BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 465 



Vol. VI, No. 30. Washington, ©. C. ]flar. 34, 1887. 



134.— SOME OF THE EISHEKIES OE WESTEKIV FriORIDA. 



By SILAS STEARICS. 



Witli its extensive sea iiud j;nlf coast and its great interior water 

 isupi^ly, Florida has an abundance of food-fislies, easily accessible to 

 nearly every portion of the State. For a long time the fishing in Florida 

 waters was done by the iarmers and settlers for home consumj^tion, 

 while with the growth of the larger towns local fishing industries arose 

 simply to supply' the immediate neighborhoods, and a small traffic with 

 Cuba gra<lually sprung up. The most important fisheries of Florida, 

 however, aite but ten or fifteen years old.* 



Statistics o/ jj^j'-vokv cmpJoijcd, apparatus and capital, and products of the Florida fish- 

 eries in ItidO and ItiSl. 



Fishernicu uumbor.. 



Shoremen do — 



Total persons employed do — 



Vessels number . . 



Boa t s do . . . 



Minor apparaius 



Additional invested capital 



Total capital invested 



Mullets pounds. . 



Groupers do 



Ited snappers do 



Pompanos do 



Eluelisli do 



other kinds of sea fishes do 



Sponges do 



Turtles <lo 



Terrapins do 



Shrimps do 



Clams 



Oysters 



MuUet roes 



Alewives pounds . 



Shad do 



Sturgeon do 



Other kinds of river fishes do 



18S0. 



Amount. 



Value. 



2,194 

 285 



2,479 



142 

 743 



$248, 2U0 

 15, 558 

 21, 923 

 39, 9C3 



. I 325, 044 



225, 505 



764, 000 



483, 292 



J4,212 



C9, 250 



994, 735 



165, 000 



180, 000 



3, 000 



71, 750 



4,800 



324, 280 



13, 325 



10,000 



251,700 



3,000 



402, 750 



117, 391 



141,120 



CO, 756 



1, 421 



1,385 



87, 594 



185, 000 



7, 200 



200 



3, .500 



330 



16,270 



5,867 



200 



20, 13C 



150 



11, 850 



1884.* 



Amount. 



2,700 

 400 



3, 100 



211 

 1,061 



4,804,130 



1, 230, 000 



3, 551, 204 



50, OCO 



110, 625 



3, 000, 000 



200, 000 



300, 000 



Total value of products 606, 370 



75, 000 

 15,000 



Value. 



$365, 755 

 22, 750 

 38, 140 

 63, 255 



489, 900 



97, 282 



86, 100 



124, 294 



5,000 



2, 21»; 



60, 000 



200, 000 



10, 500 



45, 000 

 3,000 



uo3, obb 



* The statistics for 1884 are an estimate for Western Florida alone. 



Tlie mullet fishery. — The mullet occurs everywhere about the coast, 

 and for a large part of the year is the most abundant and easily secured 

 of the fishes. In season it is an excellent food-fish, ranging in weight 



'For the sponge, red snapper, and grouper fisLieries, see F. C. Report for 1885, p. 



217. 



