﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  CXXXI 
  

  

  162 
  were 
  operated 
  in 
  both 
  years. 
  Of 
  these, 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  took 
  more 
  

   salmon 
  in 
  1896. 
  The 
  persons 
  engaged 
  nnmbered 
  1-33 
  each 
  year, 
  and 
  

   the 
  vahie 
  of 
  the 
  investment 
  in 
  boats, 
  apparatus, 
  etc., 
  was 
  upward 
  of 
  

   $16,000 
  each 
  season. 
  

  

  Notwithstanding 
  the 
  greatly 
  increased 
  catch 
  in 
  1896, 
  that 
  season 
  

   was 
  behind 
  a 
  nnmber 
  of 
  earlier 
  years 
  for 
  which 
  statistics 
  are 
  available. 
  

   Thus, 
  in 
  1880 
  about 
  10,000 
  salmon 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  and 
  in 
  1887, 
  

   1888, 
  and 
  1889 
  the 
  catch 
  was 
  still 
  larger. 
  From 
  1892 
  to 
  1895 
  the 
  output 
  

   declined 
  about 
  30 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  tendency 
  of 
  late 
  has 
  been 
  

   toward 
  a 
  decrease, 
  1896 
  afitbrdiiig 
  a 
  pleasing 
  contrast. 
  

  

  The 
  salmon 
  fishermeD 
  are 
  almost 
  unanimous 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  

   maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  is 
  dependent 
  on 
  artificial 
  propagation. 
  

   They 
  think 
  the 
  opportunities 
  for 
  natural 
  reproduction 
  are 
  so 
  limited 
  

   that 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  would 
  elapse 
  before 
  the 
  supply 
  would 
  become 
  

   exhausted 
  without 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  artificially 
  hatched 
  fry. 
  All 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   collected 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  are 
  from 
  fish 
  caught 
  for 
  market, 
  which 
  

   eggs 
  would 
  otherwise 
  be 
  lost. 
  There 
  was 
  in 
  May 
  and 
  June, 
  1896, 
  a 
  

   noteworthy 
  run 
  of 
  small 
  salmon 
  that 
  had 
  then 
  entered 
  the 
  stream 
  for 
  

   the 
  first 
  time 
  ; 
  a 
  corresponding 
  scarcity 
  of 
  large 
  fish 
  was 
  observed. 
  The 
  

   fishermen 
  refer 
  to 
  these 
  small 
  salmon 
  as 
  the 
  hatchery 
  school. 
  

  

  The 
  interesting 
  experiment 
  is 
  being 
  tried 
  of 
  introducing 
  the 
  quinnat 
  

   salmon 
  and 
  steelhead 
  trout 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  into 
  the 
  Penobscot 
  and 
  

   other 
  Maine 
  waters. 
  Should 
  it 
  prove 
  successful, 
  two 
  very 
  valuable 
  

   fishes 
  will 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  region. 
  

  

  COASTAL 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  

  

  In 
  October 
  and 
  November, 
  1896, 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  fish- 
  

   eries 
  of 
  Florida 
  was 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  and 
  Mr. 
  John 
  N. 
  Cobb, 
  

   field 
  agent, 
  in 
  conjunction 
  with 
  other 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  representatives 
  

   who 
  were 
  studying 
  the 
  natural-history 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  Florida 
  fisheries. 
  

   All 
  the 
  fishing 
  communities 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  ot 
  the 
  State 
  were 
  visited, 
  

   and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  section, 
  

   however, 
  had 
  recently 
  been 
  canvassed 
  by 
  agents 
  of 
  the 
  division. 
  The 
  

   information 
  thus 
  obtained 
  was 
  incorporated 
  in 
  a 
  report 
  submitted 
  to 
  

   the 
  Senate 
  by 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  on 
  January 
  28, 
  1897. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  industries 
  of 
  Florida, 
  and 
  the 
  business 
  

   is 
  doubtless 
  destined 
  to 
  undergo 
  much 
  further 
  increase 
  in 
  certain 
  lines. 
  

   The 
  approximate 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  fisheries 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  is 
  as 
  

   follows: 
  Persons 
  employed, 
  6,100 
  j 
  capital 
  invested, 
  $1,300,000; 
  value 
  

   of 
  catch, 
  $1,200,000. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  investigation 
  special 
  attention 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  sponge, 
  

   oyster, 
  green 
  turtle, 
  and 
  red 
  snapper 
  fisheries, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  

   line 
  fishing 
  and 
  the 
  very 
  extensive 
  mullet 
  fishing 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast. 
  

   Florida 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  State 
  having 
  a 
  sponge 
  fishery, 
  and 
  surpasses 
  all 
  

   others 
  in 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  mullet, 
  red 
  snappers, 
  green 
  turtles, 
  kiugfish, 
  pom- 
  

   pano, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  products. 
  

  

  