﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  309 
  

  

  ship 
  them 
  to 
  Havana 
  by 
  the 
  regular 
  steamer, 
  which 
  makes 
  two 
  trips 
  a 
  

   week 
  from 
  Key 
  West. 
  

  

  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  kiugiish 
  taken 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  420,000 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  

   $7,000. 
  The 
  Cuban 
  war 
  has 
  necessarily 
  embarrassed 
  the 
  fishery, 
  and 
  the 
  

   recent 
  imposition 
  of 
  prohibitive 
  duties 
  on 
  fish 
  going 
  to 
  ITavana 
  has 
  

   seriously 
  affected 
  the 
  business 
  and 
  been 
  much 
  felt 
  by 
  the 
  iishermen. 
  

   Thelocal 
  consumption 
  is 
  far 
  exceeded 
  by 
  the 
  catch, 
  and 
  Cuba 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  

   only 
  outlet 
  for 
  the 
  surplus. 
  Even 
  when 
  comparatively 
  large 
  shipments 
  

   were 
  made 
  to 
  Havana 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  very 
  desirous 
  of 
  extending 
  

   their 
  markets, 
  as 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  as 
  many 
  tish 
  as 
  they 
  could, 
  but 
  

   only 
  enough 
  for 
  the 
  home 
  market 
  and 
  to 
  satisfy 
  the 
  Cuban 
  demand. 
  

   A 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  tish 
  are 
  incidentally 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  kiiigflsli 
  tishery, 
  the 
  

   principal 
  ones 
  being 
  amberUsh, 
  large 
  groupers, 
  and 
  red 
  snappers. 
  

  

  At 
  times 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  quite 
  an 
  important 
  fishery 
  for 
  red 
  snappers 
  

   carried 
  on 
  from 
  Key 
  West, 
  but 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  not 
  regularly 
  followed, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  unimportant. 
  There 
  are 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  more 
  banks 
  

   accessible 
  to 
  Key 
  West 
  fishermen 
  on 
  which 
  red 
  snapi)ers 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  

   greater 
  or 
  less 
  abundance 
  at 
  the 
  proper 
  season, 
  but 
  the 
  tishery 
  has 
  

   been 
  less 
  profitable 
  than 
  the 
  kingflsh 
  fishery, 
  and 
  has 
  only 
  been 
  

   extensively 
  followed 
  when 
  kingfish 
  were 
  scarce. 
  Tlie 
  market 
  for 
  king- 
  

   fish 
  in 
  Cuba 
  does 
  not 
  extend 
  to 
  red 
  snappers, 
  and 
  after 
  the 
  local 
  Key 
  

   West 
  demands 
  are 
  supplied 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  other 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  dispose 
  

   of 
  the 
  catch. 
  A 
  very 
  large 
  red-snapper 
  tishery 
  could 
  no 
  doubt 
  be 
  

   carried 
  on 
  from 
  Key 
  West 
  if 
  the 
  facilities 
  for 
  marketing 
  the 
  catch 
  

   warranted 
  it. 
  This 
  fishery 
  is 
  i)rosecuted, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  bj^ 
  the 
  same 
  large 
  

   boats 
  that 
  engage 
  in 
  the 
  kingfish 
  fishery. 
  The 
  inquiries 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  in 
  1891 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  red 
  snappers 
  taken 
  

   by 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  preceding 
  years 
  were 
  about 
  

   100,000 
  j)Ounds 
  and 
  20,000 
  pounds, 
  respectively, 
  while 
  in 
  1895 
  only 
  

   8,400 
  pounds 
  were 
  caught. 
  

  

  Other 
  marlcet 
  fislicrics. 
  — 
  Among 
  the 
  minor 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  market 
  

   fisheries 
  are 
  the 
  mullet 
  fishery, 
  the 
  crab 
  fishery, 
  the 
  crawfish 
  fishery, 
  

   and 
  the 
  clam 
  fishery. 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  mullet 
  fishery 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  gill 
  nets, 
  although 
  

   some 
  mullet 
  are 
  also 
  taken 
  in 
  cast 
  nets 
  and 
  seines. 
  The 
  demand 
  lor 
  

   mullet 
  is 
  not 
  large, 
  and 
  in 
  1895 
  the 
  fishery 
  yielded 
  only 
  43,800 
  ])0und8, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  81,372. 
  During 
  July, 
  August, 
  September, 
  and 
  October 
  three 
  

   small 
  boats, 
  eipiipped 
  with 
  gill 
  nai^ 
  pugaged 
  in 
  this 
  fishery, 
  going 
  out 
  

   early 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  and 
  returning 
  by 
  noon. 
  The 
  fish 
  are 
  handled 
  by 
  

   boys, 
  who 
  peddle 
  them 
  about 
  the 
  city. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  seines 
  are 
  hauled 
  on 
  sandy 
  beaches 
  and 
  smooth 
  shoals 
  by 
  Key 
  

   West 
  fishermen. 
  The 
  catch 
  consists 
  largely 
  of 
  bonefish, 
  grunts, 
  uroup- 
  

   ers, 
  moonfish, 
  and 
  snappers, 
  the 
  first-named 
  species 
  predominating. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  seines 
  are 
  operated 
  very 
  irregularly. 
  The 
  owners 
  usually 
  

   rent 
  them 
  to 
  anyone 
  who 
  desires 
  to 
  fish, 
  ami 
  thus 
  frequently 
  a 
  dozen 
  

   persons 
  have 
  used 
  one 
  seine 
  during 
  a 
  year. 
  

  

  