70 



FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 



The following table shows the quantity and value of the fishes taken 

 in the Pensacola seine fishery in 1895. From this it will be seen that 

 considerably more than half of the catch consisted of mullet. Of the 

 1,071,414 pounds credited to this fishery, 1,030,000 pounds were taken in 

 the boat fishery and only about 41,000 pounds in the vessel fishery. 



Species. 



Bluefisli 



Channel bass 



Mullet 



Pompano 



Sheepshead 



Spanish mackerel 



Spot 



Trout 



Jure] 



Yellow-tail 



Angel-rish 



( Irevalle 



Bream 



Lady- fish 



Wlikins 



Other tish 



Mobilians (terrapins) 



Total 



Pounds. 



83, 



9. 



* ; iii , 



17. 

 40. 



hit. 



15. 



38, 



C:;. 



9, 



14. 



1 t, 



7. 



22, 



7, 

 6. 



202 

 825 



071 



'.HIS 



662 



430 

 695 



949 



:..-..- 



Oil) 



486 

 16i 



180 

 055 

 G89 

 659 



440 



Value. 



1,071,414 



$1,656 

 15:! 



7,981 



1.099 

 701 



4,877 

 297 



1.514 

 761 

 119 

 181 

 138 

 223 

 227 

 "77 

 135 

 14 



20. 216 



There is a gill-net fishery, carried on principally for mullet, which is 

 of comparatively little importance. In 1805 it was engaged in by 18 

 persons, who operated 9 gill nets from 9 boats. The nets had an 

 aggregate length of 4,320 feet, a 3A-inch mesh, and were valued at 

 $1,118. The quantity and value of the species taken were as follows: 

 Bluefish, 3,199 pounds, $132; channel bass, 922 pounds, $13; mullet, 

 80,558 pounds, $1,155; Spanish mackerel, 5,844 pounds, $292; trout, 

 6,440 pounds, $226. 



Spanish mackerel and pompano have been decreasing in this vicinity 

 during the past few years. Fifteen years ago pompano were very 

 abundant, and brought better prices than they do now. At the opening 

 of the season the dealers have paid as much as $1 per fish. When the 

 price dropped to 15 cents per fish the fishermen became discouraged. 

 The present price is only 5 cents a pound, or about 10 cents per fish. 



An apparent relation has been observed between the abundance of 

 bluefish on the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. About ten 

 years ago, when there was a period of scarcity of bluefish on the east- 

 ern seaboard, these fish were very abundant in the Gulf, but as soon as 

 they reappeared in numbers on the Atlantic Coast they became scarce 

 on the west coast of Florida. 



The oyster industry. — Although much less extensive than some of 

 the other fisheries of Pensacola, the oyster fishery is of considerable 

 importance and possesses some interesting features. The oysters are 

 taken for market from both natural and cultivated grounds. 



The principal natural oyster beds in the vicinity of Pensacola are in 

 Escambia and East bays, oysters of excellent quality being found on all 

 the reel's and bars. The supply of marketable oysters on these grounds, 



