FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 67 



alive. In 1890 the well-smack bad nearly gone out of use at Pensacola, 

 and as repairs became necessary the vessels were made over into tight- 

 bottom craft, and by 1895 there were no vessels of this class belonging 

 at Pensacola. It is reported that they were given up owing to the 

 losses sustained in bringing the iish from the cold water of the Gulf to 

 the warmer waters encountered near shore. With the tight bottomed 

 vessels the fishing may be done in deeper water, and larger fares are 

 obtained than when welled vessels were used. Now, as soon as the fish 

 are caught they are killed and packed in ice in storage compartments 

 near the center of the vessel. The larger vessels have storage room for 

 4,500 or 5,000 fish, the capacity of the others being proportionate to 

 their size. 



The arrangement between the vessel-owners and fishermen is as fol- 

 lows: The owners furnish the ice and bait, and when a vessel returns 

 these items are deducted from the gross value of the fish. Of the remain- 

 ing stock, 40 per cent is set aside as the vessel's share; out of the 60 

 per cent, the cost of the provisions and lines is taken. The balance 

 is then divided among the men in the following proportions: The cap- 

 tain, first hand, and cook get l.\ shares each; oilier members of the 

 crew 1 share each. The captain also receives 15 per cent of the vessel's 

 share as a bonus. If a vessel lias a broken trip or a poor catch, and 

 has not secured enough fish to pay the expenses of a trio, the owners, 

 on account of the difficulty of getting good crews, usually make no effort 

 to collect the balance due them, as it has been found that under other 

 treatment the crews are liable to give up their situations on returning 

 with a small fare. 



The cost of fitting out a vessel for red-snapper fishing is considerable. 

 Iu addition to the lines and dories, the expense for ice, bait, fuel, pro- 

 visions, and general stores for each trip of a large-sized vessel is about 

 $175; ice, at $8 per ton, being the largest item. 



Up to 1895 the snapper catch was divided into the following grades 

 by the Pensacola dealers: Small snappers, or "rats," which weigh .">.! 

 pounds or less; medium snappers, which weigh more than 3i pounds 

 and up to 7 pounds; large snappers, or "couuts," which weigh over 7 

 pounds and average 10 pouuds. The prices received by the fishermen 

 for the various sizes were 4.] cents a pound for the small, 3£ cents a 

 poitnd for the medium, 25 cents each for the large for the first 000, and 

 20 cents each for the remainder. On June 15, 1895, a new schedule of 

 prices went into effect and this still prevails; it is as follows: For all 

 snappers under 7 pounds in weight, 3£ cents a pound; for all snappers 

 over that weight, 20 cents each for the first 1,000, 15 cents each for the 

 second 1,000, and 10 cents each for the remainder. The price of 

 groupers to the fishermen has remained at 1 cent a pound. 



In 1895 the snapper fishery centering at Pensacola gave employment 

 to 42 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 1,209.62 and with a value, 

 including outfits, of $234,650. The number of sailboats employed was 



