﻿FISHEBIES 
  OF 
  GULF 
  STATES. 
  457' 
  

  

  in 
  any 
  other 
  locality 
  in 
  the 
  state, 
  they 
  vary 
  in 
  width 
  from 
  7 
  feet 
  at 
  the 
  

   ends 
  to 
  12 
  or 
  15 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  center, 
  the 
  latter 
  forming 
  a 
  pocket 
  about 
  

   12 
  feet 
  deep. 
  Shrimp 
  seines 
  are 
  used 
  chiefly 
  on 
  vessels, 
  while 
  most 
  oi 
  

   the 
  lish 
  seines 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries, 
  except 
  at 
  Scranton, 
  where 
  

   they 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  both 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  Traimtnel 
  nets. 
  — 
  This 
  apparatus 
  is 
  employed 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  

   vessel 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  mainly 
  in 
  the 
  former. 
  Scranton 
  and 
  Biloxi 
  lead 
  

   in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  trammel 
  nets. 
  Those 
  in 
  common 
  use 
  at 
  these 
  places 
  

   are 
  about 
  5 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  three 
  webs 
  hung- 
  upon 
  a 
  

   single 
  top 
  and 
  bottom 
  line. 
  The 
  inside 
  net 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  cotton, 
  

   has 
  a 
  2i-inch 
  mesh 
  stretched, 
  and 
  is 
  hung 
  slack. 
  The 
  two 
  outside 
  nets 
  

   are 
  hung 
  straight, 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  12-inch 
  mesh, 
  stretched. 
  The 
  top 
  line 
  

   usualh" 
  has 
  wooden 
  corks 
  or 
  floats, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  line 
  are 
  leads 
  

   placed 
  about 
  one 
  foot 
  apart, 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  net 
  in 
  position. 
  In 
  this 
  region 
  

   the 
  trammel 
  net 
  is 
  operated 
  by 
  hauling 
  it 
  around 
  the 
  fish 
  until 
  they 
  

   are 
  forced 
  into 
  it. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  large 
  schools 
  of 
  mullet, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  more 
  

   readily 
  in 
  trammel 
  nets 
  than 
  in 
  seines, 
  because, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  propen- 
  

   sity 
  to 
  jump, 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  readily 
  be 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  latter. 
  Often 
  when 
  

   a 
  large 
  school 
  of 
  fish 
  is 
  sighted, 
  two 
  trammel 
  nets 
  are 
  fastened 
  together, 
  

   a 
  man 
  being 
  stationed 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  net 
  and 
  another 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  

   where 
  the 
  two 
  sections 
  are 
  joined. 
  

  

  Lines.- 
  — 
  Lines 
  are 
  used 
  exclusively 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries. 
  Many 
  

   species 
  are 
  taken 
  thus, 
  but 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  are 
  croakers, 
  trout, 
  and 
  

   hard 
  crabs. 
  

  

  Spears. 
  — 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  spears 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  flounders 
  

   in 
  the 
  shore 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  the 
  fishing 
  is 
  usually 
  done 
  at 
  night 
  during 
  

   June, 
  eluly, 
  and 
  August, 
  a 
  flambeau 
  or 
  torch 
  being 
  used 
  to 
  furnish 
  

   light. 
  

  

  Cast 
  net. 
  — 
  This 
  apparatus 
  has 
  become 
  so 
  common 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  nick- 
  

   named 
  "life-preserver." 
  Nearly 
  every 
  family 
  living 
  near 
  the 
  water 
  

   possesses 
  one. 
  Its 
  use 
  for 
  commercial 
  fishing, 
  however, 
  is 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  limited. 
  

  

  Gill 
  nets.- 
  — 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  gill 
  nets 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  

   of 
  Jackson 
  County, 
  in 
  the 
  Pascagoula 
  River. 
  The 
  average 
  length 
  of 
  

   a 
  sturgeon 
  gill 
  net 
  was 
  200 
  yards, 
  with 
  a 
  mesh 
  16 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  

   stretched. 
  

  

  Persons 
  employed. 
  — 
  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  state 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  4,344. 
  Of 
  this 
  number 
  826 
  were 
  

   employed 
  on 
  fishing 
  vessels; 
  70 
  on 
  transporting 
  vessels; 
  891 
  in 
  the 
  

   shore 
  fisheries; 
  and 
  2,557 
  as 
  shoresmen, 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  oyster 
  and 
  

   shrimp 
  canneries. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1897 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  1,779 
  

   persons, 
  or 
  69.35 
  per 
  cent. 
  This 
  was 
  due 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  

   of 
  the 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  and 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  new 
  canneries. 
  

  

  Investment.— 
  The, 
  ioiiSiX 
  investment 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  in 
  this 
  state 
  in 
  

  

  