﻿236 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  As 
  loug 
  since 
  pointed 
  out 
  by 
  Professor 
  Baird, 
  the 
  bluefisli 
  is 
  very 
  

   erratic 
  in 
  its 
  movements. 
  During 
  certain 
  years, 
  which 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  i)re- 
  

   dicted, 
  it 
  is 
  present 
  on 
  our 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  in 
  enormous 
  numbers; 
  then 
  

   it 
  suddenly 
  disappears 
  and 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  seen 
  again 
  except 
  in 
  moderate 
  

   numbers 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  The 
  cause 
  of 
  these 
  apparent 
  irregularities 
  

   has 
  not 
  yet 
  received 
  an 
  adequate 
  explanation. 
  

  

  The 
  bluefish 
  entering 
  Indian 
  River 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  evidently 
  come 
  from 
  

   the 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  Carolinas 
  and 
  farther 
  north, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  leave 
  in 
  

   the 
  spring 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  return 
  northward. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  learned, 
  tliere 
  

   has 
  never 
  been 
  any 
  remarkable 
  fluctuation 
  in 
  their 
  abundance 
  in 
  Indian 
  

   River. 
  They 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  especially 
  numerous, 
  and 
  appear 
  not 
  to 
  

   have 
  suffered 
  any 
  serious 
  diminution 
  in 
  numbers. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  those 
  taken 
  in 
  Indian 
  River 
  is 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  pounds, 
  the 
  

   range 
  being 
  from 
  about 
  2 
  to 
  14 
  pounds. 
  One 
  weighing 
  14 
  pounds 
  was 
  

   seen 
  at 
  Stuart, 
  and 
  four 
  others 
  were 
  seen 
  there 
  whose 
  combined 
  weight 
  

   was 
  47 
  pounds. 
  Several 
  which 
  were 
  caught 
  by 
  trolling 
  at 
  Fort 
  Pierce 
  

   weighed 
  2 
  to 
  3 
  pounds 
  each. 
  

  

  With 
  a 
  fine-meshed 
  seine 
  very 
  young 
  examples, 
  less 
  than 
  2 
  inches 
  

   long, 
  were 
  secured 
  at 
  Fort 
  Pierce. 
  This 
  would 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  blue- 
  

   fish 
  spawn 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  at 
  least, 
  and 
  probably 
  in 
  the 
  

   summer 
  or 
  fall; 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  fishermen 
  have 
  not 
  seen 
  them 
  in 
  roe 
  it 
  is 
  

   probable 
  that 
  they 
  usually 
  spawn 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  WHITING 
  (Menticirrliiis 
  americanus). 
  

  

  The 
  whiting 
  is 
  of 
  some 
  imiwrtance 
  in 
  Indian 
  River. 
  Though 
  not 
  

   abundant, 
  it 
  is 
  considered 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  fish 
  and 
  always 
  finds 
  a 
  ready 
  

   sale. 
  It 
  is 
  caught 
  in 
  largest 
  numbers 
  from 
  December 
  to 
  March, 
  in 
  

   mullet 
  gill 
  nets. 
  On 
  January 
  16 
  one 
  net 
  at 
  Cocoa 
  took 
  20 
  pounds, 
  and 
  

   that 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  catch. 
  It 
  is 
  believed 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  

   the 
  river 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  probably 
  spawns 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  spring. 
  The 
  

   average 
  size 
  is 
  about 
  1 
  to 
  1^ 
  pounds. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  believe 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   as 
  common 
  now 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  at 
  a,ny 
  time 
  since 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  

   began 
  in 
  Indian 
  River. 
  One 
  dealer 
  thinks 
  it 
  is 
  increasing 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent. 
  

  

  CREVALLE 
  {Curanx 
  hippos). 
  

  

  The 
  crevalle 
  is 
  i)robably 
  common 
  in 
  Indian 
  River 
  at 
  all 
  times, 
  but 
  

   is 
  not 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  by 
  commercial 
  fishermen. 
  A 
  good 
  many 
  are 
  

   caught, 
  but 
  are 
  thrown 
  away. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  

   of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  in 
  Lake 
  Worth, 
  and 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  common 
  outside. 
  

   It 
  bites 
  voraciously, 
  and 
  affords 
  much 
  sport 
  to 
  the 
  angler, 
  who 
  takes 
  

   it 
  by 
  trolling. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  ravenous, 
  swimming 
  with 
  great 
  swiftness 
  and 
  

   I^reying 
  ui)on 
  smaller 
  fishes, 
  particularly 
  mullet, 
  metdiaden, 
  and 
  young 
  

   red 
  drum. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  attain 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  20 
  pounds, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  

   probably 
  does 
  not 
  exceed 
  3 
  pounds. 
  Several 
  examples 
  taken 
  and 
  others 
  

   seen 
  at 
  Eden, 
  Stuart, 
  and 
  Lake 
  Worth 
  averaged 
  about 
  3 
  pounds. 
  It 
  

   probably 
  s])awns 
  in 
  salt-water 
  lagoons 
  and 
  bays 
  during 
  the 
  summer, 
  as 
  

   schools 
  of 
  young 
  have 
  been 
  vseen 
  going 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  fall. 
  

  

  