﻿THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  INDIAN 
  RIVER, 
  FLORIDA 
  225 
  

  

  were 
  witliiu 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  of 
  Fort 
  IMerce, 
  and 
  fisliing 
  was 
  carried 
  ou 
  as 
  

   near 
  the 
  iulet 
  as 
  the 
  law 
  would 
  permit. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  tisliing 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  near 
  

   Santa 
  Lneia 
  Inlet 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Sewall 
  Point. 
  

  

  The 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  fisheries 
  in 
  1895 
  gave 
  employment 
  to 
  2~A 
  persons, 
  

   representing 
  an 
  investment 
  of 
  $41,012, 
  and 
  yielded 
  2,050,815 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  products, 
  valued 
  at 
  $37,657. 
  The 
  most 
  prominent 
  fishery 
  objects 
  are 
  

   mullet, 
  i>ompano, 
  shee])shead, 
  squeteague, 
  and 
  oysters. 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  

   mullet 
  was 
  1,G10,809 
  pounds, 
  worth 
  $12,251. 
  The 
  next 
  valuable 
  fish 
  — 
  

   and 
  the 
  most 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  — 
  Avas 
  the 
  

   pompano, 
  of 
  which 
  only 
  110,000 
  ])(mnds 
  were 
  taken, 
  but 
  whi<-h 
  brought 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  $0,175. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  fishes 
  mentioned 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  some 
  impor- 
  

   tance, 
  but 
  these 
  are 
  only 
  of 
  secondary 
  value 
  commercially. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   them, 
  as 
  the 
  gray 
  drum, 
  mutton-fish, 
  and 
  crevallc, 
  are 
  held 
  in 
  low 
  

   esteem, 
  while 
  many 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  only 
  limited 
  numbers. 
  Some 
  of 
  them, 
  

   as 
  the 
  gray 
  drum, 
  crevalle, 
  and 
  sergeant-fish, 
  are 
  destroyed 
  in 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  numbers 
  by 
  the 
  commercial 
  fishermen. 
  The 
  gray 
  drum 
  is 
  said 
  

   to 
  be 
  very 
  destructive 
  to 
  nets, 
  and 
  for 
  that 
  reason 
  is 
  killed 
  when 
  caught. 
  

   The 
  sergeant-fish 
  and 
  crevalle, 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  others, 
  are 
  allowed 
  to 
  die 
  

   on 
  the 
  shore 
  when 
  not 
  marketable. 
  

  

  The 
  evidence 
  shows 
  that 
  though 
  possibly 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  

   the 
  mullet 
  is 
  less 
  abundant 
  than 
  when 
  fishing 
  first 
  began, 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  

   sufficiently 
  plentiful 
  to 
  enable 
  the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  secure 
  readily 
  more 
  

   than 
  are 
  required, 
  and 
  the 
  dealers 
  are 
  frequently 
  under 
  the 
  ;iecessity 
  

   of 
  putting- 
  a 
  limit 
  upon 
  the 
  number 
  which 
  they 
  will 
  accept. 
  So 
  long 
  

   as 
  this 
  condition 
  of 
  affairs 
  continues 
  the 
  mullet 
  fishery 
  will 
  regulate 
  

   itself. 
  But 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  mullet 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   country, 
  the 
  rapid 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  salted-mullet 
  industry, 
  cheaj^er 
  

   express 
  and 
  freight 
  rates, 
  and 
  cheaper 
  ice 
  are 
  probabilities 
  of 
  the 
  

   near 
  future, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  mullet 
  fishery 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   maintained 
  to 
  provide 
  for 
  these 
  greater 
  demands 
  restrictive 
  measures 
  

   are 
  necessary. 
  One 
  way 
  by 
  whi(;h 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  accomplished 
  is 
  to 
  

   establish 
  a 
  close 
  season 
  during 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   period. 
  

  

  The 
  i)ompano 
  has 
  decreased 
  greatly, 
  especially 
  since 
  ISOl, 
  and 
  the 
  

   explanation 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  that 
  the 
  decrease 
  is 
  due 
  chiefiy 
  to 
  the 
  

   severe 
  weather 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1894-95 
  is 
  not 
  without 
  reason. 
  As 
  this 
  

   species 
  seems 
  to 
  S])awn 
  inside 
  the 
  river, 
  a 
  close 
  season 
  during 
  its 
  

   si)awning 
  period 
  would 
  prove 
  advantageous. 
  Any 
  proposed 
  restrictive 
  

   legislation 
  should, 
  however, 
  await 
  further 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  exact 
  

   time 
  of 
  spawning, 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  conclusively 
  proved, 
  though 
  probably 
  

   in 
  April 
  and 
  IMay. 
  

  

  Tlie 
  sheepshead 
  has 
  apparently 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  hold 
  its 
  own 
  since 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  fishing 
  began 
  in 
  Indian 
  Ivivcr. 
  and 
  numy 
  of 
  the 
  lishermen 
  think 
  

   there 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  increase, 
  

   r. 
  K. 
  06 
  15 
  

  

  