﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  GULF 
  STATES. 
  

  

  429 
  

  

  Shore 
  fisheries. 
  — 
  The 
  j^-ill 
  net 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  form 
  of 
  

   apparatus 
  in 
  use 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  lisheriea, 
  and 
  the 
  mullet 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  

   species 
  thus 
  sought. 
  Of 
  the 
  22,896,192 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $4:26,370, 
  

   taken 
  in 
  gill 
  nets, 
  18,979,124 
  pounds, 
  worth 
  $322,522, 
  consisted 
  of 
  

   mullet. 
  The 
  sea 
  trout 
  occupied 
  second 
  place 
  in 
  quantity 
  and 
  was 
  

   third 
  in 
  value; 
  the 
  pouipano 
  was 
  second 
  in 
  value. 
  Other 
  leading 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  were 
  sheepshead, 
  channel 
  bass, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  and 
  sturgeon. 
  

  

  The 
  seine 
  catch 
  has 
  fallen 
  off 
  somewhat 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   more 
  general 
  use 
  of 
  gill 
  nets 
  and 
  stop 
  nets. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  seines 
  are 
  

   used 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  latter 
  fishery, 
  but 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  secondary 
  

   in 
  importance 
  their 
  value 
  and 
  catch 
  have 
  been 
  shown 
  with 
  the 
  stop 
  

   nets. 
  The 
  mullet 
  is 
  again 
  the 
  leading 
  species, 
  although 
  not 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  extent 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  gill-net 
  fisheries. 
  Other 
  important 
  species 
  were 
  

   Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  sea 
  trout, 
  lady-fish, 
  and 
  blue-fish. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  stop-net 
  fisheries 
  ranked 
  third 
  in 
  quantity 
  of 
  products 
  

   secured, 
  the 
  tong 
  fisheries 
  exceeded 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch. 
  

   Mullet, 
  sheepshead, 
  sea 
  trout, 
  and 
  channel 
  bass 
  were 
  the 
  principal 
  

   species 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  stop-net 
  fishery. 
  

  

  The 
  line 
  fisheries 
  have 
  declined 
  considerably 
  in 
  recent 
  years, 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  devoting 
  more 
  of 
  their 
  time 
  to 
  fishing 
  with 
  other 
  forms 
  of 
  

   apparatus. 
  There 
  is 
  still 
  an 
  important 
  line 
  fishery 
  in 
  Monroe 
  County, 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  operating 
  nets 
  around 
  Key 
  West, 
  where 
  

   they 
  are 
  torn 
  on 
  the 
  coral 
  growths. 
  

  

  Trammel-net 
  fishing 
  was 
  prosecuted 
  from 
  Escambia, 
  Hillsboro, 
  

   Santa 
  Rosa, 
  and 
  Walton 
  counties. 
  In 
  1897, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  

   canvass, 
  trammel 
  nets 
  were 
  not 
  used. 
  

  

  The 
  cast-net 
  and 
  trap-net 
  fisheries 
  were 
  not 
  of 
  much 
  importance, 
  the 
  

   former 
  being 
  carried 
  on 
  from 
  Escambia, 
  Franklin, 
  Hillsboro, 
  and 
  

   Monroe 
  counties, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  from 
  Franklin 
  and 
  Monroe 
  counties. 
  

   In 
  the 
  last-named 
  county 
  traps 
  are 
  a 
  rather 
  important 
  form 
  of 
  

   apparatus. 
  

  

  Sponging 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  from 
  Franklin, 
  Hillsboro, 
  and 
  Monroe 
  

   counties, 
  the 
  last-named 
  far 
  outstripping 
  the 
  others. 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  minor 
  forms 
  of 
  apparatus 
  were 
  also 
  used, 
  the 
  more 
  

   important 
  being 
  guns, 
  traps, 
  dip 
  nets, 
  and 
  fyke 
  nets. 
  

  

  Table 
  showing, 
  by 
  counties 
  and 
  apparatus, 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  fisheries 
  of 
  tlie 
  west 
  coast 
  oj 
  

  

  Florida. 
  

  

  