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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Ibdiaii 
  Eiver 
  originally 
  abounded 
  in 
  alligators, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  very 
  

   active 
  hunting 
  operations 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  ten 
  years 
  they 
  have 
  l)ecome 
  

   very 
  scarce 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  now 
  support 
  an 
  industry. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  apparatus 
  and 
  methods. 
  — 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  is 
  done 
  with 
  gill 
  

   nets, 
  which 
  are 
  of 
  two 
  kinds, 
  according 
  to 
  whether 
  they 
  are 
  set 
  for 
  n)ullet 
  

   or 
  ponipano. 
  A 
  few 
  seines 
  are 
  hauled 
  for 
  bottom 
  fish, 
  large-meshed 
  

   nets 
  are 
  employed 
  for 
  turtles, 
  and 
  tongs 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  oysters. 
  

  

  Mullet 
  fishing 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  

   is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  industry. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  extensively 
  

   prosecuted 
  from 
  Titusville, 
  Cocoa, 
  and 
  Fort 
  Pierce. 
  Mullet 
  gill 
  nets 
  

   are 
  about 
  250 
  yards 
  long 
  and 
  13 
  to 
  14 
  feet 
  deep. 
  The 
  58 
  nets 
  used 
  in 
  

   1895 
  had 
  a 
  combined 
  length 
  of 
  46,800 
  feet, 
  or 
  about 
  9 
  miles. 
  These 
  nets 
  

   are 
  thrown 
  around 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  mullet 
  seen 
  junii)ing 
  at 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   and 
  the 
  fish 
  become 
  meshed 
  by 
  being 
  frightened 
  after 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  

   net 
  are 
  brought 
  together. 
  The 
  catch 
  consisted 
  of 
  over 
  1,600,000 
  pounds, 
  

   with 
  a 
  market 
  value 
  of 
  about 
  $12,000. 
  

  

  Pompano 
  fishing 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  most 
  extensive 
  at 
  Titusville, 
  Fort 
  

   Pierce, 
  and 
  Eden. 
  The 
  nets 
  used 
  are 
  200 
  or 
  250 
  yards 
  long, 
  but 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  nets 
  are 
  often 
  fastened 
  together, 
  forming 
  pieces 
  from 
  600 
  to 
  

   2,000 
  yards 
  long. 
  The 
  163 
  pompano 
  nets 
  employed 
  in 
  1895 
  were 
  

   115,500 
  feet, 
  or 
  nearly 
  22 
  miles, 
  long. 
  The 
  mesh 
  is 
  relatively 
  large 
  (5J 
  

   to 
  6 
  inches), 
  and 
  owing 
  to 
  this 
  fact 
  and 
  the 
  i)eculiar 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  pom- 
  

   pano 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  gilled 
  but 
  are 
  caught 
  by 
  the 
  pectoral 
  and 
  ventral 
  

   fins, 
  and 
  also 
  by 
  a 
  short 
  spine 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  dorsal 
  fin. 
  Pompano 
  

   fishing 
  is 
  done 
  only 
  at 
  night, 
  and 
  preferably 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  moon. 
  

   If 
  the 
  fish 
  can 
  see 
  the 
  netting, 
  they 
  will 
  avoid 
  it. 
  The 
  nets 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  

   drift 
  several 
  hours 
  before 
  being 
  visited. 
  Besides 
  pompano, 
  bluefish, 
  

   sheepshead, 
  sea 
  trout, 
  redflsh, 
  snappers, 
  and 
  crevalle 
  are 
  incidentally 
  

   taken. 
  The 
  pompano 
  catch 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  only 
  149,000 
  pounds, 
  but 
  the 
  

   value, 
  $9,475, 
  was 
  nearly 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  mullet, 
  which 
  was 
  

   taken 
  in 
  ten 
  times 
  the 
  quantity. 
  

  

  Turtle 
  fishing 
  is 
  not 
  extensively 
  carried 
  on. 
  It 
  is 
  regularly 
  followed 
  

   only 
  from 
  Sebastian, 
  Fort 
  Pierce, 
  and 
  Eden, 
  but 
  turtles 
  are 
  incidentally 
  

   caught 
  in 
  nets 
  at 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  Turtle 
  nets 
  

   are 
  like 
  gill 
  nets, 
  but 
  have 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  mesh 
  and 
  are 
  constructed 
  of 
  

   coarse 
  thread. 
  They 
  are 
  from 
  85 
  to 
  115 
  yards 
  long. 
  Turtles 
  are 
  caught 
  

   by 
  being 
  entangled 
  in 
  the 
  meshes, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  nets 
  being 
  fastened 
  to 
  

   stakes, 
  while 
  others 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  drift 
  freely. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   turtles 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  519, 
  having 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  about 
  18,900 
  

   pounds; 
  their 
  A^alue 
  was 
  $1,320. 
  It 
  is 
  apparent 
  from 
  the 
  comparative 
  

   statistics 
  available 
  that 
  turtle 
  fishing 
  on 
  the 
  Indian 
  Eiver 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  

   productive 
  than 
  in 
  previous 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  industry, 
  while 
  not 
  of 
  great 
  importance, 
  is 
  more 
  extensive 
  

   than 
  any 
  other 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  gillnet 
  

   fishery. 
  It 
  is 
  followed 
  from 
  Titusville, 
  Cocoa, 
  Eau 
  Gallic, 
  and 
  Fort 
  

   Pierce, 
  the 
  oysters 
  being 
  taken 
  with 
  tongs 
  from 
  natural 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  