﻿THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  INDIAN 
  RIVER, 
  FLORIDA. 
  229 
  

  

  Just 
  opposite 
  the 
  iiioiitU 
  of 
  St. 
  Lucie 
  LMver, 
  in 
  latitude 
  27° 
  10', 
  is 
  

   Santa 
  Lucia 
  Inlet, 
  wliich 
  was 
  made 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  by 
  cutting 
  through 
  

   the 
  sandstone 
  and 
  coquina 
  rock 
  of 
  Gilbert 
  Bar 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  Avhere 
  it 
  was 
  

   but 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  wide. 
  This 
  inlet 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  <]uite 
  shallow, 
  but 
  it 
  can 
  

   be 
  very 
  readily 
  deepened 
  by 
  a 
  little 
  dredging 
  and 
  blasting 
  away 
  a 
  small 
  

   reef 
  across 
  the 
  outer 
  end. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  extreme 
  southern 
  end 
  and 
  opposite 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Jupiter 
  

   or 
  Lokahatchie 
  Eiver 
  is 
  Jupiter 
  Inlet. 
  This 
  inlet 
  is 
  narrow 
  and 
  usually 
  

   more 
  shallow 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  others. 
  

  

  Character 
  ofhoitom 
  and 
  shores. 
  — 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  throughout 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  

   extent 
  has 
  a 
  moderately 
  hard 
  sand 
  bottom. 
  The 
  areas 
  covered 
  by 
  soft 
  

   mud 
  are 
  few, 
  scattering, 
  and 
  limited 
  in 
  extent. 
  Ah)ng 
  the 
  immediate 
  

   shores 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  shallows 
  about 
  the 
  numerous 
  small 
  islands 
  there 
  is 
  

   in 
  some 
  places 
  considerable 
  mud, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  unimportant 
  in 
  comparison 
  

   with 
  the 
  area 
  having 
  solid 
  bottom, 
  and 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  mud 
  Hats 
  the 
  mud 
  

   is 
  rarely 
  more 
  than 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  inches 
  deep. 
  In 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  is 
  of 
  comparatively 
  hard 
  cemented 
  sandstone; 
  in 
  others 
  it 
  is 
  of 
  

   coquina 
  of 
  various 
  degrees 
  of 
  pureness 
  ; 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  coquina 
  found 
  along 
  

   Indian 
  River 
  has 
  considerable 
  sand 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  shell 
  fragments. 
  

  

  The 
  river 
  is 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  iilg-x 
  and 
  other 
  

   species 
  of 
  aquatic 
  plants 
  suited 
  to 
  shallow 
  salt 
  or 
  brackish 
  waters. 
  

   So 
  generally 
  is 
  the 
  vegetation 
  distributed 
  and 
  so 
  Arm 
  is 
  the 
  bottom 
  that 
  

   no 
  considerable 
  shifting 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  by 
  storms 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  taken 
  

   place 
  recently. 
  The 
  stability 
  of 
  bottom 
  is 
  of 
  great 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  

   fishery 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  shown 
  farther 
  on 
  in 
  this 
  report. 
  

  

  The 
  shores 
  of 
  Indian 
  River 
  are 
  generally 
  low 
  and 
  composed 
  of 
  sand, 
  

   with 
  considerable 
  coquina 
  in 
  some 
  places. 
  In 
  the 
  southern 
  pjirt 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  mangrove 
  bushes 
  are 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  mud 
  flats 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   shores, 
  while 
  northward 
  the 
  cabbage 
  palmetto 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  tree. 
  

  

  Streams 
  tribntary 
  to 
  Indian 
  River. 
  — 
  The 
  streams 
  carrying 
  fresh 
  water 
  

   into 
  Indian 
  River 
  are 
  few 
  and 
  usually 
  small. 
  Beginning 
  at 
  the 
  north 
  

   the 
  only 
  ones 
  worthy 
  of 
  mention 
  are 
  Eau 
  Gallic 
  Creek, 
  and 
  Sebastian, 
  

   St. 
  Lucie, 
  and 
  Jupiter 
  rivers. 
  

  

  Eau 
  Gallic 
  Creek 
  flows 
  into 
  Indian 
  River 
  between 
  Eau 
  Gallie 
  and 
  

   Sarno. 
  At 
  its 
  mouth 
  it 
  has 
  considerable 
  width, 
  but 
  only 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  so 
  

   above 
  it 
  narrows 
  to 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  feet. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  current 
  and 
  

   probably 
  at 
  no 
  time 
  carries 
  any 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  fresh 
  water 
  

   into 
  Indian 
  River. 
  

  

  Sebastian 
  River, 
  near 
  the 
  station 
  of 
  that 
  name, 
  is 
  a 
  stream 
  of 
  some 
  

   imi^ortance, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  long. 
  

  

  St. 
  Lucie 
  River 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  tributary, 
  and 
  carries 
  more 
  fresh 
  

   water 
  into 
  Indian 
  River 
  than 
  all 
  others 
  combined. 
  Its 
  mouth, 
  opposite 
  

   Santa 
  Lucia 
  Inlet, 
  is 
  from 
  one-lburth 
  to 
  one-half 
  mile 
  wide 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  

   depth 
  of 
  7 
  to 
  21 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  .')() 
  miles 
  long 
  or 
  more, 
  and 
  is 
  fresh 
  down 
  to 
  

   near 
  its 
  mouth. 
  

  

  Jupiter 
  River 
  is 
  .somewhat 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  St. 
  Lucie 
  and 
  empties 
  

   near 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  Indian 
  b'iver 
  opposite 
  Jupiter 
  Inlet. 
  

  

  