﻿THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  INDIAN 
  RIVER, 
  FLORIDA. 
  235 
  

  

  crustaceans 
  and 
  mollusks, 
  seem 
  to 
  constitute 
  tlie 
  chief 
  i)art 
  of 
  the 
  i'ood 
  

   sujiply. 
  About 
  40 
  pounds 
  is 
  the 
  greatest 
  weight 
  attained 
  by 
  the 
  red 
  

   drum 
  in 
  Indian 
  lliver. 
  Tliere 
  is 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  demand, 
  however, 
  for 
  those 
  

   of 
  such 
  large 
  size, 
  and 
  those 
  weighing 
  more 
  than 
  lli 
  or 
  15 
  i)ounds 
  are 
  not 
  

   usually 
  handled 
  by 
  the 
  dealers. 
  The 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  those 
  shipped 
  

   by 
  the 
  dealers 
  is 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  red 
  drum 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  abundant 
  now 
  in 
  Indian 
  River 
  as 
  at 
  any 
  

   time. 
  Commercial 
  fishing 
  has 
  not 
  resulted 
  in 
  any 
  apparent 
  decrease 
  

   in 
  recent 
  years, 
  and 
  there 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  reason 
  for 
  ai)prehension 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  continuance 
  of 
  present 
  fishing 
  methods. 
  

  

  PERMIT 
  ( 
  Trachiiiotus 
  falcatm). 
  

  

  The 
  i^ermit 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  common 
  or 
  important 
  species 
  in 
  Indian 
  lliver, 
  

   and 
  nothing 
  was 
  learned 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  habits. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  seem 
  to 
  know 
  

   very 
  little 
  about 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  scarce 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  was 
  

   not 
  seen 
  at 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  centers 
  north 
  of 
  Eau 
  (Jallie. 
  During 
  the 
  

   inquiries 
  at 
  that 
  place, 
  four 
  examples 
  were 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  fishermen, 
  

   who 
  had 
  no 
  name 
  for 
  the 
  fish 
  and 
  said 
  it 
  was 
  rare 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   river. 
  It 
  was 
  also 
  noticed 
  at 
  Sebastian, 
  Eden, 
  and 
  Stuart, 
  but 
  only 
  a 
  

   few 
  specimens 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  each 
  place 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  small, 
  none 
  

   weighing 
  over 
  a 
  pound, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  average. 
  The 
  maximum 
  

   weight 
  is 
  about 
  3 
  pounds. 
  

  

  MANGROVE 
  SNAPPER 
  {Neoma'nis 
  grisens). 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  of 
  considerable 
  commercial 
  importance 
  in 
  Indian 
  

   Eiver 
  and 
  is 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  fish. 
  It 
  is 
  rarely 
  or 
  never 
  seen 
  

   in 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  from 
  Indian 
  lliver 
  Inlet 
  south- 
  

   ward 
  it 
  is 
  present 
  in 
  some 
  numbers 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  

   be 
  equally 
  plentiful 
  at 
  all 
  seasons. 
  Its 
  favorite 
  feeding-grounds 
  seem 
  

   to 
  be 
  among 
  the 
  little 
  mangrove 
  islets 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  narrows 
  and 
  

   inlets, 
  especially 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  somewhat 
  rocky. 
  Extreme 
  cold 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  

   have 
  killed 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  fish 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  The 
  average 
  weight 
  is 
  

   about 
  13 
  pounds, 
  the 
  maximum 
  or 
  7 
  pounds. 
  Nothing 
  could 
  be 
  learned 
  

   regarding 
  its 
  spawning 
  habits. 
  

  

  BLUEFISH 
  (Pomatomus 
  saltatrix). 
  

  

  The 
  bluefish 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  game-fishes. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  

   eagerly 
  sought 
  by 
  commercial 
  fishermen, 
  but 
  the 
  annual 
  catch 
  h:is 
  

   never 
  been 
  large. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  truly 
  migratory 
  species 
  found 
  in 
  Indian 
  

   River. 
  It 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  usually 
  about 
  October, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   fishermen, 
  and 
  remains 
  until 
  April 
  or 
  May, 
  when 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  disap- 
  

   pear. 
  A 
  few 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  remain 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  During 
  the 
  

   winter 
  it 
  is 
  most 
  common 
  about 
  the 
  inlets, 
  frequently 
  running 
  in 
  and 
  

   out 
  with 
  the 
  tides 
  and 
  jtreying 
  upon 
  other 
  fishes. 
  It 
  is 
  voracious 
  in 
  

   the 
  extreme 
  and 
  causes 
  great 
  havoc 
  among 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  mullet, 
  

   menhaden, 
  and 
  other 
  species. 
  

  

  