﻿240 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  9. 
  Pteroplatea 
  maclura 
  (LeSuenr). 
  liiittcrfi}/ 
  Hay. 
  Reported 
  from 
  Indian 
  River 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  (J. 
  Brown 
  Goode 
  in 
  1879. 
  

  

  10. 
  Acipenser 
  brevirostris 
  LeSueur. 
  Short-nosed 
  Slurgeon. 
  Stnrgeon 
  are 
  occa- 
  

  

  sionally 
  taken 
  in 
  Indian 
  River. 
  One 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  1894 
  and 
  one 
  in 
  1895. 
  

   Two 
  others 
  were 
  obtained 
  several 
  years 
  ago; 
  tliey 
  weighed 
  15 
  or 
  16 
  and 
  20 
  

   pounds, 
  respectively. 
  Two 
  others 
  were 
  caught 
  near 
  Indian 
  River 
  Inlet 
  

   about 
  eight 
  years 
  ago; 
  the 
  larger 
  weighed 
  40 
  pounds, 
  dressed, 
  the 
  other 
  20 
  

   pounds. 
  

  

  11. 
  Lepisosteustristoechu.s 
  (r>loch 
  it 
  Schneider). 
  AUlgator 
  Gar. 
  Mr. 
  Scobie 
  states 
  

  

  that 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  creeks 
  emptying 
  into 
  Indian 
  River. 
  One 
  

   large 
  siiecimen 
  was 
  seen 
  at 
  Cocoa 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  obtained 
  at 
  Lake 
  Poinsett, 
  

   a 
  few 
  miles 
  Avest 
  of 
  Cocoa. 
  

  

  12. 
  Felichthys 
  inarinu.s 
  (Mitchill). 
  GaJf-iopsaU. 
  Not 
  so 
  abundant 
  as 
  T^. 
  ./V/(S, 
  but 
  

  

  not 
  at 
  all 
  uncommon. 
  

  

  13. 
  Galeichthys 
  felis 
  (Linnreus). 
  Sea 
  Catfish. 
  The 
  common 
  catfish 
  of 
  Indian 
  River 
  

  

  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  fishes 
  found 
  there. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  extremely 
  

   abundant 
  everywhere; 
  large 
  schools 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  at 
  almost 
  any 
  time 
  about 
  

   the 
  wharves 
  and 
  landings. 
  Large 
  numbers 
  were 
  taken 
  wherever 
  the 
  seine 
  was 
  

   used. 
  It 
  was 
  jiarticularly 
  numerous 
  at 
  Stuart. 
  The 
  freeze 
  of 
  1894-95 
  is 
  said 
  

   to 
  have 
  killed 
  vast 
  numbers 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  very 
  abundant. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Stypmann 
  assures 
  us 
  that 
  eggs 
  are 
  never 
  found 
  in 
  this 
  catfish, 
  but 
  

   that 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  brought 
  forth 
  alive. 
  Ho 
  says 
  during 
  March 
  the 
  adult 
  

   femj^les 
  are 
  found 
  lillcd 
  with 
  well-developed 
  young, 
  each 
  rolled 
  uji 
  in 
  a 
  ball, 
  

   and 
  the 
  various 
  balls 
  connected 
  in 
  a 
  long 
  string. 
  He 
  thinks 
  they 
  hatch 
  out 
  

   very 
  much 
  like 
  the 
  sawfish. 
  Others 
  give 
  the 
  same 
  information, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  

   certain 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  ovoviparous. 
  

  

  14. 
  Ameiiirus 
  erebennus 
  Jordan. 
  Catfish. 
  This 
  species 
  of 
  fresh-water 
  catfish, 
  

  

  originally 
  described 
  from 
  St. 
  Johns 
  River 
  in 
  1877, 
  was 
  recorded 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Jordan 
  

   from 
  Sebastian 
  River 
  in 
  1880. 
  Not 
  seen 
  during 
  this 
  investigation. 
  

