46 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



right angles to the pole. The pole is 12 feet or more in length, 

 and the pocket of the net is about 24 inches deep. The lantern 

 is placed in a glass case as a protection from the wind and is set in 

 the bow of the boat. 



When a " bully " fisherman discovers a crawfish crawling on the 

 bottom he gives his partner directions for maneuvering the boat to 

 a point of vantage, whereupon the bully net is carefully but swiftly 

 placed over the crawfish. With due caution the animal can be 

 approached without its becoming alarmed, but upon the slightest 

 touch of the net it makes a desperate effort to> escape. The hoop 

 of the net must entirely surround the crawfish and touch upon 

 even bottom or the animal will escape. When the crawfish finds 

 that it can not escape beneath the hcop it thrusts itself back into 

 the bunt of the net, and it is then that the fisherman raises the net to 

 the surface with the crawfish secure in the bunt, which hangs over 

 the side of the hoop. A fisherman working alone must push his 

 boat along with the bully pole and is at a great disadvantage, 

 especially in a strong tide. 



During the course of a night one boat may capture as many as a 

 thousand crawfish, but frequently only a few dozen are taken. The 

 average catch probably ranges between 50 and 100. 



Striking is perhaps the most productive as well as destructive 

 method of catching crawfish. The weapon used, known locally as 

 the " grains," is a two-tined barbed spear, each prong being about 

 3 inches long. By means of a ferrule it fits on the end of a pole 

 15 feet or more in length. This fishing is pursued in the daytime 

 and when the sea is smooth. The crawfish, which can usually be 

 distinguished by its long whiplike antenna; protruding from the 

 shelter of a rock or sponge, is located by the use of a water glass. 3 

 By touching the antenna?, the animal is usually frightened from its 

 shelter, and at the crucial moment it is speared with the grains. 

 Man} T badly injured animals escape and soon die, while most of 

 those caught do not survive long, and if the fishermen remain out. 

 too long a part of their catch is liable to spoil and can not be used 

 as food. This method of fishing, therefore, is destructive and 

 wasteful. 



Several Key West dealers ship relatively large quantities of craw- 

 fish out of the city. The principal markets are hotels and restau- 

 rants located in Miami, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Washington, Phila- 

 delphia, New York, and Boston. The restaurants utilize the craw- 

 fish to prepare various fancy dishes calling for lobster meat other 

 than in the shell. For long-distance shipments two methods are em- 

 ployed in preparing crawfish — some are shipped alive and some are 

 shipped after being cooked. 



When shipping live crawfish they are carefully packed in sugar 

 barrels. They must not be overcrowded, and therefore not more 

 than 6 dozens are placed in one container. A substantial layer of 

 ice is first placed in the bottom of a barrel, and on the ice is put a 

 layer of sponge clippings — a waste material obtained when prepar- 



3 A water glass such as is used in the Key West sponge and crawfish fisheries is simply 

 a wooden bucket, the bottom of which has been replaced by glass, all joints being made 

 water-tight. It is used when the water is choppy and the bottom could not otherwise be 

 seen. The operator holds it in the water with one hand, thrusts his head into the pail, 

 and with the other hand holds his implement of capture, whether it be sponge hook or 

 grains. In very rough water it can not be used because of the violent action of the boat. 



