﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  GULF 
  STATES. 
  445 
  

  

  Snapper 
  fishing" 
  is 
  done 
  in 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  75 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water. 
  The 
  

   crew 
  usually 
  consists 
  of 
  from 
  six 
  to 
  eight 
  men, 
  two 
  men 
  fishing 
  from 
  

   the 
  vessel 
  and 
  the 
  others 
  from 
  dories 
  carrying 
  two 
  men 
  each. 
  This 
  

   fishery 
  is 
  prosecutod 
  practically 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  year, 
  except 
  when 
  

   the 
  vessel 
  is 
  laid 
  up 
  for 
  repairs. 
  An 
  average 
  of 
  three 
  trips 
  to 
  the 
  

   banks 
  is 
  made 
  every 
  two 
  months, 
  the 
  aim 
  being 
  not 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  fish 
  

   longer 
  than 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  days 
  after 
  they 
  are 
  caught. 
  Lady-fish 
  and 
  

   various 
  other 
  species 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  bait. 
  On 
  an 
  average, 
  a 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  

   banks 
  requires 
  about 
  $15 
  worth 
  of 
  bait, 
  and 
  if 
  successful 
  the 
  vessel 
  

   will 
  return 
  with 
  from 
  2,500 
  to 
  3,000 
  red 
  snappers, 
  weighing 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  

   30 
  pounds 
  each. 
  Large 
  numbers 
  of 
  groupers 
  are 
  also 
  brought 
  in 
  with 
  

   each 
  trip, 
  but 
  they 
  command 
  a 
  comparatively 
  low 
  price. 
  In 
  1902 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  received 
  3i 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  for 
  snappers 
  weighing 
  7 
  pounds 
  

   and 
  under, 
  and 
  25 
  cents 
  a 
  piece 
  for 
  all 
  others. 
  

  

  Other 
  sj)ecies.—MwW^i 
  forms 
  a 
  larger 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  

   shore 
  fisheries, 
  in 
  both 
  weight 
  and 
  value, 
  than 
  an}^ 
  other 
  species 
  except 
  

   oysters, 
  and 
  are 
  also 
  taken 
  in 
  considerable 
  quantities 
  in 
  the 
  vessel 
  fish- 
  

   eries. 
  The 
  catch 
  by 
  vessels 
  was 
  491,000 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $6,745, 
  and 
  

   by 
  boats 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries, 
  1,055,300 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $16,712. 
  

   The 
  principal 
  apparatus 
  employed 
  for 
  capture 
  is 
  the 
  trammel 
  net, 
  but 
  

   in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  Mobile 
  Bay, 
  in 
  shallow 
  water, 
  seines 
  also 
  are 
  used. 
  

   Trout, 
  or 
  squeteague, 
  are 
  quite 
  abundant, 
  the 
  catch 
  by 
  vessels 
  and 
  

   boats 
  aggregating 
  259,450 
  pounds, 
  vakied 
  at 
  $10,586. 
  This 
  fish 
  is 
  

   caught 
  with 
  trammel 
  nets, 
  seines, 
  and 
  lines. 
  The 
  fishery 
  for 
  sturgeon, 
  

   in 
  which 
  much 
  activity 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  recently, 
  is 
  prosecuted 
  from 
  

   Mobile 
  and 
  vicinity, 
  the 
  product 
  amounting 
  to 
  100,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  stur- 
  

   geon, 
  valued 
  at 
  $3,930, 
  and 
  5,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  caviar, 
  valued 
  at 
  $2,000. 
  

   The 
  catch 
  was 
  obtained 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  Mobile 
  River 
  by 
  vessels 
  and 
  

   boats 
  with 
  gill 
  nets. 
  The 
  yield 
  of 
  buffalo-fish 
  was 
  108,100 
  pounds, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $2,251, 
  and 
  of 
  cat-fish 
  150,750 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $3,821. 
  A 
  

   large 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  species 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  smaller 
  quantities. 
  

  

  Apparatus. 
  — 
  The 
  most 
  important 
  forms 
  of 
  apparatus 
  employed 
  in 
  

   the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Alabama, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch, 
  are 
  tongs, 
  

   dredges, 
  lines, 
  trammel 
  nets, 
  seines, 
  and 
  gill 
  nets. 
  Tongs 
  are 
  the 
  

   only 
  apparatus 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  legally 
  used 
  within 
  the 
  state 
  for 
  catching 
  

   oysters. 
  The 
  oysters 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  statistics 
  as 
  being 
  caught 
  

   with 
  dredges 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  Alabama 
  vessels 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  waters. 
  

  

  Lines 
  are 
  employed 
  in 
  both 
  tlie 
  vessel 
  and 
  shore 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  the 
  

   principal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  thus 
  taken 
  consists 
  of 
  red 
  snappers 
  obtained 
  

   in 
  the 
  vessel 
  fisheries. 
  In 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries 
  lines 
  are 
  used 
  mainly 
  

   by 
  negroes 
  from 
  Mobile 
  fishing 
  in 
  Mobile 
  River 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  city. 
  

   Line 
  fishing 
  is 
  followed 
  about 
  nine 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  During 
  

   three 
  months 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  too 
  muddy 
  to 
  admit 
  of 
  profit- 
  

   able 
  fishing; 
  the 
  best 
  catches 
  are 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  winter. 
  Trammel 
  nets 
  

   are 
  used 
  considerably 
  in 
  the 
  vessel 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  much 
  more 
  exten- 
  

  

  