﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  311 
  

  

  rossibility 
  of 
  iiicreas'nuj 
  tlic 
  industyij. 
  — 
  Opportunity 
  for 
  ii 
  ^•ery 
  large 
  

   expansion 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  Jvey 
  West 
  is 
  believed 
  to 
  exist, 
  and 
  

   Avarrants 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  capitalists 
  and 
  fish-dealers. 
  With 
  a 
  phenom- 
  

   enal 
  abundance 
  and 
  variety 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  fines! 
  food-fishes 
  of 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  coast, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  readily 
  caught 
  at 
  little 
  expense, 
  there 
  is 
  

   practically 
  no 
  outside 
  trade. 
  It 
  is 
  this 
  feature 
  that 
  most 
  forcibly 
  

   appeals 
  to 
  one 
  who 
  is 
  considering 
  the 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  industry, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   in 
  the 
  augmentation 
  of 
  the 
  export 
  trade 
  in 
  fresh 
  fish 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  development 
  must 
  take 
  place. 
  

  

  The 
  remote 
  situation 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  has, 
  of 
  course, 
  retarded 
  (lie 
  devel- 
  

   opment 
  of 
  any 
  outside 
  business 
  in 
  perishable 
  products, 
  with 
  the 
  excep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  kingtish 
  trade 
  with 
  Cuba 
  (now 
  discontinued) 
  and 
  some 
  small 
  

   shipments 
  in 
  winter 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  Tampa. 
  The 
  rather 
  jjoor 
  shipping 
  

   facilities 
  and 
  the 
  costliness 
  of 
  ice 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  factors 
  in 
  the 
  non- 
  

   exi)ansion 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  Careful 
  in(iuiries, 
  however, 
  indicate 
  that, 
  even 
  with 
  the 
  present 
  condi- 
  

   tions, 
  a 
  fish 
  business 
  may 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  New 
  York 
  that 
  will 
  prove 
  

   profitable 
  to 
  the 
  local 
  dealers 
  who 
  may 
  engage 
  in 
  the 
  enterprise, 
  to 
  the 
  

   meu 
  who 
  catch 
  the 
  iish, 
  and 
  indirectly 
  to 
  the 
  entire 
  community. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  those 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  fishing 
  business 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  think 
  

   that 
  the 
  attempt 
  to 
  establish 
  a 
  fresh-fish 
  trade 
  with 
  northern 
  marlcets 
  

   would 
  be 
  successful, 
  and 
  several 
  people 
  have 
  considered 
  or 
  are 
  now 
  

   considering 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  engaging 
  in 
  such 
  an 
  enterprise. 
  It 
  is 
  rei)orted 
  

   that 
  an 
  experimental 
  shii)inent 
  of 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  i)ompano, 
  or 
  some 
  

   other 
  choice 
  fish 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  ago 
  netted 
  several 
  hundred 
  dollars. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  shipping 
  facility 
  from 
  Key 
  West 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  that 
  can 
  now 
  

   be 
  considered 
  in 
  this 
  connection 
  is 
  that 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  steamship 
  line 
  

   to 
  New 
  York, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  railroads 
  terminating 
  at 
  

   Tampa 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  and 
  Miami 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  may 
  be 
  utilized 
  

   if 
  sufficiently 
  low 
  rates 
  can 
  be 
  given. 
  The 
  New 
  Yoi 
  k 
  steamers 
  make 
  

   regular 
  weekly 
  trips, 
  requiring 
  four 
  days 
  for 
  the 
  i)assage 
  from 
  Key 
  

   West 
  (Friday 
  to 
  Tuesday). 
  The 
  present 
  rate 
  on 
  fish 
  is 
  •10 
  cents 
  per 
  100 
  

   pounds. 
  By 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  refrigerators, 
  or 
  even 
  by 
  the 
  employment 
  t>f 
  

   large 
  quantities 
  of 
  ice, 
  the 
  fish 
  Avould 
  no 
  doubt 
  arrive 
  in 
  good 
  condition.. 
  

   The 
  present 
  Avholesale 
  price 
  of 
  ice 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  is 
  $7.50 
  a 
  ton. 
  

  

  . 
  To 
  make 
  the 
  shipping 
  of 
  fresh 
  fish 
  from 
  Key 
  West 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  iirolit- 
  

   able 
  the 
  business 
  should 
  probably 
  be 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  winter 
  months, 
  

   say 
  from 
  November 
  to 
  March, 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  comparative 
  scarcity 
  of 
  

   salt-water 
  fishes 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  markets. 
  At 
  first 
  the 
  shipments 
  might 
  

   have 
  to 
  include 
  only 
  fishes 
  now 
  well 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  east, 
  such 
  as 
  bluefish, 
  

   sheepshead, 
  kingfish, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  ])omi)ano, 
  red 
  snapper, 
  and 
  the 
  

   like, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  doubt 
  that 
  in 
  time 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  desirable 
  local 
  

   species 
  could 
  be 
  profitably 
  disposed 
  of. 
  

  

  The 
  value 
  for 
  canning 
  purposes 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  known 
  locally 
  as 
  "pil- 
  

   chard," 
  ''herring," 
  and 
  "anchovy," 
  which 
  exist 
  in 
  great 
  abundancr 
  in 
  

   this 
  region, 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  overlooked. 
  

  

  