246 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



and also to the great numbers of sharks and porpoises which are fre- 

 quently seen in the narrow channel of the river. The shad in their uii- 

 gratiou are met by great numbers of their enemies and are driven away. 



We got under way at 11.15, from Jacksonville bound for Palatka, 

 which point we reached at 4.15 in the afternoon. At this point I had 

 an interview with S. J. Keynolds, of Lowell, Mass., wlio had been for 

 years a mackerel fisher, sailing from the port of Gloucester. I learned 

 from him that he had fished several years in the Saint John's. This year 

 he operated eleven nets, 5-iuch mesh, 50 meshes deep, and from 175 to 

 210 fathoms long. Two of these nets were now operated at Welaka 

 several miles up the river. According to law, fishing commences on the 

 Saint John's on December 1, and closes on April 1. He had not seen 

 a ripe shad this season. 



I learned that Mr. J. W. Merian, of New York City, operated seven nets 

 of about 150 ftvthoms long at Palatka; that W. B. Cross, a native of the 

 State, operated two nets of about 200 fiithoms. These were all the nets 

 fished in the neigborhood of this city. I caused the nets, five in all, that 

 were being fished that night on the river, to be ovei hauled and only 8 

 shad w^re taken ; they were all females, with eggs immature. 



At P'llatka we secured the services of James Garret, colored, as pilot 

 for th*^ upper river, and sailed for Lake Monroe on the 24th. At George- 

 town T caused five nets to be overhauled and found that they were of 

 4-inch mesh, too small for shad. One channel bass and several m.ullet 

 and black bass were taken during our stop at this point. The fishermen 

 thought that shad could betaken in considerable numbers at this point, 

 but there were no nets fished for them this year. Last year they re- 

 ported that they were captured in some abundance in water no more 

 than 2 feet deep. 



Finding 5.^ feet on Velusia Bar, we had no difBculty in reaching the 

 upj)er river, i^oticing the black bass jumping in the river just above 

 Lake Barefoot, we stopped for two hours and took some nineteen with 

 the lly. They were fat and in exceedingly fine condition. Proceeding 

 up the river, we reached Sanford at 8 p. m., Avith windblov.ing hard from 

 the southeast. On going ashore I learned that there were only two fisher- 

 men operating in Lake Monroe. Mr. Alonzo Gitson fished two nets on 

 the upper bar, one 50 and the other 25 f\ithoms ; and Mr. John West fished 

 the lower bar with two nets of 50 fathoms each. The average catch was 

 from 30 to 40 shad a night, the maximum of the season being 00 shad. 

 They reported that they had taken ripe shad some time previous. Those 

 I caused to be examined were within three or four days of being ripe. 

 The usual market price was 50 cents per pair. 



Having learned that there was little prospect of establishing a hatch- 

 ing station on Lake Monroe, we left Sanford at 6.55 on the morning of 

 the 25tb, and droi)ped down the river to Blue Spring, reachiiig there 

 at 9.20. Found black bass exceedingly plentiful at this point. With 

 two rods, fishing exclusively with the fly, 40 were taken in a short 



