﻿310 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  fisliermeu 
  at 
  times 
  use 
  trail 
  lines 
  for 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  

   runners, 
  jacks, 
  blnefisli, 
  barracuda, 
  and 
  other 
  surface- 
  swimming 
  fish. 
  

   The 
  catch 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  is 
  small. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  small 
  wire 
  traps 
  or 
  pots 
  of 
  a 
  peculiar 
  type, 
  introduced 
  irom 
  

   the 
  Bahama 
  Islands, 
  are 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  bottom 
  fishermen; 
  in 
  

   1895, 
  24 
  of 
  these, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  value 
  of 
  |3, 
  were 
  set. 
  They 
  are 
  

   baited 
  with 
  crawfish 
  or 
  fish 
  and 
  are 
  set 
  chiefly 
  on 
  reefs 
  in 
  convenient 
  

   places. 
  Although 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  operated 
  with 
  great 
  regularity 
  and 
  take 
  

   mostly 
  small 
  fish, 
  their 
  annual 
  catch 
  is 
  considerable, 
  amounting 
  in 
  1895, 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  estimates 
  obtainable, 
  to 
  92,745 
  pounds, 
  worth 
  

   $3,900. 
  Tlie 
  fish 
  composing 
  the 
  catch 
  are 
  chiefly 
  grunts, 
  angel-fish, 
  

   chub, 
  small 
  groui)ers 
  and 
  snappers, 
  hogfish,porkflsh,porgies, 
  yellow-tail, 
  

   tang, 
  and 
  turbot. 
  

  

  Crawfisli 
  are 
  taken 
  for 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  thej^ 
  are 
  obtained 
  

   for 
  bait 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  with 
  "grains," 
  dip 
  nets, 
  etc. 
  The 
  local 
  sales 
  in 
  1895 
  

   were 
  31,500 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $G30. 
  A 
  small 
  fishery 
  for 
  stone 
  crabs 
  is 
  

   carried 
  on. 
  The 
  crabs 
  are 
  drawn 
  from 
  their 
  holes 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  hooks. 
  

   The 
  taking 
  of 
  conclis 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  bait 
  is 
  unimportant; 
  $30 
  worth 
  of 
  

   couch 
  moats 
  represents 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  business 
  in 
  1895, 
  in 
  addition 
  

   to 
  which 
  five 
  pearls, 
  valued 
  at 
  $85, 
  were 
  secured. 
  

  

  An 
  unimportant 
  fishery 
  for 
  hard 
  clams 
  or 
  quahogs 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  from 
  

   Key 
  West. 
  Tlie 
  clams 
  are 
  gathered 
  by 
  hand 
  on 
  Pavilion 
  Key, 
  near 
  the 
  

   mainland 
  of 
  Monroe 
  County, 
  and 
  sold 
  at 
  Key 
  West. 
  The 
  demand 
  is 
  

   limited 
  and 
  but 
  one 
  small 
  vessel 
  is 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  business, 
  making 
  three 
  

   or 
  four 
  trips 
  a 
  year. 
  The 
  number 
  taken 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  3,600, 
  for 
  which 
  $30 
  

   was 
  received. 
  The 
  clams 
  are 
  of 
  large 
  size 
  and 
  the 
  supply 
  is 
  far 
  in 
  

   excess 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  needs. 
  

  

  Statistical 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  marl-et 
  fisheries. 
  — 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  foregoing 
  

   fisheries 
  gave 
  employment 
  to 
  13G 
  persons. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  boats 
  used 
  

   was 
  97, 
  valued, 
  with 
  their 
  outfits, 
  at 
  $14,041. 
  The 
  following 
  table 
  

   shows 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  market 
  

   fisheries 
  in 
  1895, 
  including 
  those 
  used 
  for 
  bait. 
  This 
  branch 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  

   have 
  yielded 
  nearly 
  2,500,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish, 
  etc, 
  with 
  a 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  of 
  over 
  $80,000. 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Amber-fish 
  

  

  ADgel 
  fisli 
  

  

  Harracuda 
  

  

  Bluelisli 
  

  

  IJonetisli 
  

  

  Chub 
  

  

  Groupers 
  

  

  Grunts 
  

  

  HogCsli 
  

  

  Jack 
  and 
  riiuner 
  

  

  Jewfish 
  

  

  Kinrrlish 
  

  

  Marg:iti-tish 
  ... 
  

  

  MuHet 
  

  

  Mutton 
  lish 
  

  

  Porklisli 
  

  

  Pounds 
  Value. 
  

  

  18, 
  

  

  34, 
  

   31, 
  

   9, 
  

   70, 
  

   3 
  

   95, 
  

  

  G05, 
  

   81, 
  

   97, 
  

   10, 
  

  

  420. 
  

   13, 
  

   43, 
  

  

  190, 
  

   11, 
  

  

  $620 
  

   1,410 
  

   1,24" 
  

  

  770 
  

   2,100 
  

  

  180 
  

   2,102 
  

   14, 
  082 
  

   3.480 
  

   3, 
  250 
  

  

  425 
  

   7,000 
  

  

  785 
  

   1,372 
  

   C, 
  890 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Porgies 
  

  

  Red 
  snapper 
  

  

  )ther 
  snappers 
  

  

  Sailor's 
  choice 
  

  

  Schoolmaster 
  

  

  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  . 
  

  

  Slieepshead 
  

  

  Yellow-tail 
  

  

  other 
  fish 
  

  

  Sardines, 
  etc 
  

  

  (Jrawtish 
  

  

  Conch 
  

  

  Urahs 
  

  

  Clams 
  

  

  Pounds. 
  ! 
  Value. 
  

  

  98, 
  

  

  8, 
  

  

  59, 
  

  

  20, 
  

  

  e, 
  

  

  34. 
  

   9, 
  

   C4, 
  

  

  12.':, 
  

   121, 
  

   157, 
  

  

  0, 
  

   1, 
  

  

  Total 
  2, 
  454, 
  233 
  

  

  $2, 
  450 
  

  

  240 
  

  

  2,416 
  

  

  2, 
  020 
  

  

  160 
  

  

  1,155 
  

  

  417 
  

  

  C, 
  475 
  

  

  1 
  1 
  , 
  675 
  

  

  3,025 
  

  

  3, 
  1.50 
  

  

  a 
  115 
  

  

  208 
  

  

  36 
  

  

  81), 
  4.|4 
  

  

  a 
  Includes 
  $S5, 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  5 
  pearls. 
  

  

  