﻿THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  INDIAN 
  RIVER, 
  FLORIDA. 
  253 
  

  

  catch; 
  it 
  lauks 
  after 
  the 
  sheepshead 
  in 
  the 
  amount 
  and 
  vahie 
  of 
  tlie 
  

   yiekl. 
  Some 
  weighing 
  14 
  pounds 
  are 
  caught, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  

   is 
  only 
  2 
  pounds. 
  Tlie 
  tisliermen 
  of 
  Cocoa 
  and 
  Fort 
  Pierce 
  take 
  the 
  

   largest 
  quantities. 
  

  

  The 
  channel 
  bass 
  or 
  red 
  drum 
  (locally 
  called 
  bass) 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  numbers 
  and 
  shipped 
  to 
  market. 
  The 
  range 
  in 
  weight 
  is 
  1 
  

   to 
  40 
  pounds, 
  the 
  average 
  being- 
  about 
  5 
  pounds. 
  The 
  principal 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  obtained 
  at 
  Fort 
  Pierce. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  localities 
  the 
  red 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  drums, 
  the 
  crevalle, 
  the 
  

   sergeant-tish, 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  are 
  either 
  always 
  discarded 
  from 
  the 
  

   shipments 
  or 
  utilized 
  only 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  fill 
  out 
  the 
  packing 
  

   barrels 
  with 
  the 
  higher 
  grades 
  of 
  fish. 
  Other 
  fish 
  which 
  are 
  usually 
  

   not 
  utilized 
  when 
  caught 
  are 
  catfish, 
  menhaden, 
  moonflsh, 
  angel-fish, 
  

   hogfish, 
  and 
  mutton-fish. 
  

  

  Sea 
  catfish 
  weighing 
  1 
  to 
  2 
  i)ounds 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   fishes 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  are 
  seldom 
  utilized; 
  shipments 
  aggregating- 
  

   10,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  dressed 
  fish 
  were 
  sent 
  from 
  Jensen 
  to 
  St. 
  Louis 
  in 
  

   1894, 
  but 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  not 
  received 
  with 
  sufQcieut 
  favor 
  to 
  warrant 
  a 
  

   continuance 
  of 
  the 
  business. 
  

  

  The 
  green 
  turtle 
  {Chelonia 
  mydas) 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   Eiver 
  fisheries 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  turtle 
  class. 
  It 
  is 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  or 
  even 
  common, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  has 
  undergone 
  a 
  

   noticeable 
  decrease 
  in 
  numbers. 
  

  

  Turtles 
  are 
  occasionally 
  taken 
  in 
  Indian 
  Kiver 
  weighing- 
  nearly 
  200 
  

   pounds, 
  but 
  they 
  now 
  seldom 
  attain 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  100 
  pounds, 
  and 
  the 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  weight 
  is 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  one-third 
  of 
  that 
  figure. 
  In 
  1891, 
  when 
  

   this 
  region 
  was 
  visited 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  the 
  

   average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  turtles 
  caught 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  50 
  pounds. 
  

   In 
  1895 
  the 
  aggregate 
  catch 
  of 
  18,909 
  pounds 
  represented 
  519 
  turtles, 
  

   whose 
  average 
  Aveight 
  was, 
  therefore, 
  30 
  pounds. 
  This 
  decrease 
  in 
  

   weight 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  25 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  fi^-e 
  years 
  is 
  suggestive 
  of 
  the 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  quantity 
  which 
  the 
  available 
  statistics 
  and 
  observation 
  

   show 
  to 
  have 
  occurred. 
  

  

  Turtles 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  plentifully 
  at 
  all 
  seasons, 
  but 
  

   the 
  principal 
  season 
  is 
  between 
  November 
  and 
  March. 
  

  

  Prior 
  to 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  railroad 
  in 
  the 
  Indian 
  liiver 
  region 
  alliga- 
  

   tors 
  were 
  comparatively 
  numerous 
  and 
  their 
  capture 
  constituted 
  an 
  

   important 
  business, 
  but 
  at 
  present, 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  active 
  hunting 
  oper- 
  

   ations 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  ten 
  years, 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  scarce, 
  not 
  enough 
  

   alligators 
  being 
  left 
  to 
  support 
  an 
  industry. 
  The 
  few 
  skins 
  which 
  now 
  

   reach 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  dealers 
  on 
  Indian 
  River 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  interior. 
  

  

  Oysters 
  of 
  large 
  size 
  and 
  good 
  flavor 
  exist 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  Indian 
  

   River, 
  and 
  they 
  constitute 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  fishery 
  resources, 
  but 
  

   up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  they 
  have 
  received 
  comparatively 
  little 
  atten- 
  

   tion. 
  The 
  fuller 
  utilization 
  of 
  oysters 
  is 
  doubtless 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  lines 
  

   along 
  which 
  the 
  further 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  will 
  

   take 
  place. 
  

  

  