﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  GULF 
  STATES. 
  419 
  

  

  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  WESTERN 
  FLORIDA. 
  

  

  The 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  Florida 
  has 
  a 
  longer 
  coast 
  line 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  Gulf 
  

   state, 
  its 
  length 
  being- 
  about 
  2,810 
  miles. 
  The 
  shore 
  line, 
  like 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  state, 
  is 
  low, 
  and 
  is 
  indented 
  with 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  bays, 
  sounds, 
  and 
  lagoons, 
  which 
  furnish 
  good 
  harborage 
  for 
  

   the 
  light-draft 
  fishing 
  vessels. 
  The 
  principal 
  indentations 
  are 
  Perdido 
  

   Bay, 
  Pensacola 
  Bay, 
  Santa 
  Rosa 
  Sound, 
  Choctawhatchee 
  Ba}^, 
  St. 
  

   Andrews 
  Bay, 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay, 
  St. 
  Georges 
  Sound, 
  Apalachee 
  Bay, 
  

   Wiccassassee 
  Ba}', 
  Clearwater 
  Ba}', 
  Tampa 
  Bay, 
  Sarasota 
  Bay, 
  and 
  

   Charlotte 
  Harbor. 
  While 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  small 
  streams 
  entering 
  the 
  

   gulf 
  are 
  numerous, 
  the 
  principal 
  ones 
  being 
  the 
  Escambia, 
  Chocta- 
  

   whatchee, 
  Apalachicola, 
  Suwanee, 
  Withlacoochee, 
  Manatee, 
  and 
  

   Caloosahatchee, 
  but 
  little 
  fishing, 
  other 
  than 
  for 
  sturgeon, 
  is 
  prose- 
  

   cuted 
  in 
  an}" 
  of 
  them 
  except 
  the 
  Apalachicola 
  River. 
  

  

  A 
  serious 
  difiiculty 
  encountered 
  in 
  certain 
  counties 
  bordering 
  on 
  the 
  

   gulf 
  is 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  shipping 
  facilities. 
  To 
  counteract 
  this 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   possible, 
  the 
  wholesale 
  dealers 
  at 
  Cedar 
  Key, 
  St. 
  Petersburg, 
  Tampa, 
  

   and 
  Punta 
  Gorda 
  operate 
  a 
  large 
  fleet 
  of 
  transporting 
  vessels 
  which 
  

   make 
  regular 
  trips 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  camps, 
  taking 
  out 
  supplies 
  and 
  bring- 
  

   ing 
  back 
  the 
  catch. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  vessels 
  are 
  fitted 
  with 
  refrig- 
  

   erating 
  compartments, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  stored 
  and 
  thus 
  brought 
  

   to 
  market 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition. 
  Formerly 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  placed 
  loose 
  

   in 
  the 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  with 
  cracked 
  ice 
  thrown 
  over 
  them, 
  but 
  the 
  

   loss 
  from 
  spoiling, 
  caused 
  by 
  delays 
  incident 
  to 
  head 
  winds 
  and 
  calms, 
  

   was 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  the 
  dealers 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  adopt 
  the 
  present 
  

   method. 
  

  

  During 
  1903 
  the 
  Manatee 
  County 
  region, 
  which 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  

   fishing 
  sections 
  in 
  the 
  state, 
  was 
  penetrated 
  by 
  a 
  railroad 
  which 
  has 
  

   been 
  constructed 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  Sarasota, 
  and 
  is 
  eventually 
  to 
  be 
  

   extended 
  to 
  Boca 
  Grande. 
  The 
  Boca 
  Grande 
  terminus 
  will 
  undoubt- 
  

   edly 
  exert 
  a 
  considerable 
  influence 
  upon 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  

   time 
  the 
  fishermen 
  from 
  lower 
  Manatee 
  County 
  and 
  Lee 
  County 
  ship 
  

   their 
  fish 
  to 
  Punta 
  Gorda, 
  on 
  Charlotte 
  Harbor, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  rail- 
  

   road 
  connecting 
  with 
  northern 
  points. 
  Punta 
  Gorda 
  is 
  30 
  miles 
  from 
  

   the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  harbor, 
  however, 
  while 
  Boca 
  Grande 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  

   entrance, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  dealers 
  located 
  at 
  the 
  latter 
  place 
  the 
  vessels 
  will 
  

   be 
  saved 
  the 
  long 
  journey 
  to 
  Punta 
  Gorda. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  storage 
  and 
  fish-fertilizer 
  plant 
  has 
  been 
  erected 
  at 
  Punta 
  

   Gorda, 
  but 
  was 
  not 
  finished 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  operate 
  in 
  1902. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  

   intention 
  of 
  the 
  company 
  operating 
  this 
  plant 
  to 
  freeze 
  the 
  better 
  

   grades 
  of 
  gulf 
  fish, 
  and 
  convert 
  the 
  nonedible 
  and 
  spoiled 
  fish 
  into 
  

   fertilizer. 
  

  

  A 
  fire 
  at 
  Cedar 
  Key 
  May 
  19, 
  1902, 
  which 
  burned 
  down 
  the 
  railroad 
  

   station 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  wholesale 
  establishments 
  and 
  damaged 
  several 
  

  

  