﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  313 
  

  

  half 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  the 
  others; 
  tlie 
  average 
  vakie 
  is 
  1 
  cent 
  eachj 
  the 
  eggs 
  

   weigh 
  about 
  a 
  poiiiid 
  to 
  a 
  dozeu, 
  and 
  are 
  lA 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter. 
  The 
  

   number 
  gathered 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  over 
  45,000. 
  

  

  At 
  Key 
  West 
  and 
  throughout 
  the 
  key 
  region 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  testi- 
  

   mony 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  decrease 
  of 
  green 
  turtles, 
  owing 
  to 
  excessive 
  lishing. 
  

   It 
  is 
  now 
  much 
  more 
  difficult 
  than 
  formerly 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  good 
  fare, 
  and 
  

   the 
  boats 
  are 
  compelled 
  to 
  range 
  over 
  a 
  wider 
  territory. 
  The 
  opinion 
  

   is 
  freely 
  expressed 
  tliat 
  unless 
  something 
  is 
  done 
  the 
  business 
  will 
  

   cease 
  to 
  be 
  remunerative. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  comment 
  upon 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   for 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  green 
  turtles 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  dei)ositing 
  their 
  

   eggs 
  on 
  Key 
  West 
  and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  keys. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  probable 
  that 
  

   this 
  is 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  excessive 
  hunting 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  

   now 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  more 
  distant 
  and 
  inaccessible 
  keys. 
  

   This 
  has 
  cut 
  off' 
  quite 
  an 
  important 
  and 
  profitable 
  business, 
  as 
  the 
  

   gathering 
  of 
  green-turile 
  eggs 
  — 
  which 
  are 
  better 
  liked 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  loggerhead 
  — 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  people. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  turtle 
  fishery 
  in 
  1895 
  are 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  

   table. 
  The 
  410,142 
  i^ounds 
  of 
  products 
  taken 
  are 
  seen 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  

   market 
  value 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  of 
  ^19,957. 
  

  

  Products. 
  

  

  Pounds. 
  Value. 
  

  

  Green 
  turtles 
  

  

  Loggerhead 
  turtles 
  , 
  

   Uawksbill 
  turtles. 
  . 
  

  

  Tortoise 
  shell 
  

  

  Turtle 
  eggs 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  337,400 
  , 
  $16,870 
  

  

  25,000 
  i 
  200 
  

  

  •10,280 
  I 
  403 
  

  

  712 
  1,674 
  

  

  G, 
  750 
  I 
  810 
  

  

  410, 
  142 
  

  

  19, 
  957 
  

  

  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  TAMPA 
  AXD 
  TRIBUTARY 
  SECTIONS.* 
  

  

  TampcCs 
  importance 
  as 
  a 
  fishinff 
  center. 
  — 
  Owing 
  to 
  its 
  exceedingly 
  

   favorable 
  situation 
  and 
  its 
  railroad 
  and 
  steamship 
  lines, 
  which 
  afford 
  

   ample 
  facilities 
  for 
  the 
  rapid 
  shipping 
  of 
  fishery 
  products 
  in 
  every 
  

   direction, 
  Tampa 
  has 
  become 
  tlie 
  most 
  important 
  fishing 
  and 
  distrib- 
  

   uting 
  center 
  for 
  fresh 
  fish 
  on 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  

   Pensacola. 
  There 
  are 
  only 
  two 
  bays 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  tlie 
  State 
  

   which 
  permit 
  easy 
  access 
  to 
  large 
  vessels 
  ; 
  these 
  are 
  Escambia 
  Kay, 
  

   on 
  which 
  Pensacola 
  is 
  located, 
  and 
  Tampa 
  Bay, 
  on 
  an 
  arm 
  of 
  which, 
  

   called 
  nillsboro 
  Bay, 
  Tampa 
  is 
  situated. 
  Tampa 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  rec(Mving 
  

   center 
  for 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  in 
  Hillsboro, 
  JManatee, 
  and 
  Lee 
  

   counties, 
  and 
  also 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  De 
  Soto 
  County. 
  

   Considerable 
  fresh-fish 
  trade, 
  however, 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  at 
  St. 
  Petersburg 
  

   on 
  Tampa 
  Bay 
  in 
  Hillsboro 
  County, 
  and 
  at 
  Punta 
  C.orda 
  on 
  ('harh)tte 
  

   Harbor, 
  in 
  De 
  Soto 
  County, 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  jdaces 
  being 
  raihoad 
  termini. 
  

   The 
  railroad 
  companies 
  have 
  directly 
  encouraged 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  

   by 
  giving 
  reasonable 
  rates; 
  in 
  1895 
  they 
  contemplated 
  an 
  advance 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  Includes 
  the 
  counties 
  of 
  Hillsboro, 
  Manatee, 
  Lee, 
  De 
  Soto, 
  jvnd 
  I'asro. 
  

  

  