﻿CXXXII 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  leading 
  flshery 
  is 
  for 
  sponges. 
  It 
  is 
  prosecuted 
  from 
  Key 
  West, 
  

   Tarpon 
  Springs, 
  Cedar 
  Keys, 
  and 
  Apalacliicola, 
  being 
  most 
  extensive 
  at 
  

   the 
  first-named 
  place. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  catch 
  amounted 
  to 
  306,120 
  pounds, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $386,871, 
  of 
  which 
  231,272 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $363,107, 
  were 
  

   sheepswool 
  sponges. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  fishery 
  in 
  importance 
  is 
  for 
  mullets, 
  which 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  

   enormous 
  quantities 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  but 
  are 
  most 
  

   numerous 
  in 
  Indian 
  River 
  and 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  coast. 
  

   The 
  yield 
  of 
  fresh 
  and 
  salted 
  mullet 
  and 
  mullet 
  roe 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  about 
  

   20,734,000 
  pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $311,000. 
  

  

  The 
  red-snapper 
  fishery, 
  centered 
  chiefly 
  at 
  Pensacola, 
  produced 
  

   4,899,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  snappers 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  groupers 
  inci- 
  

   dentally 
  taken. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  snappers 
  was 
  $155,0t)0. 
  The 
  yield 
  

   and 
  value 
  of 
  other 
  important 
  products 
  in 
  1895 
  were 
  as 
  follows: 
  Green 
  

   turtles, 
  520,000 
  pounds, 
  $J8,500; 
  oysters, 
  270,000 
  bushels, 
  $61,723; 
  

   squeteague, 
  1,380,000 
  pounds, 
  $30,700; 
  redfish 
  or 
  channel 
  bass, 
  722,000 
  

   pounds, 
  $13,900; 
  grunts, 
  678,000 
  pounds, 
  $16,850; 
  pompano, 
  615,000 
  

   pounds, 
  $41,000; 
  sheepshead, 
  1,180,000 
  pounds, 
  $19,300; 
  Spanish 
  mack- 
  

   erel, 
  520,000 
  pounds, 
  $24,000. 
  

  

  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  GLOUCESTER 
  AND 
  BOSTON. 
  

  

  The 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  agents 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  at 
  Gloucester 
  and 
  

   Boston, 
  Mass., 
  show 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1896 
  the 
  fisheries 
  

   centering 
  at 
  those 
  places 
  were 
  somewhat 
  less 
  extensive 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  

   previous 
  year. 
  The 
  quantities 
  of 
  fish 
  which 
  were 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  

   American 
  fishing 
  vessels 
  aggregated 
  130,673,766 
  pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  

   as 
  landed 
  from 
  the 
  vessels 
  of 
  $3,286,898. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  separate 
  fares 
  

   was 
  6,407. 
  

  

  Comparing 
  these 
  figures 
  with 
  those 
  for 
  1895, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  

   a 
  decrease 
  of 
  19,765,774 
  pounds 
  and 
  $264,794, 
  with 
  1,084 
  fewer 
  fares. 
  

   The 
  falling 
  off 
  in 
  receipts 
  was 
  shared 
  by 
  both 
  ports. 
  

  

  The 
  vessel 
  fisheries 
  centering 
  at 
  Gloucester 
  yielded 
  21,924,701 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  and 
  45,672,713 
  pounds 
  of 
  salt 
  fish, 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  67,597,414 
  

   pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $2,001,904. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  receipts 
  were 
  

   9,034,063 
  pounds 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1895, 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  value 
  being 
  $203,715. 
  

   The 
  number 
  of 
  fares 
  of 
  fish 
  brought 
  into 
  Gloucester 
  was 
  2,220, 
  of 
  which 
  

   1,616 
  were 
  from 
  grounds 
  off 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast, 
  and 
  604 
  from 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  banks. 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  Greenland, 
  and 
  Iceland. 
  The 
  

   former 
  grounds 
  yielded 
  33,604,727 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  

   $892,990, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  33,992,687 
  pounds, 
  worth 
  $1,108,914. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  preceding 
  year 
  there 
  were 
  just 
  1,000 
  more 
  fares, 
  mostly 
  from 
  

   the 
  banks 
  lying 
  ofl' 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  New 
  England, 
  which 
  grounds 
  yielded 
  

   38,531,754 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish, 
  valued 
  at 
  $894,068, 
  while 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   grounds 
  38,099,723 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish 
  were 
  brought, 
  having 
  a 
  market 
  value 
  

   of 
  $1,311,551. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  following 
  table 
  the 
  receipts 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  fishes 
  from 
  each 
  

   ground 
  are 
  given. 
  

  

  