﻿THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  INDIAN 
  RIVER, 
  FLORIDA. 
  255 
  

  

  THE 
  POMPANO 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  for 
  pompano 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  throughout 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   but 
  is 
  most 
  important 
  at 
  Titusville, 
  Fort 
  Pierce, 
  and 
  Eden. 
  

  

  Nets 
  used 
  for 
  pompano 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  besides 
  mullet 
  have 
  a 
  wide 
  

   range 
  in 
  length. 
  They 
  are 
  primarily 
  about 
  200 
  or 
  250 
  yards 
  long, 
  but 
  

   sections 
  of 
  netting 
  are 
  often 
  connected 
  until, 
  as 
  used, 
  they 
  extend 
  from 
  

   600 
  to 
  2,000 
  yards, 
  many 
  pieces 
  1,000 
  or 
  2,000 
  yards 
  long 
  being 
  employed. 
  

   They 
  have 
  a 
  stretch 
  mesh 
  of 
  5^ 
  to 
  6 
  inches, 
  and 
  are 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  35 
  

   meshes 
  deep. 
  They 
  are 
  constructed 
  of 
  linen 
  twine 
  ayd 
  are 
  worth, 
  when 
  

   rigged, 
  about 
  $12.50 
  per 
  100 
  yards. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  for 
  pompano 
  is 
  done 
  only 
  at 
  night, 
  the 
  darker 
  the 
  night 
  the 
  

   more 
  favorable 
  the 
  conditions. 
  In 
  the 
  daytime 
  or 
  by 
  moonlight 
  few 
  

   pomi)ano 
  could 
  be 
  caught, 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  see 
  the 
  netting 
  and 
  avoid 
  it. 
  The 
  

   nets 
  are 
  set 
  and 
  left 
  to 
  drift 
  for 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  hours 
  before 
  being 
  Aisited, 
  

   the 
  fishermen, 
  in 
  the 
  meantime, 
  being 
  on 
  the 
  adjacent 
  shores, 
  where 
  

   fires 
  are 
  kindled 
  for 
  warmth 
  or 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  mosquitos 
  away. 
  The 
  

   catch 
  is 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  nets 
  several 
  times 
  during 
  a 
  night's 
  fishing. 
  

   Besides 
  pompano, 
  the 
  principal 
  fish 
  taken 
  are 
  bluefish, 
  sheepshead, 
  sea 
  

   trout, 
  channel 
  bass, 
  mangrove 
  snapper, 
  and 
  crevalle. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  peculiar 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  pompano 
  and 
  the 
  relatively 
  large 
  

   mesh 
  in 
  the 
  pompano 
  gill 
  nets, 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  caught 
  by 
  being 
  actually 
  

   gilled. 
  The 
  fish 
  i)ush 
  their 
  heads 
  through 
  the 
  mesh 
  far 
  beyond 
  the 
  gill- 
  

   openings 
  and 
  are 
  made 
  fast 
  by 
  the 
  twine 
  getting 
  behind 
  the 
  pectoral 
  and 
  

   ventral 
  fins. 
  Frequently, 
  also, 
  the 
  mesh 
  is 
  caught 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  stiff 
  

   rudimentary 
  spines 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  dorsal 
  fin, 
  

  

  THE 
  SEINE 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  Seine 
  fishing 
  is 
  unimportant, 
  and 
  only 
  two 
  seines 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  1895. 
  

   One 
  of 
  these, 
  at 
  Jensen, 
  was 
  400 
  yards 
  long; 
  the 
  other, 
  at 
  Stuart, 
  was 
  

   825 
  yards 
  long, 
  12 
  feet 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  and 
  6 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  wings, 
  with 
  a 
  

   4-inch 
  mesh. 
  The 
  seine 
  at 
  Jensen 
  was 
  fished 
  for 
  only 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  in 
  

   1895, 
  the 
  catch 
  consisting 
  chiefly 
  of 
  pompano 
  and 
  sheepshead. 
  In 
  

   operating 
  the 
  larger 
  seine, 
  Avhich 
  was 
  not 
  regularly 
  used 
  in 
  1895, 
  a 
  small 
  

   steamer 
  (of 
  3,56 
  tons) 
  was 
  used 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  drawing 
  the 
  seine 
  ashore. 
  

   Pompano, 
  sheepshead, 
  channel 
  bass, 
  and 
  whiting 
  made 
  up 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  

   the 
  catch. 
  

  

  THE 
  TURTLE 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  The 
  turtle 
  fishery 
  is 
  comparatively 
  unimportant. 
  It 
  is 
  followed 
  only 
  

   from 
  Sebastian, 
  Fort 
  Pierce, 
  and 
  Eden, 
  although 
  turtles 
  are 
  inci- 
  

   dentally 
  caught 
  at 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  nets 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  turtle 
  fishery 
  are 
  constructed 
  on 
  the 
  principle 
  

   of 
  ordinary 
  gill 
  nets; 
  they 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  12-cor(l 
  thread, 
  with 
  a 
  2S 
  inch- 
  

   stretch 
  mesh, 
  and 
  are 
  85 
  to 
  115 
  yards 
  long 
  and 
  10 
  meshes 
  dee[). 
  They 
  

   are 
  worth 
  about 
  $10 
  each. 
  Two 
  fishermen 
  usually 
  go 
  in 
  one 
  boat, 
  and 
  

   10 
  nets 
  are 
  the 
  complement 
  of 
  a 
  crew, 
  although 
  only 
  4 
  to 
  6 
  are 
  in 
  active 
  

   use 
  at 
  one 
  time. 
  

  

  