﻿250 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  rail 
  to 
  the 
  northern 
  markets 
  tlie 
  fish 
  were 
  repacked 
  with 
  ice 
  in 
  barrels. 
  

   The 
  empty 
  cars 
  were 
  filled 
  with 
  ice 
  and 
  sent 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  camps 
  on 
  the 
  

   retnrn 
  trips 
  of 
  the 
  steamers. 
  The 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  railroad 
  along 
  

   the 
  western 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  naturally 
  led 
  to 
  a 
  diversion 
  of 
  

   trade 
  from 
  Titus^dlle, 
  and 
  reduced 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  maintaining 
  fully 
  

   equipped 
  <;amps 
  in 
  isolated 
  localities. 
  

  

  Cocoa, 
  situated 
  19 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Titusville, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  

   fishing 
  centers 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  Of 
  the 
  300 
  inhabitants 
  in 
  1895, 
  40 
  were 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  railroad 
  reached 
  this 
  point 
  in 
  February, 
  

   1893, 
  and 
  the 
  fishing 
  business 
  was 
  established 
  the 
  next 
  year. 
  The 
  

   shipments 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  in 
  1895 
  amounted 
  to 
  nearly 
  500,000 
  pounds, 
  

   most 
  of 
  which 
  went 
  to 
  Georgia. 
  

  

  Commercial 
  fishing 
  at 
  Eau 
  Gallie 
  dates 
  from 
  1893, 
  in 
  June 
  of 
  which 
  

   year 
  it 
  was 
  brought 
  into 
  railroad 
  communication 
  with 
  Jacksonville. 
  In 
  

  

  1895 
  the 
  business 
  was 
  represented 
  by 
  four 
  firms; 
  two 
  of 
  these, 
  however, 
  

   moved 
  farther 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  one 
  suspended, 
  leaving 
  only 
  a 
  single 
  

   firm 
  in 
  operation 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  The 
  shipments 
  from 
  this 
  

   place 
  in 
  1895 
  were 
  over 
  250,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish. 
  In 
  1893, 
  when 
  

   this 
  was 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  the 
  railroad 
  terminus, 
  it 
  received 
  by 
  steamer 
  the 
  

   catch 
  from 
  points 
  lower 
  down 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  shipped 
  by 
  rail 
  255^05 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish. 
  Eau 
  Gallie 
  has 
  a 
  small 
  oyster 
  fishery, 
  the 
  product 
  

   of 
  which 
  is 
  used 
  locally. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  of 
  this 
  place 
  fish 
  from 
  3 
  miles 
  

   above 
  to 
  10 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  settlement, 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  also 
  resort 
  to 
  

   Banana 
  Eiver 
  from 
  its 
  mouth 
  to 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  10 
  miles 
  uj)stream. 
  

  

  Melbourne 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  settlement 
  whose 
  fisheries 
  are 
  now 
  less 
  exten- 
  

   sive 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  

  

  1896 
  there 
  was 
  only 
  one 
  fisherman 
  at 
  this 
  place, 
  although 
  in 
  1895 
  there 
  

   were 
  six 
  crews. 
  The 
  fish 
  shipments 
  in 
  1895, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  express 
  

   company's 
  records, 
  amounted 
  to 
  27,000 
  j^ouuds. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  at 
  Sebastian 
  began 
  in 
  September, 
  1895, 
  the 
  first 
  shipment 
  of 
  

   fish 
  by 
  rail 
  being 
  on 
  September 
  11. 
  Up 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  103,890 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  fish 
  had 
  been 
  shii)ped. 
  The 
  year 
  189G 
  will 
  doubtless 
  witness 
  

   a 
  noticeable 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  fishing 
  centering 
  at 
  this 
  point. 
  Four 
  firms 
  

   were 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1895-96; 
  these 
  shipped 
  

   mostly 
  to 
  Kew 
  York, 
  Eichmond, 
  and 
  New 
  Orleans. 
  The 
  grounds 
  visited 
  

   by 
  the 
  Sebastian 
  fishermen 
  extend 
  for 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  miles 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  

   of 
  that 
  place. 
  A 
  small 
  turtle 
  fishery 
  is 
  there 
  carried 
  on. 
  

  

  Fort 
  Pierce 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  principal 
  fishing 
  center 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  From 
  

   its 
  nearness 
  to 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  Inlet, 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  regarded 
  by 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  important 
  section. 
  Fishing 
  camps 
  were 
  located 
  

   in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  railroad 
  at 
  the 
  northern 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  the 
  catch 
  was 
  shipped 
  from 
  the 
  

   camps 
  by 
  steamer 
  to 
  the 
  nearest 
  station. 
  On 
  February 
  1, 
  1894, 
  the 
  

   railroad 
  reached 
  this 
  place; 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  camps 
  were 
  deserted 
  and 
  

   the 
  business 
  of 
  receiving 
  and 
  shipping 
  fish 
  was 
  transferred 
  to 
  Fort 
  

   Pierce. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  seat 
  from 
  this 
  place 
  in 
  1894 
  was 
  

   555,915 
  pounds. 
  New 
  firms 
  entered 
  the 
  business 
  in 
  1895, 
  when 
  the 
  

  

  