﻿398 
  EEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  St. 
  Lucie 
  Sound, 
  Lake 
  Worth, 
  and 
  Biscayne 
  Bay. 
  St. 
  Maiys 
  and 
  St. 
  

   Johns 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  real 
  rivers, 
  the 
  others 
  .being 
  merely 
  lagoons 
  or 
  

   arms 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  separated 
  by 
  low 
  sandy 
  bars. 
  

   These 
  waters 
  are 
  favorite 
  feeding 
  and 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  for 
  marine 
  

   species 
  and 
  for 
  anadromous 
  species, 
  such 
  as 
  alewives 
  and 
  shad. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  fishing 
  towns 
  are 
  Fernandina, 
  on 
  St. 
  Marys 
  lliver; 
  

   Ma5'port, 
  Fulton, 
  New 
  Berlin, 
  Jacksonville, 
  Palatka, 
  and 
  Sanford, 
  on 
  

   St. 
  Johns 
  River; 
  St. 
  Augustine, 
  on 
  Matanzas 
  River; 
  New 
  Smyrna, 
  

   on 
  Mosquito 
  Lagoon; 
  Aurantia, 
  Titusville, 
  Cocoa, 
  Grant, 
  and 
  Sc))as- 
  

   tian, 
  on 
  Indian 
  River; 
  Fort 
  Pierce 
  and 
  Eden, 
  on 
  St. 
  Lucie 
  Sound; 
  

   West 
  Palm 
  Beach, 
  on 
  Lake 
  Worth; 
  Lantana 
  and 
  Fort 
  Lauderdale, 
  on 
  

   the 
  coast, 
  and 
  Miami, 
  on 
  Biscaj-ne 
  Bay. 
  

  

  The 
  fisheries 
  of 
  eastern 
  Florida 
  are 
  second 
  in 
  importance 
  in 
  the 
  

   South 
  Atlantic 
  States, 
  being 
  surpassed 
  b}' 
  North 
  Carolina 
  only. 
  

   Recent 
  figures 
  are 
  not 
  available 
  for 
  comparison 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  1902. 
  

   In 
  1890, 
  when 
  the 
  last 
  complete 
  canvass 
  was 
  made, 
  7,463,531 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  fishery 
  products, 
  valued 
  at 
  1219,870, 
  were 
  taken, 
  and 
  in 
  1902, 
  

   19,584,265 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  1477,868, 
  a 
  gain 
  of 
  12,120,734 
  pounds 
  

   and 
  $257,998. 
  The 
  increases 
  are 
  principall}- 
  in 
  the 
  alewife, 
  black-bass, 
  

   cat-fish, 
  mullet, 
  pompano, 
  squeteague, 
  ovster, 
  and 
  prawn 
  fisheries, 
  

   while 
  the 
  channel-bass, 
  drum, 
  and 
  'shad 
  fisheries 
  have 
  decreased 
  and 
  

   the 
  sturgeon 
  has 
  disappeared 
  completelv. 
  In 
  persons 
  employed 
  there 
  

   was 
  an 
  increase 
  from 
  1,404 
  in 
  1890 
  to 
  2,698 
  in 
  1902, 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  1,294, 
  

   while 
  the 
  total 
  investment 
  increased 
  from 
  $142,105 
  in 
  1900 
  to 
  $354,835 
  

   in 
  1902, 
  a 
  difference 
  of 
  $212,730. 
  

  

  For 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  failed 
  

   to 
  avail 
  themselves 
  of 
  the 
  prolific 
  snapper 
  banks 
  which 
  lie 
  a 
  short 
  

   distance 
  off 
  their 
  shores. 
  These 
  banks 
  were 
  fished 
  mainly 
  by 
  New 
  

   England 
  vessels, 
  which 
  landed 
  their 
  catch 
  at 
  Savannah. 
  One 
  vessel 
  

   from 
  Fernandina 
  now 
  engages 
  in 
  the 
  fishery, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  

   others 
  will 
  follow 
  the 
  example. 
  A 
  few 
  other 
  vessels 
  from 
  Nassau 
  

   County 
  engage 
  in 
  oystering, 
  while 
  one 
  vessel 
  in 
  Dade 
  County 
  uses 
  

   purse 
  seines 
  for 
  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  and 
  early 
  spring. 
  

   These 
  are 
  all 
  new 
  features, 
  as 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  vessel 
  fisheries 
  in 
  this 
  

   section 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  canvass. 
  

  

  The 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Indian 
  River 
  suffered 
  severely 
  last 
  year 
  because 
  of 
  

   an 
  epidemic, 
  which 
  began 
  a1>out 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  September 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  until 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  the 
  month, 
  killing 
  thousands 
  of 
  fish. 
  The 
  

   principal 
  mortality 
  was 
  in 
  that 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  lying 
  between 
  the 
  

   Narrows 
  and 
  Sebastian. 
  A 
  southeast 
  wind 
  seemed 
  to 
  drive 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   eased 
  fish 
  toward 
  Sebastian, 
  some 
  even 
  going 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  Grant. 
  All 
  

   species 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  affected, 
  but 
  the 
  mullet 
  suffered 
  least. 
  

  

  A 
  female 
  sturgeon, 
  full 
  of 
  eggs, 
  weighing 
  about 
  175 
  pounds, 
  and 
  

   measuring 
  about 
  6 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  was 
  caught 
  in 
  a 
  gill 
  net 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   River, 
  near 
  Fort 
  Pierce, 
  in 
  January, 
  1903. 
  Six 
  shad 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  

  

  