﻿232 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  and 
  Sebastian, 
  but 
  none 
  contained 
  developed 
  eggs. 
  The 
  tlieorj' 
  tliat 
  

   difiereut 
  schools 
  spawn 
  at 
  different 
  times 
  seems 
  reasonable. 
  While 
  the 
  

   spawning 
  of 
  different 
  schools 
  may 
  extend 
  over 
  several 
  months, 
  any 
  par- 
  

   ticnlar 
  school 
  occupies 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time 
  in 
  sijawning. 
  The 
  period 
  

   raay 
  not 
  exceed 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  days. 
  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  schools 
  jirob- 
  

   ably 
  spawn 
  from 
  October 
  to 
  December. 
  

  

  The 
  fishermen 
  are 
  agreed 
  that 
  the 
  nmllet 
  go 
  outside 
  to 
  spawn, 
  but 
  just 
  

   where 
  no 
  one 
  seems 
  to 
  know. 
  If 
  they 
  run 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  while 
  sjiawning, 
  

   as 
  many 
  believe, 
  the 
  spawning-grounds 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  inlets. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  speak 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  mullet 
  which 
  they 
  call 
  the 
  

   "mangrove 
  mullet." 
  It 
  is 
  doubtless 
  simply 
  a 
  large 
  common 
  mullet. 
  

   They 
  think 
  it 
  remains 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  all 
  the 
  time, 
  not 
  going 
  outside 
  even 
  

   to 
  spawn. 
  They 
  reach 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  5 
  pounds. 
  

  

  POMPANO 
  {Truchinotns 
  caroUnus). 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  the 
  fishes 
  of 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  the 
  pompano 
  is 
  most 
  valued 
  and 
  

   brings 
  the 
  best 
  price 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  and 
  the 
  dealer. 
  In 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  

   the 
  inquiries 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  testimony 
  obtained 
  we 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  following 
  

   is 
  an 
  approximately 
  correct 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  status 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  

   in 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  pompano 
  is 
  pvesent 
  in 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  throughout 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  is 
  

   probably 
  most 
  abundant 
  during 
  the 
  winter. 
  The 
  best 
  fishing 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  from 
  late 
  in 
  January 
  to 
  April. 
  They 
  are 
  probably 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  

   summer 
  months, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  fished 
  for 
  then. 
  They 
  are 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   about 
  the 
  inlets, 
  and 
  play 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  tides. 
  They 
  run 
  in 
  

   bunches 
  or 
  schools, 
  and 
  are 
  easily 
  influenced 
  by 
  changes 
  in 
  temi)erature. 
  

   They 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  warm- 
  water 
  fish, 
  and 
  continued 
  cold 
  weather 
  causes 
  

   them 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  river 
  temporarily. 
  The 
  unusual 
  cold 
  of 
  December, 
  

   1894, 
  and 
  February, 
  1895, 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  serious 
  effect 
  upon 
  

   them, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  driving 
  them 
  away 
  but 
  in 
  actually 
  killing 
  many. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  is 
  concerned, 
  the 
  pompano 
  is 
  not 
  properly 
  a 
  

   migratory 
  fish, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  when 
  it 
  goes 
  outside 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  

   wander 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  inlets 
  and 
  soon 
  comes 
  inside 
  again. 
  Very 
  little 
  

   can 
  be 
  said 
  definitely 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  spawning 
  habits. 
  The 
  evidence 
  indi- 
  

   cates 
  that 
  they 
  spawn 
  inside 
  the 
  river, 
  chiefiy 
  during 
  April 
  and 
  May. 
  

   The 
  spawning 
  period 
  may 
  be 
  even 
  more 
  prolonged 
  and 
  extend 
  from 
  

   March 
  to 
  early 
  summer. 
  

  

  It 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  learned 
  where 
  young 
  pompano 
  may 
  be 
  found, 
  nor 
  

   whether 
  they 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  Though 
  considerable 
  collecting 
  was 
  

   done 
  with 
  fine-meshed 
  seines, 
  no 
  young 
  were 
  taken, 
  and 
  no 
  information 
  

   was 
  obtained 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  in 
  Indian 
  

   Eiver. 
  

  

  The 
  fishermen 
  are 
  well 
  agreed 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  pompano. 
  It 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  chiefly 
  of 
  small 
  bivalve 
  mollusks 
  and 
  small 
  crustaceans. 
  The 
  fish 
  

   feed 
  extensively 
  about 
  tlie 
  inlets, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  surf 
  outside 
  are 
  often 
  seen 
  

   feeding 
  near 
  the 
  shore. 
  The 
  habit 
  of 
  digging 
  in 
  the 
  mud 
  and 
  sand, 
  

   referred 
  to 
  by 
  some 
  fishermen, 
  is 
  probably 
  a 
  searching 
  for 
  food. 
  

  

  