﻿252 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  out 
  tlie 
  river, 
  but 
  the 
  principal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  

   part; 
  the 
  low 
  price 
  received 
  has 
  deterred 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  

   river 
  from 
  taking 
  as 
  many 
  fish 
  as 
  the 
  conditions 
  warrant, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   express 
  charges. 
  Some 
  mullet 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  all 
  seasons, 
  but 
  they 
  

   are 
  most 
  abundant 
  from 
  Se])tembcr 
  to 
  January. 
  

  

  Bluefish 
  and 
  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  are 
  ordinarily 
  scarce 
  at 
  all 
  times. 
  

   Occasionally, 
  in 
  recent 
  years, 
  these 
  fish 
  have 
  entered 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  numbers. 
  On 
  January 
  lo, 
  1894, 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  seine 
  fishermen 
  

   caught 
  between 
  Sewall 
  Point 
  and 
  Eden 
  2,162 
  x^ounds 
  of 
  bluefish, 
  which 
  

   is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  finest 
  lot 
  of 
  bluefish 
  ever 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  river; 
  

   none 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  was 
  under 
  8 
  pounds 
  in 
  weight, 
  some 
  weighed 
  18 
  i)ounds, 
  

   and 
  the 
  average 
  was 
  12 
  or 
  15 
  pounds. 
  The 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  blue- 
  

   fish 
  regularly 
  taken 
  is 
  about 
  5 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  pompano 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  fish 
  of 
  Indian 
  Eiver. 
  Its 
  

   average 
  weight 
  is 
  2 
  or 
  2^ 
  pounds, 
  although 
  some 
  weighing 
  6 
  or 
  8 
  

   pounds 
  are 
  taken. 
  A 
  maximum 
  weight 
  of 
  25 
  i^ounds 
  is 
  assigned 
  by 
  

   the 
  fishermen, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  that 
  all 
  supposed 
  pompano 
  

   weighing 
  more 
  than 
  10 
  pounds 
  belong 
  to 
  a 
  different 
  species 
  from 
  the 
  

   true 
  pomj)ano. 
  The 
  latter 
  is 
  taken 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  during 
  the 
  year, 
  

   but 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  years 
  has 
  been 
  most 
  plentiful 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  

   part 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  November, 
  the 
  run 
  continuing 
  until 
  spring, 
  

   when 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  them 
  leave 
  the 
  river. 
  In 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  pomj)ano 
  are 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  abundant 
  from 
  December 
  to 
  

   March 
  in 
  recent 
  years. 
  After 
  the 
  excessively 
  cold 
  weather 
  of 
  1894-95, 
  

   they 
  became 
  very 
  scarce, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  January, 
  1896, 
  had 
  not 
  

   appeared 
  in 
  anything 
  like 
  the 
  former 
  abundance. 
  In 
  illustration 
  of 
  

   the 
  recent 
  decrease 
  in 
  this 
  species, 
  the 
  following 
  catch 
  of 
  a 
  firm 
  that 
  

   made 
  a 
  specialty 
  of 
  x>ompauo 
  fishing 
  may 
  bo 
  given 
  : 
  

  

  Pounds. 
  

  

  1892 
  61,014 
  

  

  1803 
  122,614 
  

  

  1894 
  93,579 
  

  

  1895 
  31,353 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  some 
  fishermen, 
  the 
  best 
  days 
  for 
  pompano 
  fishing 
  

   on 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  have 
  past, 
  owing 
  to 
  overfishing; 
  others 
  regard 
  the 
  

   recent 
  scarcity 
  as 
  largely 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  natural 
  causes. 
  

  

  Such 
  fishes 
  as 
  sheepshead, 
  trout, 
  channel 
  bass, 
  snappers, 
  sailor's 
  

   choice, 
  sergeant-fish, 
  crevalle, 
  and 
  black 
  drum, 
  which 
  are 
  locally 
  known 
  

   as 
  "bottom 
  fish," 
  are 
  generally 
  iDlentiful 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  

   do 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  undergone 
  any 
  noticeable 
  changes 
  in 
  abundance 
  

   in 
  recent 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  sheei)shead 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  esteemed 
  of 
  the 
  "bottom 
  fish." 
  

   In 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  it 
  ranks 
  next 
  to»mullet, 
  and 
  in 
  value 
  it 
  is 
  

   surpassed 
  only 
  by 
  mullet 
  and 
  pompano. 
  The 
  maximum 
  weight 
  is 
  about 
  

   10 
  pounds 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  3 
  pounds. 
  It 
  is 
  taken 
  at 
  all 
  fishing 
  centers 
  

   on 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  the 
  largest 
  catch 
  is 
  at 
  Eden. 
  At 
  Jensen 
  a 
  seine 
  took 
  

   2,300 
  pounds 
  of 
  sheepshead 
  at 
  one 
  haul 
  in 
  1S95. 
  

  

  The 
  sea 
  trout 
  or 
  spotted 
  S(j[ueteague 
  is 
  a 
  prominent 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  