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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  cudo)i 
  Wiilioo 
  {Aranthocyhium. 
  solandri), 
  boiiito 
  {(rymnosardaaJletcrata), 
  

   \f\iiting{0rt}i02)risfi.s 
  cIiryso2)terus), 
  and 
  many 
  otbors 
  of 
  less 
  importance. 
  

  

  The 
  fishes 
  of 
  Biscayne 
  Bay 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  Key 
  

   West. 
  The 
  chief 
  difference 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  fewer 
  species 
  at 
  Biscayne 
  Bay; 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  used 
  as 
  food 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  are.either 
  entirely 
  absent 
  

   or 
  quite 
  rare 
  at 
  Biscayne 
  Bay. 
  Commercial 
  fishing- 
  in 
  Biscayne 
  Bay 
  

   and 
  vicinity 
  has 
  only 
  recently 
  begun, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  improbable 
  that 
  overfish- 
  

   ing 
  will 
  occur 
  for 
  some 
  years 
  yet. 
  The 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  are 
  considered 
  

   in 
  a 
  report 
  recently 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  Commission. 
  The 
  development 
  

   of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Lake 
  Worth 
  has 
  only 
  recently 
  begun. 
  The 
  species 
  

   there 
  are 
  essentially 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  Indian 
  Eiver, 
  which 
  have 
  

   been 
  discussed 
  in 
  the 
  special 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  Senate 
  already 
  referred 
  to. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  prominent 
  fish 
  on 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast 
  between 
  Key 
  W^est 
  and 
  

   Pensacola 
  is 
  the 
  mullet, 
  which 
  exists 
  in 
  incredible 
  numbers 
  and 
  is 
  taken 
  

   in 
  enormous 
  quantities. 
  Tampa 
  is 
  the 
  principal 
  receiving 
  center 
  for 
  

   mullet 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  mullet 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  

   counties 
  of 
  Lee, 
  De 
  Soto, 
  Manatee, 
  and 
  Hillsboro 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  hands 
  

   of 
  Tampa 
  dealers, 
  together 
  with 
  large 
  catches 
  of 
  other 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  methods 
  here 
  are 
  far 
  from 
  satisfactory. 
  ])uring 
  

   one 
  day 
  in 
  November, 
  1896, 
  several 
  thousand 
  mullet 
  were 
  seen 
  at 
  Tampa, 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  thrown 
  away 
  because 
  they 
  were 
  too 
  badly 
  spoiled 
  for 
  

   shipping. 
  From 
  the 
  most 
  reliable 
  data 
  obtainable, 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  

   the 
  annual 
  loss 
  of 
  mullet 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  amounts 
  to 
  about 
  

   500,000 
  pounds. 
  This 
  loss 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  two 
  principal 
  causes, 
  (1) 
  adverse 
  

   winds, 
  preventing 
  collecting 
  vessels 
  from 
  returning 
  promptly 
  from 
  the 
  

   fishing-camps, 
  and 
  (2) 
  the 
  failure 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  vessels 
  with 
  sufficient 
  

   ice. 
  Such 
  waste 
  is 
  unfortunate 
  and 
  in 
  large 
  part 
  unnecessary. 
  Other 
  

   species 
  suffer 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  but 
  the 
  great 
  loss 
  is 
  

   with 
  the 
  mullet. 
  

  

  Other 
  prominent 
  shallow-water 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  are 
  slieeps- 
  

   head, 
  redfish, 
  squeteagne, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  pompauo, 
  bluefish, 
  lady- 
  

   fish, 
  and 
  crevall6. 
  These 
  are 
  generally 
  distributed 
  and 
  abundant, 
  and 
  

   are 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  at 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  centers. 
  The 
  offshore 
  

   fishing-grounds 
  yield 
  red 
  snappers 
  {Neomwnis 
  aya) 
  and 
  groupers 
  {Epi- 
  

   nephelus 
  morio) 
  in 
  largest 
  quantities. 
  The 
  fishery, 
  which 
  is 
  centered 
  at 
  

   Pensacola, 
  is 
  prosecuted 
  chiefly 
  on 
  the 
  "snapper 
  banks" 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  

   Mexico, 
  although 
  some 
  fishing 
  is 
  done 
  near 
  shore 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  keys. 
  

   The 
  abundance 
  of 
  groupers 
  is 
  far 
  in 
  excess 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  demands, 
  

   but 
  the 
  red 
  snappers 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  decreasing 
  in 
  numbers 
  and 
  fishing 
  has 
  

   to 
  be 
  done 
  at 
  greater 
  distances 
  from 
  the 
  land 
  than 
  formerly 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   produce 
  satisfactory 
  results. 
  The 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  specially 
  

   referred 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  chapter 
  on 
  the 
  Pensacola 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  red 
  snapper 
  

   is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  highly 
  prized 
  of 
  the 
  Florida 
  fishes 
  and 
  ranks 
  next 
  

   to 
  mullet 
  in 
  commercial 
  value. 
  It 
  attains 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  40 
  pounds, 
  but 
  

   the 
  average 
  weight 
  is 
  not 
  over 
  10 
  pounds. 
  

  

  