﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  307 
  

  

  THE 
  MARKET 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Importance. 
  — 
  Next 
  in 
  imijortauce 
  to 
  the 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  are 
  the 
  various 
  

   branches 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  coinpreheuded 
  under 
  tlie 
  general 
  name 
  of 
  

   market 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  consisting 
  iu 
  tlie 
  taking 
  of 
  food-fishes 
  chietiy 
  for 
  

   local 
  sale 
  iu 
  a 
  fresh 
  condition. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  who 
  thus 
  find 
  

   employment, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  boats 
  and 
  the 
  (|uantity 
  of 
  a[)[)ara-tus 
  used, 
  

   and 
  the 
  amount 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  make 
  this 
  branch 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  

   great 
  consequence 
  to 
  Key 
  West, 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  in 
  the 
  

   State. 
  This 
  fishing 
  is 
  done 
  from 
  small 
  welled-vessels, 
  known 
  as 
  

   smackees, 
  and 
  carrying 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  two 
  men. 
  Hand 
  lines 
  of 
  various 
  

   kinds, 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  sought, 
  are 
  the 
  

   apparatus 
  principally 
  employed; 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  means 
  of 
  capture 
  

   are 
  used 
  incidentally. 
  The 
  jirominent 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  market 
  fisheries 
  

   are 
  the 
  fishery 
  for 
  the 
  smaller 
  bottom 
  fishes, 
  the 
  red-snapper 
  fishery, 
  

   and 
  the 
  kiugfish 
  fishery. 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  fishery. 
  — 
  The 
  most 
  extensive 
  of 
  the 
  market 
  fisheries 
  is 
  

   that 
  for 
  bottom 
  fishes, 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  a 
  numerous 
  fleet 
  of 
  well 
  smacks. 
  

   A 
  few 
  schooners 
  (5 
  in 
  1895) 
  barely 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  take 
  out 
  custom- 
  

   house 
  papers, 
  engage 
  in 
  this 
  fishery, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  vessels 
  

   are 
  at 
  times 
  so 
  employed, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  are 
  of 
  only 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  

   tons 
  register. 
  The 
  fishing 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  throughout 
  the 
  year, 
  but 
  is 
  

   more 
  assiduously 
  followed 
  in 
  winter 
  than 
  in 
  summer. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  par 
  excellence 
  of 
  this 
  fishery 
  are 
  the 
  grunts 
  {Ilcvmnloji), 
  which 
  

   constitute 
  fully 
  one-thud 
  of 
  the 
  yield. 
  The 
  two 
  principal 
  species 
  are 
  

   the 
  white 
  grunt 
  and 
  the 
  yellow 
  grunt. 
  These 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  extraordinary 
  

   abundance 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  and 
  on 
  numerous 
  grounds, 
  and 
  their 
  size, 
  

   cheapness 
  (4 
  or 
  5 
  for 
  10 
  cents), 
  and 
  food 
  qualities 
  make 
  them 
  very 
  

   popular. 
  Numerous 
  other 
  desirable 
  fishes 
  are 
  taken 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  In 
  fact, 
  a 
  greater 
  variety 
  of 
  food-fish 
  are 
  caught 
  

   by 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  line 
  fishermen 
  than 
  are 
  obtained 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  similar 
  

   fishery 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  Those 
  which 
  deserve 
  mention 
  are 
  the 
  rod 
  

   grouper, 
  black 
  grouper, 
  Nassau 
  grouper, 
  rock 
  hind, 
  jewfish, 
  muttonfisli, 
  

   gray 
  snapi)er, 
  lanesnapper, 
  margate-fish, 
  angelfishes, 
  yellow-tail, 
  porgies, 
  

   chub, 
  hogfish, 
  porkfish, 
  sailor's 
  choice, 
  and 
  bream. 
  

  

  Notwithstanding 
  the 
  very 
  large 
  annual 
  catch, 
  amounting 
  to 
  abt)ut 
  

   1,500,000 
  pounds, 
  the 
  resources 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  undergone 
  no 
  note- 
  

   worthy 
  depletion, 
  and 
  the 
  vastness 
  of 
  the 
  grounds 
  and 
  the 
  abundnnce 
  

   of 
  the 
  ground 
  fishes 
  will 
  certainly 
  permit 
  a 
  very 
  much 
  more 
  extensive 
  

   fishery 
  than 
  is 
  now 
  prosecuted. 
  The 
  principal 
  grounds 
  frequented 
  by 
  

   the 
  smaller 
  boats 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  Northwest 
  Channel, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  numerous 
  

   other 
  grounds 
  iu 
  the 
  vicinity 
  where 
  good 
  fishing 
  for 
  the 
  smaller 
  fishes 
  

   may 
  be 
  had. 
  The 
  best 
  fishing 
  for 
  groupers, 
  mutton-llsh, 
  snappers, 
  and 
  

   ]>orgies 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  reef 
  extending 
  from 
  Marquesas 
  Rock 
  to 
  Rebecca 
  

   Shoals; 
  as 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  from 
  Key 
  West, 
  it 
  is 
  

   only 
  visited 
  by 
  the 
  larger 
  boats. 
  

  

  