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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  fisli 
  supply 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  the 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  

   has, 
  within 
  a 
  comparatively 
  short 
  time, 
  attracted 
  much 
  notice. 
  Al- 
  

   though 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  old, 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  this 
  arm 
  of 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  has 
  already 
  attained 
  considerable 
  prominence, 
  and 
  in 
  1895 
  

   contributed 
  over 
  2,500,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  food-fish 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  markets. 
  

   While 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  taking 
  green 
  turtles 
  antedates 
  the 
  civil 
  war, 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  proper 
  did 
  not 
  begin 
  until 
  1S78, 
  when 
  a 
  smack 
  from 
  Connecticut 
  

   visited 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  inlets 
  with 
  seines 
  and 
  nets, 
  and 
  caught 
  fish 
  for 
  the 
  

   Savannah 
  market. 
  Up 
  to 
  1880 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  economic 
  fishing 
  

   carried 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  River, 
  except 
  that 
  for 
  turtles, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  

   until 
  1886, 
  after 
  the 
  river 
  had 
  been 
  brought 
  into 
  railroad 
  communica- 
  

   tion 
  with 
  Jacksonville, 
  that 
  the 
  fisheries 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  become 
  

   thoroughly 
  established. 
  

  

  This 
  section 
  of 
  Florida 
  was 
  sparsely 
  settled 
  and 
  ^practically 
  inaccessi- 
  

   ble 
  except 
  by 
  water 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  a 
  railroad 
  to 
  Titusville, 
  at 
  the 
  

   northern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  in 
  1885, 
  and 
  the 
  abundant 
  fishery 
  resources 
  

   consequently 
  received 
  but 
  little 
  attention. 
  Mr. 
  George 
  W. 
  Scobie, 
  of 
  

   Connecticut, 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  pioneer 
  in 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  fisheries. 
  

   In 
  the 
  year 
  named 
  he 
  established 
  an 
  oyster 
  business 
  at 
  Titusville, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  subsequent 
  year 
  began 
  a 
  regular 
  fishing 
  trade. 
  In 
  1886 
  Messrs. 
  

   A. 
  M. 
  Hambleton 
  & 
  Co. 
  also 
  began 
  operations 
  at 
  Titusville. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  

   business 
  has 
  seen 
  many 
  changes. 
  A 
  second 
  railroad 
  reached 
  Titusville 
  

   in 
  1893, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  following 
  years 
  extended 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  

   length 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  This 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  new 
  fishing 
  

   stations 
  farther 
  south 
  and 
  greatly 
  increased 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   eries, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  diminishing 
  the 
  business 
  at 
  the 
  northern 
  end 
  

   of 
  the 
  river, 
  until 
  in 
  1895 
  there 
  were 
  19 
  firms 
  with 
  headquarters 
  at 
  9 
  

   j)oints, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Titusville, 
  Cocoa, 
  Eau 
  Gallie, 
  Melbourne, 
  Sebastian, 
  

   Fort 
  Pierce, 
  Eden, 
  Jensen, 
  and 
  Stuart. 
  

  

  The 
  relative 
  importance 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  places 
  as 
  a 
  fishing 
  center 
  

   has 
  varied 
  with 
  the 
  successive 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  railroad 
  to 
  each, 
  and 
  

   the 
  regular 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  business. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  factors, 
  

   some 
  of 
  them 
  resulting 
  indirectly 
  from 
  the 
  railroad, 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  

   potent 
  in 
  influencing 
  the 
  business 
  in 
  particular 
  places, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  

   decline 
  in 
  communication 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  by 
  boat, 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  new 
  

   settlements, 
  and 
  the 
  success 
  or 
  failure 
  of 
  other 
  vocations. 
  As 
  illus- 
  

   trating 
  this 
  last 
  point, 
  the 
  severe 
  cold 
  of 
  1894-95 
  resulted 
  in 
  a 
  relatively 
  

   large 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fishermen, 
  as 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  

   orange 
  and 
  pineapple 
  orchards 
  caused 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  men 
  to 
  engage 
  in 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  business. 
  This 
  n^ay 
  prove 
  only 
  temporary, 
  and 
  a 
  return 
  of 
  

   prosperity 
  to 
  the 
  cultivators 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  will 
  call 
  back 
  many 
  avIio 
  have 
  

   for 
  a 
  time 
  abandoned 
  their 
  orchards. 
  

  

  Fort 
  Pierce 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  investigation 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   point, 
  partly 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  vicinity 
  to 
  Indian 
  IJiver 
  Inlet, 
  in 
  and 
  near 
  which 
  

   the 
  commercial 
  fishes 
  occur 
  in 
  greatest 
  numbers. 
  The 
  fishing-grounds 
  

  

  