﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  GULF 
  STATES. 
  455 
  

  

  only 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  being 
  shipped 
  whole, 
  as 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  water. 
  

   The 
  catch 
  of 
  shrimp 
  in 
  this 
  state 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  4,423,900 
  pounds, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $58,398, 
  an 
  increase, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  1897, 
  of 
  2,520,735 
  

   pounds 
  and 
  $29,594. 
  

  

  Trout. 
  — 
  Trout, 
  or 
  squeteague, 
  rank 
  next 
  to 
  shrimp 
  in 
  importance. 
  

   The}' 
  are 
  taken 
  very 
  generally 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  Gulf 
  coast, 
  trammel 
  

   nets, 
  seines, 
  and 
  lines 
  being 
  the 
  principal 
  apparatus 
  of 
  capture. 
  Two 
  

   species 
  of 
  squeteague 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  Mississippi, 
  known 
  localh^ 
  as 
  

   "speckled 
  trout" 
  and 
  "white 
  trout," 
  respectively. 
  The 
  former 
  is 
  a 
  

   much 
  firmer 
  and 
  better 
  selling 
  fish 
  than 
  the 
  latter 
  and 
  largely 
  predomi- 
  

   nates 
  in 
  the 
  catch. 
  The 
  white 
  trout 
  is 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  squeteague 
  so 
  

   common 
  along 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  

  

  Mullet. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  species 
  of 
  fish 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  

   fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  coast. 
  In 
  Mississippi, 
  however, 
  its 
  value 
  is 
  less 
  

   than 
  that 
  of 
  trout. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  in 
  this 
  state 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  trammel 
  

   nets, 
  but 
  a 
  part 
  is 
  secured 
  in 
  cast 
  nets. 
  In 
  some 
  instances 
  seines 
  are 
  

   successfully 
  used, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  only 
  under 
  certain 
  conditions 
  when 
  the 
  

   fish 
  can 
  not 
  escape 
  by 
  jumping 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  net. 
  

  

  Croakers.— 
  "Y^^ 
  catch 
  of 
  croakers 
  is 
  next 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  mullet 
  in 
  value. 
  

   While 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  plentiful 
  as 
  mullet, 
  the 
  croaker 
  sells 
  much 
  more 
  

   readily, 
  the 
  market 
  conditions 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  being 
  quite 
  different 
  from 
  

   those 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  at 
  times 
  no 
  demand 
  for 
  this 
  

   fish. 
  It 
  is 
  caught 
  principally 
  on 
  lines, 
  though 
  many 
  are 
  also 
  taken 
  in 
  

   seines 
  and 
  trammel 
  nets. 
  

  

  Channel 
  hass 
  or 
  red-fish. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  widely 
  distributed 
  species 
  and 
  

   sells 
  well. 
  It 
  is 
  taken 
  chiefly 
  in 
  trammel 
  nets, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  smaller 
  

   quantities 
  with 
  seines 
  and 
  lines. 
  

  

  Sturgeon. 
  — 
  The 
  capture 
  of 
  sturgeon 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  state 
  

   is 
  of 
  recent 
  date, 
  none 
  being 
  taken 
  in 
  any 
  previous 
  year 
  for 
  which 
  

   statistics 
  are 
  available. 
  The 
  great 
  scarcity 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  along 
  the 
  gulf 
  coast. 
  Sturgeon 
  are 
  quite 
  plentiful 
  

   in 
  Mississippi 
  waters, 
  the 
  Pascagoula 
  River 
  being 
  especially 
  well 
  

   stocked 
  with 
  them. 
  The 
  fishery 
  is 
  now 
  prosecuted 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  

   60 
  miles 
  up 
  this 
  rive^r 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  gasoline 
  launches. 
  In 
  1902 
  

   a 
  sturgeon 
  was 
  caught 
  measuring 
  8 
  feet 
  10 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  4 
  feet 
  

   8 
  inches 
  in 
  circumference. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  one 
  measuring 
  14 
  feet 
  in 
  

   length 
  was 
  killed 
  in 
  the 
  Pascagoula 
  River 
  by 
  a 
  tug 
  boat, 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  

   years 
  ago. 
  Its 
  weight 
  was 
  estimated 
  between 
  600 
  and 
  600 
  pounds. 
  

  

  Black 
  5(?^ss,— 
  This 
  species, 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  brings 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  a 
  high 
  price. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  numerous 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  

   of 
  Mississippi, 
  though 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  prohibition 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  nets 
  

   where 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  abundant, 
  the 
  quantities 
  taken 
  for 
  market 
  are 
  not 
  

   large. 
  

  

  Shad. 
  — 
  Shad 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  regularl}' 
  in 
  the 
  Pascagoula 
  River 
  

   about 
  10 
  miles 
  from 
  its 
  mouth, 
  but 
  few, 
  if 
  any, 
  reach 
  the 
  market, 
  as 
  

  

  