FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 47 



shipped them to Havana by the regular steamer, which makes two trips 

 a week from Key West. 



The quantity of kingflsh taken in 181)5 was 420,000 pounds, valued at 

 $7,000. The Cuban war has necessarily embarrassed the fishery, and the 

 recent imposition of prohibitive duties on fish going to Havana has 

 seriously affected the business and been much felt by the fishermen. 

 The local consumption is far exceeded by the catch, and Cuba has been the 

 only outlet for the surplus. Even when comparatively large shipments 

 were made to Havana the fishermen were very desirous of extending 

 their markets, as they did not take as many fish as they could, but 

 only enough for the home market and to satisfy the Cuban demand. 

 A number of other fish are incidentally taken in the kingflsh fishery, the 

 principal ones being ambertish, large groupers, and red snappers. 



At times there has been quite an important fishery for red snappers 

 carried on from Key West, but the fishery is not regularly followed, 

 and in 1895 was unimportant. There are a dozen or more banks 

 accessible to Key West fishermen on which red snappers are found in 

 greater or less abundance at the proper season, but the fishery has 

 been less profitable than the kingflsh fishery, and has only been 

 extensively followed when kingflsh were scarce. The market for king- 

 fish in Cuba does not extend to red snappers, and after the local Key 

 West demands are supplied there is no other way in which to dispose 

 of the catch. A very large red-snapper fishery could no doubt be 

 carried on from Key West if the facilities for marketing the catch 

 warranted it. This fishery is prosecuted, as a rule, by the same large 

 boats that engage in the kingflsh fishery. The inquiries of the Fish 

 Commission in 1891 showed that the quantity of red snappers taken 

 by the Key West fishermen in the two preceding years were about 

 100,000 pounds and 20,000 pounds, respectively, while in 1895 only 

 8,400 pounds were caught. 



Other market fisheries. — Among the minor branches of the market 

 fisheries are the mullet fishery, the crab fishery, the crawfish fishery, 

 and the clam fishery. 



A small mullet fishery is carried on by means of gill nets, although 

 some mullet are also taken in cast nets and seines. The demand for 

 mullet is not large, and in 1895 the fishery yielded only 43,800 pounds, 

 valued at $1,372. During July, August, September, and October three 

 small boats, equipped with gill nets, engaged in this fishery, going out 

 early in the morning and returning by noon. The fish are handled by 

 boys, who peddle them about the city. 



A few seines are hauled on sandy beaches and smooth shoals by Key 

 West fishermen. The catch consists largely of bonefish, grunts, group- 

 ers, moonfish, and snappers, the first-named species predominating. 

 Most of the seines are operated very irregularly. The owners usually 

 rent them to anyone who desires to fish, and thus frequently a dozen 

 persons have used one seine during a year. 



