the local supply is limited and 

 the weather is favorable, a few fishermen go to the Dry Tortugas. Since the " Tortugas " 

 are about 65 miles to the westward, it is seldom, and only under the most favorable 

 weather conditions, that fishermen with power boats undertake this trip. Not more 

 than a few thousand spiny lobsters are brought from there annually. Nearly all of 

 these are of large size, much larger, indeed, than any others brought to the local markets. 



SEASON OF THE FISHERY. 



Spiny lobsters are caught throughout the year, but the best season is from Feb- 

 ruary to July, during which time about 60 per cent of the total annual catch is taken. 

 A majority are caught while feeding in water that varies from 1 to 10 feet in depth. In 

 order to catch them in deeper waters, it is necessary to use traps or pots. In February 

 the spiny lobsters begin to return to the shallower waters, probably for the purpose of 

 spawning. During this period they are very active and can be seen at all times dur- 

 ing the day but are more numerous during the early evening and throughout the night. 

 During the day most of them are concealed in hiding places, under rocks, sponges, corals, 

 and other places that protect them. 



During the last part of February and the greater part of March it is a common 

 sight to see them in groups by the hundreds, in shallow water in the most favorable 

 places. Because of their great abundance at this time they net the fishermen better 

 returns than any of the other fisheries. The fishermen avail themselves of this oppor- 

 tunity, and it is not unusual for two men, having spent a day and a night "crawfishing," 

 to return with a thousand or more spiny lobsters. This season of the fishery is a short 

 one, and by the early part of April or May many of the fishermen have returned to their 

 vocation, the hook-and-line fishery. The female spiny lobsters, now carrying eggs, have 

 migrated to the deeper waters, but they come to the shallower waters to a limited degree 

 during the night for the purpose of feeding, while the males seem to be regularly present 

 on the flats in normal numbers. 



APPARATUS AND METHODS IN GENERAL USE. 



The methods of capture employed in the industry have changed materially during 

 the last decade. The greater part of the catch formerly was made with cast nets, gill 

 nets, and haul seines. Since the shellfish were then more abundant and less in demand, 

 very satisfactory catches were made with the cast net, which was particularly effective 

 for taking spiny lobsters that had collected in groups, as during the mating season. These 

 nets were of woven twine, 12 to 16 feet in diameter, with sufficient leads to prevent the 

 spiny lobster from making its escape under the net after it had been thrown over the 

 animal. This method of capture is not now in general use, and few fishermen are able 



