﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  291 
  

  

  Flsherj/ 
  resources. 
  — 
  The 
  water 
  animals 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  

   object 
  of 
  special 
  tisheries 
  are 
  the 
  pompauo, 
  niullet, 
  turtle, 
  and 
  oyster. 
  

   Ucsides 
  the 
  fishes 
  named, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  others 
  are 
  caught 
  incidentally 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate 
  amount 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  quantity. 
  Compared 
  with 
  more 
  

   southern 
  x>arts 
  of 
  Florida, 
  the 
  resources 
  of 
  Indian 
  lliver 
  are 
  not 
  

   remarkably 
  varied, 
  although 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  fishes, 
  etc., 
  having- 
  recognized 
  

   food 
  (lualities, 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  regarded 
  as 
  of 
  little 
  value, 
  will 
  doubtless 
  

   be 
  utilized 
  in 
  time. 
  Only 
  about 
  20 
  species 
  of 
  marketable 
  fishes 
  are 
  

   inominently 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  fishermen; 
  

   among 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  bluefish, 
  sheepshead, 
  trout 
  or 
  S(|ueteague, 
  redtish 
  

   or 
  red 
  drum, 
  black 
  drum, 
  whiting, 
  crevalle, 
  sergeant-fish, 
  mangrove 
  

   snapper, 
  i^ermit, 
  croaker, 
  and 
  Spanish 
  mackerel. 
  

  

  More 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  ([uantity 
  of 
  fish 
  taken 
  for 
  market 
  consists 
  of 
  

   mullet, 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  abundant, 
  but 
  less 
  so 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  

   State. 
  The 
  fish 
  abounds 
  throughout 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  the 
  principal 
  catch 
  

   is 
  takeu 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part. 
  The 
  poor 
  price 
  commanded 
  by 
  the 
  fish 
  has 
  

   deterred 
  the 
  fisherman 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  river 
  from 
  taking 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  the 
  

   conditions 
  warrant. 
  

  

  The 
  pompauo 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  fish 
  of 
  tlie 
  river. 
  It 
  is 
  

   taken 
  at 
  all 
  seasons, 
  although 
  most 
  plentiful 
  during 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  winter. 
  

   After 
  the 
  excessively 
  cold 
  weather 
  of 
  February, 
  1895, 
  the 
  pompauo 
  

   became 
  very 
  scarce, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  January, 
  1890, 
  had 
  not 
  

   appeared 
  in 
  its 
  former 
  abundance. 
  The 
  catch 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  much 
  less 
  

   than 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years. 
  In 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  

   overfishing 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  pompauo, 
  while 
  

   others 
  regard 
  the 
  present 
  scarcity 
  as 
  largely 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  natural 
  causes. 
  

  

  Such 
  fishes 
  as 
  sheepshead, 
  sea 
  trout, 
  channel 
  bass, 
  snappers, 
  crevalle, 
  

   black 
  drum, 
  etc., 
  which 
  are 
  locally 
  known 
  as 
  bottom 
  fish, 
  are 
  generally 
  

   plentiful 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  have 
  apparently 
  undergone 
  no 
  

   diminution 
  in 
  numbers 
  in 
  recent 
  years. 
  The 
  most 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  of 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  fishes 
  is 
  the 
  sheepshead. 
  In 
  quantity 
  of 
  catch 
  it 
  ranks 
  

   next 
  to 
  the 
  mullet, 
  and 
  in 
  value 
  it 
  is 
  exceeded 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  mullet 
  and 
  

   the 
  pompauo. 
  Bluefish 
  and 
  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  are 
  ordinarily 
  scarce; 
  

   at 
  times, 
  however, 
  these 
  fish 
  enter 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  considerable 
  uumbers. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  reptilian 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  River 
  tisheries 
  is 
  the 
  green 
  

   turtle. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  common, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  has 
  under- 
  

   gone 
  a 
  noticeable 
  decrease 
  in 
  abundance, 
  while 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  has 
  

   also 
  diminished. 
  The 
  turtle 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  all 
  times, 
  but 
  the 
  

   principal 
  fishing 
  seafion 
  is 
  between 
  November 
  and 
  March. 
  

  

  Oysters 
  of 
  good 
  size 
  and 
  flavor 
  occur 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  Indian 
  River 
  

   and 
  are 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  fishery 
  resources, 
  although 
  they 
  have 
  had 
  

   comparatively 
  little 
  attention. 
  Their 
  further 
  utilization 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

   one 
  of 
  tlie 
  chief 
  lines 
  along 
  which 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  River 
  

   tisheries 
  will 
  take 
  place. 
  

  

  Crabs 
  are 
  abundant, 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  utilized. 
  These 
  and 
  other 
  crusta- 
  

   ceans 
  — 
  such 
  as 
  shrimp 
  — 
  will 
  no 
  dimbt 
  in 
  time 
  receive 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  

   commercial 
  fishermen. 
  

  

  