  

  15. 
  Erimyzon 
  sucetta 
  (Lac^pede). 
  Chnh 
  Sucker. 
  Reported 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Jordan 
  (as 
  

  

  Erimyzon 
  (joodei) 
  in 
  1880 
  from 
  Sebastian 
  River. 
  Not 
  seen 
  during 
  this 
  inves- 
  

   tigation. 
  

  

  16. 
  Anguilla 
  chrysypa 
  Rafinesque. 
  Common 
  Eel. 
  Not 
  uncommon, 
  but 
  apparently 
  

  

  of 
  no 
  commercial 
  importance. 
  Young 
  individuals 
  were 
  obtained 
  at 
  Cocoa 
  

   and 
  Eau 
  Gallic; 
  others 
  seen 
  at 
  Titusville. 
  

  

  17. 
  Tarpon 
  atlanticus 
  (Cuvier 
  & 
  Valenciennes). 
  Tarpon. 
  The 
  tarpon 
  is 
  the 
  prize 
  

  

  most 
  sought 
  by 
  the 
  angler 
  who 
  goes 
  to 
  Indian 
  River, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  if 
  

   any 
  other 
  portion 
  of 
  our 
  coast 
  furnishes 
  more 
  and 
  better 
  tarpon 
  fishing 
  than 
  

   the 
  East 
  Florida 
  coast 
  from 
  Titusville 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  to 
  below 
  Biscayne 
  Bay 
  

   on 
  the 
  south. 
  Many 
  phenomenal 
  catches 
  are 
  reported 
  from 
  Indian 
  River, 
  

   Lake 
  Worth, 
  and 
  Biscayne 
  Bay. 
  

  

  18. 
  Elops 
  saurus 
  Linna'us. 
  Birj-eyed 
  Herring 
  ; 
  Tenpounder 
  ; 
  "Bony-fish." 
  Observed 
  

  

  at 
  Fort 
  Pierce 
  and 
  at 
  mouth 
  of 
  St. 
  Lucie 
  River. 
  Known 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  as 
  " 
  Lady-fish." 
  Frequently 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  seines. 
  Examples 
  from 
  

   Fort 
  Pierce 
  preserved, 
  

  

  19. 
  Alosa 
  sapidissima 
  (Wilson). 
  Shad. 
  On 
  May 
  .5, 
  1892, 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  

  

  Commission 
  made 
  a 
  plant 
  of 
  800,000 
  shad 
  fry 
  in 
  Halifax 
  River, 
  north 
  of 
  Titus- 
  

   ville, 
  with 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  Capt. 
  M. 
  Moseley, 
  then 
  State 
  fish 
  commissioner 
  

   of 
  Florida. 
  Since 
  then 
  shad 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  occasionally 
  in 
  Indian 
  River. 
  

   Mr. 
  Ricou 
  reports 
  one 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  St. 
  Lucie 
  River 
  and 
  another 
  at 
  Eden. 
  

   Captain 
  Saunders 
  caught 
  a 
  roe 
  shad 
  weighing 
  5 
  pounds 
  in 
  January, 
  1895, 
  and 
  

   another 
  without 
  roe 
  a 
  year 
  before. 
  Mr. 
  Collins 
  has 
  heard 
  of 
  shad 
  being 
  

   taken, 
  but 
  has 
  not 
  seen 
  any 
  himself. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  since 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  

   Gilbert 
  Bar 
  several 
  have 
  been 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  St. 
  Lucie. 
  Mr. 
  Church 
  reports 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  shad 
  taken 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Lucie; 
  they 
  weighed 
  

   about 
  4 
  pounds 
  each. 
  Mr. 
  Stypmann 
  says 
  that 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  fine 
  shad 
  were 
  

   caught 
  near 
  the 
  St. 
  Lucie 
  a 
  year 
  ago. 
  

  

  