﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  297 
  

  

  to 
  laud, 
  sell, 
  and 
  ship 
  their 
  catch. 
  For 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  bay 
  has 
  beea 
  

   temporarily 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  some 
  vessels 
  of 
  this 
  class. 
  Cheaper 
  supplies 
  

   and 
  more 
  ready 
  communication 
  ought 
  to 
  produce 
  quite 
  an 
  exodus 
  of 
  

   fishermen 
  from 
  Key 
  West 
  and 
  otlier 
  remote 
  keys. 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  bay 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  important. 
  

   When 
  this 
  region 
  was 
  visited 
  by 
  a 
  representative 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commis- 
  

   sion 
  in 
  189."), 
  the 
  only 
  economic 
  fishing 
  ascertained 
  to 
  exist 
  during 
  the 
  

   previous 
  years 
  was 
  a 
  limited 
  business 
  in 
  turtles 
  and 
  line-caught 
  fish, 
  in 
  

   addition 
  to 
  the 
  sponging 
  done 
  by 
  Key 
  West 
  vessels. 
  By 
  October, 
  1890, 
  

   when 
  the 
  region 
  was 
  again 
  visited 
  by 
  employees 
  of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  but 
  

   few 
  changes 
  had 
  f 
  aken 
  place, 
  although 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  a 
  slight 
  increase 
  

   in 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  local 
  fishing 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  retail 
  trade. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  fishing 
  in 
  the 
  Biscayne 
  Bay 
  region 
  is 
  for 
  sponges, 
  which 
  

   are 
  practically 
  all 
  taken 
  by 
  Key 
  West 
  fishermen. 
  Pens 
  for 
  the 
  clean- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  bleaching 
  of 
  sponges 
  have 
  been 
  located 
  at 
  various 
  points 
  around 
  

   the 
  bay. 
  It 
  is 
  thought 
  that 
  sponge 
  fishing 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  might 
  be 
  

   profitably 
  undertaken 
  by 
  local 
  fisliermen. 
  

  

  The 
  capture 
  of 
  green 
  turtles 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  fishery 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  are 
  engaged. 
  In 
  1894, 
  when 
  the 
  business 
  was 
  

   less 
  extensive 
  than 
  formerly 
  and 
  the 
  season 
  very 
  poor, 
  a 
  few 
  boats 
  

   belonging 
  at 
  Lemon 
  City, 
  Miami, 
  and 
  Cocoanut 
  Grove 
  spent 
  a 
  short 
  

   time 
  in 
  turtle 
  fishing 
  in 
  Biscayne 
  Bay 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  adjacent 
  reefs. 
  The 
  

   turtles 
  are 
  taken 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  nets 
  and 
  pegs. 
  About 
  205 
  turtles, 
  with 
  

   an 
  aggregate 
  weight 
  of 
  G,175 
  pounds, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  about 
  8708, 
  

   were 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  named, 
  about 
  175 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  secured 
  in 
  

   the 
  bay. 
  Turtles 
  are 
  sent 
  in 
  sailing 
  vessels 
  to 
  Key 
  West, 
  whence 
  they 
  

   are 
  shipj)ed 
  north. 
  According 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen's 
  testimony, 
  this 
  fishery 
  

   is 
  much 
  less 
  remunerative 
  than 
  formerly, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  increasing 
  

   scarcity 
  of 
  the 
  turtles. 
  The 
  green 
  turtle, 
  which 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   valuable 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  resources 
  of 
  Florida, 
  has 
  undergone 
  a 
  noteworthy 
  

   diminution 
  in 
  abundance 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  within 
  a 
  comparatively 
  few 
  

   years, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  generally 
  thought 
  that 
  some 
  i^rotective 
  legislation 
  is 
  

   necessary 
  in 
  order' 
  to 
  preserve 
  it 
  from 
  practical 
  extinction. 
  Mr. 
  Kalph 
  

   M. 
  Munroe, 
  of 
  Cocoanut 
  Grove, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best-informed 
  persons 
  on 
  the 
  

   bay, 
  states 
  that 
  green 
  turtles 
  are 
  now 
  very 
  scarce, 
  and 
  if 
  their 
  extermi- 
  

   nation 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  prevented 
  they 
  Avill 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  artificially 
  propagated 
  il" 
  

   the 
  present 
  indiscriminate 
  methods 
  are 
  continued. 
  Formerly 
  they 
  bred 
  

   in 
  large 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  bights 
  of 
  the 
  keys 
  forming 
  tlie 
  eastern 
  boundary 
  

   of 
  the 
  bay 
  and 
  young 
  could 
  frequently 
  be 
  seen. 
  Xow 
  but 
  iew 
  resort 
  to 
  

   this 
  place 
  to 
  breed 
  and 
  the 
  supply 
  is 
  practically 
  exhausted. 
  

  

  Loggerhead 
  turtles 
  are 
  comparatively 
  abundant, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   regular 
  fishery 
  for 
  them, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  principally 
  for 
  family 
  use. 
  

   Several 
  hundred, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  300 
  pounds, 
  are 
  taken 
  each 
  

   year 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  by 
  people 
  living 
  around 
  the 
  bay. 
  In 
  1894, 
  however, 
  

   this 
  species 
  was 
  less 
  plentiful 
  than 
  usual, 
  and 
  only 
  about 
  100 
  were 
  

   secured, 
  against 
  300 
  or 
  400 
  in 
  previous 
  years. 
  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  tiu'tle 
  

   are 
  utilized 
  in 
  large 
  (quantities. 
  

  

  