﻿294 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  LAKE 
  WORTH. 
  

  

  OricjiH 
  and 
  development. 
  — 
  Although 
  turtle 
  fishing 
  has 
  been 
  prose- 
  

   cuted 
  iu 
  this 
  so-called 
  lake 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years, 
  the 
  fisheries 
  owe 
  

   their 
  origin 
  to 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  railroad 
  to 
  this 
  setition 
  from 
  tlie 
  

   Indian 
  River 
  in 
  1894 
  and 
  the 
  ojiening 
  of 
  large 
  hotels 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  

   1894-95. 
  Lake 
  Worth 
  is 
  a 
  shallow 
  arm 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  22 
  miles 
  long 
  and 
  

   from 
  i 
  to 
  1^ 
  miles 
  wide; 
  4J 
  miles 
  from 
  its 
  northern 
  end 
  it 
  is 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  ocean 
  by 
  a 
  narrow 
  inlet. 
  The 
  lake 
  has 
  been 
  a. 
  somewhat 
  

   important 
  fishing-ground 
  for 
  net 
  and 
  seine 
  fishermen, 
  and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  

   ocean 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  line 
  fishermen. 
  Fish 
  are 
  very 
  abun- 
  

   dant 
  throughout 
  the 
  lake 
  at 
  times, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  yet 
  known 
  whether 
  the 
  

   supply 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  shallow 
  and 
  narrow 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  will 
  permit 
  the 
  

   expansion 
  of 
  the 
  Industry 
  or 
  even 
  continue 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  lisheries 
  in 
  

   their 
  present 
  extent. 
  

  

  Fishery 
  resources. 
  — 
  Among 
  the 
  ])riucipal 
  fish 
  which 
  enter 
  Lake 
  

   Worth 
  and 
  which 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  flsliermen 
  are 
  sheepshead, 
  bluefish, 
  

   pompano, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  mangrove 
  snapper, 
  groupers, 
  redfish, 
  

   spotted 
  squeteague, 
  sailor's 
  choice, 
  and 
  croaker. 
  The 
  tarpon 
  and 
  

   many 
  species 
  having 
  no 
  commercial 
  value 
  at 
  present 
  also 
  frequent 
  the 
  

   lake. 
  The 
  pompano, 
  bluefish, 
  and 
  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  

   higlily 
  prized 
  of 
  the 
  fishes. 
  These 
  come 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  in 
  December 
  

   and 
  remain 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  months; 
  by 
  April 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  returned 
  

   to 
  the 
  ocean. 
  Since 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  a 
  railroad 
  bridge 
  across 
  Lake 
  

   Worth 
  at 
  West 
  Palmbeach 
  (at 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  

   lake), 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  pompano 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  s(mtliern 
  

   part, 
  which 
  formerly 
  had 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  fishing-grounds. 
  The 
  other 
  

   fishes 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  lake 
  iu 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  abundance 
  at 
  all 
  seasons. 
  The 
  

   green 
  turtle 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  limited 
  numbers 
  and 
  of 
  small 
  size, 
  25 
  pounds 
  

   being 
  the 
  aveiage 
  weight. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  fishes 
  obtained 
  in 
  ocean 
  fishing 
  off 
  Lake 
  Worth 
  are 
  

   sheepshead, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  kingfish, 
  redfish, 
  groupers, 
  bluefish, 
  red 
  

   snapper, 
  and 
  mutton-fish, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  comparatively 
  abundant. 
  

  

  Fishhig 
  apparaiiis^ 
  methods, 
  and 
  season. 
  — 
  Within 
  the 
  lake 
  the 
  appa- 
  

   ratus 
  used 
  consists 
  of 
  gill 
  nets 
  and 
  hnul 
  seines 
  for 
  fish 
  and 
  nets 
  for 
  

   turtles; 
  in 
  the 
  ocean 
  only 
  hand 
  lines 
  are 
  employed. 
  A 
  small 
  vessel 
  

   belonging 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  fished 
  for 
  turtles 
  off 
  the 
  Biscayne 
  Bay 
  region 
  

   in 
  1895. 
  

  

  The 
  gill-net 
  fishing 
  is 
  mostly 
  done 
  at 
  the 
  northern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  lake. 
  

   The 
  nets 
  are 
  about 
  400 
  yards 
  long 
  and 
  30 
  meshes 
  deep, 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   mosli 
  being 
  5^ 
  to 
  G 
  inches. 
  The 
  4 
  nets 
  used 
  in 
  1804 
  took 
  24,900 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  fish, 
  valued 
  at 
  $857, 
  and 
  the 
  7 
  nets 
  in 
  1895 
  secured 
  45,173 
  jiounds, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $1,423. 
  The 
  fish 
  taken 
  in 
  largest 
  quantities 
  is 
  the 
  sheeps- 
  

   head, 
  but 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  species 
  is 
  the 
  pompano. 
  

  

  Tlie 
  piinci])al 
  seining 
  is 
  done 
  near 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   small 
  coves 
  that 
  exist 
  along 
  the 
  lake 
  shores, 
  the 
  same 
  fishermen 
  who 
  

   use 
  seines 
  also 
  operating 
  gill 
  nets. 
  The 
  seines 
  are 
  about 
  500 
  yards 
  

  

  