﻿226 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  sea 
  trout, 
  or 
  spotted 
  squeteague, 
  which, 
  like 
  the 
  sheepshead, 
  is 
  

   not 
  only 
  a 
  food-fish 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  game-fishes 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   also 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  abundant 
  now 
  as 
  formerly, 
  as 
  does 
  the 
  red 
  drum, 
  

   another 
  of 
  the 
  game-fishes. 
  

  

  The 
  blneflsh, 
  which 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  game-fishes, 
  seems 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  maintain 
  itself 
  in 
  normal 
  numbers 
  in 
  Indian 
  Kiver. 
  

   It 
  has, 
  however, 
  never 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  sufficient 
  abundance 
  to 
  constitute 
  

   any 
  considerable 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  catch, 
  and, 
  being 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   erratic 
  in 
  its 
  movements, 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  if 
  restrictions 
  should 
  be 
  imposed 
  

   upon 
  its 
  capture. 
  

  

  Other 
  valuable 
  fishery 
  resources 
  of 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  are 
  green 
  turtles 
  

   and 
  oysters. 
  The 
  turtles 
  are 
  much 
  less 
  numerous 
  than 
  formerly, 
  owing 
  

   to 
  excessive 
  fishing, 
  and 
  there 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  a 
  large 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  

   average 
  size 
  of 
  those 
  caught. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  of 
  fair 
  size 
  and 
  good 
  

   quality, 
  but 
  have 
  received 
  little 
  attention; 
  their 
  more 
  general 
  utiliza- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  artificial 
  beds, 
  which 
  will 
  doubtless 
  soon 
  be 
  

   undertaken, 
  will 
  be 
  important 
  factors 
  in 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  

   industry. 
  

  

  Eegarding 
  the 
  future 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  region, 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  resources 
  are 
  great 
  and 
  the 
  supply 
  is 
  still 
  

   ample, 
  yet 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  comparatively 
  limited 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  fishing- 
  

   grounds 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  the 
  present 
  tendency 
  to 
  overfishing 
  may 
  

   result 
  in 
  the 
  ultimate 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  business. 
  But 
  with 
  the 
  

   enforcement 
  of 
  proper 
  restrictive 
  laws 
  and 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  close 
  

   seasons 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  good 
  reason 
  why 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  should 
  not 
  continue 
  

   to 
  furnish 
  a 
  reasonable 
  amount 
  of 
  commercial 
  and 
  game 
  fishing. 
  Under 
  

   the 
  present 
  laws 
  of 
  Florida 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  close 
  season, 
  nor 
  any 
  regulation 
  

   concerning 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  nets 
  to 
  be 
  used, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  restriction 
  on 
  

   fishing 
  in 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  is 
  an 
  act 
  (chapter 
  4215, 
  No. 
  101), 
  approved 
  May 
  

   22, 
  1893, 
  which 
  provides: 
  

  

  That 
  from 
  and 
  after 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  this 
  act 
  no 
  seines, 
  gill 
  nets, 
  or 
  other 
  nets, 
  except 
  

   a 
  common 
  cast 
  net, 
  shall 
  be 
  set 
  or 
  nsed 
  for 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  food-fish 
  for 
  sale, 
  within 
  

   one 
  mile 
  of 
  any 
  pass 
  or 
  inlet, 
  or 
  continuation 
  thereof, 
  from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean 
  into 
  

   any 
  inland 
  waters 
  of 
  this 
  State, 
  or 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  emptying 
  into 
  

   the 
  Atlantic 
  Ocean. 
  

  

  This 
  law 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  a 
  wise 
  one 
  and 
  its 
  rigid 
  enforcement 
  will, 
  in 
  

   the 
  long 
  run, 
  prove 
  advantageous 
  to 
  the 
  commercial 
  fishermen. 
  So 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  species 
  play 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  tides 
  that 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  nets 
  near 
  the 
  inlets 
  is 
  analogous 
  to 
  pot-hunting. 
  Without 
  

   restriction 
  the 
  fishermen 
  would 
  flock 
  to 
  the 
  inlets 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  

   commercial 
  fishing 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  profitably 
  iu 
  any 
  other 
  imrt 
  

   of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  first 
  result 
  would 
  be 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  fishermen 
  not 
  living 
  

   within 
  easy 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  inlets 
  would 
  very 
  speedily 
  be 
  driven 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   business, 
  and 
  the 
  final 
  result 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  complete 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  Indian 
  Eiver. 
  

  

  The 
  use 
  of 
  nets 
  in 
  the 
  inlets 
  would 
  prove 
  destructive 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  

   species 
  desired, 
  but 
  to 
  all 
  other 
  species 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  

  

  