﻿256 
  EEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  turtles 
  are 
  caught 
  by 
  being 
  entangled 
  in 
  the 
  meshes. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   the 
  nets 
  are 
  fastened 
  to 
  stakes 
  that 
  are 
  driven 
  on 
  the 
  turtle 
  feeding- 
  

   grounds, 
  others 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  drift 
  freely. 
  The 
  staked 
  nets 
  are 
  visited 
  

   twice 
  a 
  day. 
  When 
  the 
  flshermen 
  use 
  a 
  loose 
  net, 
  they 
  take 
  a 
  position 
  

   near 
  by, 
  and 
  on 
  seeing 
  the 
  net 
  struck 
  by 
  a 
  turtle 
  pull 
  up 
  m 
  their 
  boat 
  

   and 
  secure 
  it. 
  

  

  Turtle 
  fishing 
  begins 
  about 
  November 
  1 
  and 
  continues 
  until 
  March 
  1, 
  

   after 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  impracticable 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  large 
  saw- 
  

   fish, 
  sharks, 
  and 
  other 
  fish 
  that 
  destroy 
  the 
  nets. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  turtles 
  taken 
  for 
  market 
  on 
  the 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  in 
  

   1895 
  was 
  519, 
  having 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  18,909 
  pounds; 
  51 
  of 
  these, 
  weighing 
  

   1,691 
  i30unds, 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  gill 
  nets 
  set 
  for 
  fish. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   catch 
  was 
  $1,320, 
  or 
  about 
  7 
  cents 
  a 
  pound. 
  The 
  regular 
  fishery 
  was 
  

   carried 
  on 
  by 
  12 
  men 
  in 
  7 
  boats, 
  using 
  G6 
  nets. 
  

  

  In 
  1890, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  deO. 
  Ravenel, 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  the 
  turtle 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  was 
  738 
  

   turtles, 
  weighing 
  36,900 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  82,722; 
  this 
  yield, 
  however, 
  

   was 
  obtained 
  by 
  21 
  men, 
  using 
  168 
  nets. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  turtle 
  fishing 
  on 
  the 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  

   productive 
  than 
  formerly. 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  Pearke, 
  of 
  Sebastian, 
  who 
  has 
  

   followed 
  the 
  turtle 
  business 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  ten 
  years, 
  reports 
  a 
  great 
  

   decrease 
  of 
  turtles 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  earlier 
  years. 
  About 
  1886 
  he 
  took 
  

   2,500 
  turtles 
  with 
  eight 
  nets; 
  in 
  1895 
  he 
  secured 
  only 
  60 
  turtles 
  M"ith 
  six 
  

   nets. 
  The 
  principal 
  reason 
  assigned 
  for 
  the 
  decrease 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Pearke 
  

   is 
  that 
  the 
  turtles 
  have 
  been 
  frightened 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  steamboats 
  and 
  

   launches. 
  The 
  unusual 
  cold 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1891-95 
  is 
  also 
  known 
  to 
  

   have 
  seriously 
  affected 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  turtles. 
  Several 
  hundred 
  

   turtles 
  were 
  then 
  found 
  floating 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  in 
  a 
  numbed 
  or 
  frozen 
  

   condition. 
  On 
  being 
  warmed 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  survived 
  and 
  were 
  soon 
  on 
  

   their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  northern 
  markets. 
  Since 
  the 
  cold 
  spell 
  turtles 
  have 
  

   been 
  much 
  scarcer 
  than 
  ever. 
  

  

  When 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  retain 
  the 
  turtles 
  any 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  j^rior 
  to 
  

   shipment, 
  they 
  are 
  confined 
  in 
  pens 
  and 
  fed 
  on 
  vegetable 
  matter, 
  the 
  

   articles 
  principally 
  used 
  being 
  a 
  marine 
  i^lant 
  known 
  as 
  turtle 
  grass, 
  

   sweet-potato 
  vines, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  morning- 
  glorj^ 
  vines 
  and 
  mangrove 
  

   leaves. 
  

  

  THE 
  OYSTER 
  INDUSTRY. 
  

  

  The 
  taking 
  of 
  oysters 
  is 
  a 
  more 
  extensive 
  business 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  

   fishery 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  gill-net 
  fishery. 
  It 
  is 
  

   carried 
  on 
  by 
  fishermen 
  of 
  Titusville, 
  Cocoa, 
  Eau 
  Gallic, 
  and 
  Fort 
  

   Pierce, 
  the 
  first-named 
  place 
  having 
  the 
  principal 
  interests. 
  The 
  entire 
  

   supply 
  is 
  taken 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  tongs 
  from 
  natural 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   the 
  places 
  named. 
  

  

  The 
  29 
  persons 
  who 
  in 
  1895 
  gave 
  special 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  

   took 
  6,084 
  bushels, 
  which 
  yielded 
  $2,115, 
  or 
  about 
  35 
  cents 
  a 
  bushel. 
  

   The 
  oysters 
  are 
  handled 
  by 
  dealers, 
  who 
  ship 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  shell 
  or 
  

  

  