54th Congress, ) SENATE. ( Document 



2d Session. \ \ No. 100. 



3, Ur. 



JUN 23 1924 





THE FISH AND FISHEEIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF 



FLORIDA. 



January 28, 1897. — Referred to the Committee on Fisheries and ordered to be 



printed. 



The Vice-President presented the following 



LETTER FROM THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES, 

 TRANSMITTING, IN RESPONSE TO SENATE RESOLUTION OF 

 FEBRUARY 15, 1895, A REPORT ON THE FISH AND FISHERIES 

 OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 



United States Commission ov Fish and Fisheries, 



Washington, JD. C, January 28, 1897. 



Sir : I have the honor to transmit the accompanying report on the 

 fish and fisheries of the coastal waters of Florida, in accordance with 

 the following Senate resolution of February 15, 1895: 



Resolved, That the Commissioner of Fisheries is hereby directed to make inquiry 

 in reference to the extent, methods, and present condition of the coast fisheries of 

 Florida — more particularly the sponge and oyster fisheries — and to report as to the 

 desirability of establishing a station for investigation, experiment, and fish-culture 

 at some suitable point on the coast. 



Investigations pursuant to the resolution of the Senate were begun 

 in 1895 under the direction of the late Commissioner, but it was not 

 feasible to complete the inquiries until the present year, when a party 

 consisting of Dr. Hugh M. Smith, Prof. Barton W. Evermann, Mr. 

 John N". Cobb, and Dr. W. C. Kendall, of this Commission, visited the 

 southeastern and western coasts of the State, made observations, and 

 collected information on which this report is in part based. Previous 

 investigations had been conducted on the east coast of Florida in the 

 years 1895 and 189G, which put the Commission in possession of data 

 regarding the extent and condition of the fisheries of that region. 

 Eeference is made to the following recent reports on the Florida fish- 

 eries relating to the subject under consideration: "Notes on Biscayne 

 Bay, with reference to its adaptability as the site of a marine hatching 

 and experiment station," which appears in the report of this Commis- 

 sion for 1895, and "The fisheries of Indian Biver, Florida,"* being a 



* Printed as S. Doc. 46, Fifty-fourth Congress, second session. 



S 



