﻿THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  INDIAN 
  RIVER, 
  FLORIDA. 
  233 
  

  

  Tlie 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  poiiipaiio 
  now 
  handled 
  by 
  the 
  Induiu 
  

   River 
  dealers 
  is 
  about 
  2 
  pounds. 
  The 
  smallest 
  observed 
  weighed 
  about 
  

   half 
  a 
  pound 
  each. 
  The 
  largest 
  one, 
  seen 
  on 
  January 
  24, 
  weighed 
  4i 
  

   pounds 
  and 
  measured 
  21i 
  inches 
  to 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  caudal 
  lobes, 
  or 
  10 
  

   inches 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  (;audal 
  fin. 
  

  

  Examples 
  of 
  a 
  lish 
  which 
  the 
  hshermen 
  agree 
  in 
  calling 
  pompano 
  

   are 
  taken 
  occasionally, 
  weighing 
  20 
  to 
  27 
  pounds, 
  but 
  none 
  was 
  seen 
  

   during 
  the 
  investigation. 
  The 
  largest 
  reported 
  weighed 
  27 
  pounds. 
  

   They 
  are 
  probably 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  of 
  T 
  radii 
  not 
  us 
  known 
  about 
  Key 
  

   West 
  as 
  the 
  "permit," 
  recently 
  decided 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  distinct 
  species 
  and 
  named 
  

   TracMnotus 
  yoodel 
  by 
  Jordan 
  & 
  Evermann. 
  They 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  not 
  

   the 
  i^ermit 
  of 
  Indian 
  River, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  fish. 
  The 
  true 
  pompano 
  

   of 
  ^ndian 
  River 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  7 
  or 
  8 
  pounds 
  in 
  weight. 
  

  

  SHEEPSHEAD 
  (Arcliosargus 
  prohatocephalus). 
  

  

  Next 
  to 
  the 
  mullet, 
  the 
  sheejishead 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  food-fish 
  

   In 
  Indian 
  River, 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  imj)ortant 
  to 
  the 
  commercial 
  

   fishermen. 
  It 
  is 
  constantly 
  present 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers. 
  Though 
  

   at 
  times 
  it 
  runs 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  tide 
  and 
  move^ 
  about 
  from 
  place 
  

   to 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  properly 
  a 
  migratory 
  fish. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  

   school 
  as 
  does 
  the 
  mullet, 
  but 
  is 
  often 
  found 
  in 
  bunches 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  

   individuals 
  brought 
  together 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  food. 
  Feeding 
  almost 
  

   wholly, 
  as 
  it 
  does, 
  upon 
  mollusks, 
  crustaceans, 
  and 
  plants, 
  it 
  frequents 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  and 
  similar 
  places, 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  

   inlets. 
  Stomach 
  contents 
  examined 
  at 
  different 
  places 
  consisted 
  of 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  small 
  crustaceans 
  and 
  mollusks, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  

   amount 
  of 
  vegetable 
  matter. 
  In 
  some 
  instances 
  the 
  stomachs 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  scarcely 
  anything 
  but 
  large 
  masses 
  of 
  green 
  plants. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  time 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  February, 
  extending 
  i^erhaps 
  into 
  

   April, 
  Specimens 
  examined 
  at 
  Eden, 
  Sebastian, 
  and 
  Eau 
  Gallic 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  well-developed 
  roe, 
  which 
  indicated 
  a 
  spawning 
  time 
  in 
  February. 
  

   Other 
  si^ecimens 
  contained 
  roe 
  not 
  so 
  well 
  developed, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  i)robable 
  

   that 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  have 
  spawned 
  until 
  March 
  or 
  April. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  

   interesting 
  fact 
  that 
  males 
  seemed 
  much 
  scarcer 
  than 
  females. 
  Some 
  

   fishermen 
  state 
  they 
  have 
  rarely, 
  if 
  ever, 
  seen 
  examples 
  with 
  milt 
  ; 
  but 
  

   several 
  were 
  examined 
  at 
  Eden 
  which 
  contained 
  milt. 
  A 
  large 
  majority 
  

   of 
  those 
  examined 
  were 
  females. 
  Butlittle 
  information 
  coidd 
  be 
  olitained 
  

   as 
  to 
  where 
  sheepshead 
  S])awn. 
  Their 
  i>rincipal 
  spawning-beds 
  are 
  

   l)robal)ly 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  inlets 
  and 
  inside 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  the 
  collecting 
  with 
  fine-meshed 
  seines 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  sheeps- 
  

   head 
  were 
  obtained. 
  The 
  smallest 
  were 
  secured 
  at 
  Indian 
  Iviver 
  Inlet, 
  

   and 
  were 
  2f 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  total 
  length. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  sheepshead 
  handled 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  is 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  pounds, 
  and 
  the 
  maximum 
  as 
  nuich 
  as 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  pounds. 
  

   A 
  female 
  seen 
  at 
  Eden 
  weighed 
  7 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  fishing 
  for 
  sheepshead 
  is 
  practically 
  all 
  done 
  with 
  gill 
  nets. 
  

   They 
  are 
  run 
  in 
  different 
  places, 
  but 
  the 
  best 
  grounds 
  are 
  evidently 
  in 
  

  

  