﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  317 
  

  

  Alligator 
  and 
  otter 
  hunting 
  — 
  In 
  Ilillsboro, 
  De 
  Soto, 
  and 
  Lee 
  counties 
  

   considerable 
  alligator 
  and 
  otter 
  hnnting 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  white 
  men 
  and 
  

   Indians. 
  The 
  alligator 
  industry 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  extensive 
  than 
  formerly, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  excessive 
  hunting 
  of 
  the 
  alligators, 
  which 
  are 
  being 
  rapidly 
  

   killed 
  off, 
  but 
  the 
  hunting 
  of 
  otters 
  is 
  now 
  receiving 
  more 
  than 
  usual 
  

   attention, 
  the 
  otters 
  having 
  undergone 
  a 
  noteworth}^ 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   past 
  few 
  years. 
  The 
  reason 
  generally 
  assigned 
  for 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  otters 
  is 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  alligators, 
  which 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  principal 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  otters. 
  

  

  In 
  1895, 
  according 
  to 
  information 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  dealers 
  in 
  the 
  

   three 
  counties 
  named 
  who 
  handled 
  the 
  alligator 
  and 
  otter 
  skins, 
  214 
  

   persons 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  business; 
  their 
  investment 
  in 
  boats, 
  guns, 
  

   traps, 
  etc., 
  was 
  $7,421; 
  and 
  their 
  product 
  amounted 
  to 
  1G,750 
  alligator 
  

   skins, 
  valued 
  at 
  111,925, 
  and 
  2,750 
  otter 
  pelts, 
  worth 
  $13,750. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  industry. 
  — 
  Although 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  oysters 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   principal 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  section, 
  the 
  business 
  is 
  far 
  

   from 
  being 
  as 
  extensive 
  as 
  the 
  resources 
  seem 
  to 
  warrant. 
  The 
  ques- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  maintaining 
  the 
  supply 
  and 
  developing 
  the 
  industry 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  important 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  can 
  be 
  drawn. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  counties 
  of 
  Hillsboro, 
  Manatee, 
  and 
  

   De 
  Soto 
  are 
  located 
  in 
  Hillsboro 
  Bay, 
  at 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Mana- 
  

   tee 
  River, 
  in 
  Sarasota 
  Bay, 
  and 
  at 
  Cape 
  Haze 
  in 
  Charlotte 
  Harbor. 
  

   There 
  are 
  isolated 
  oyster 
  beds 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  coast, 
  but 
  the 
  foregoing 
  

   have 
  up 
  to 
  this 
  time 
  been 
  the 
  chief 
  sources 
  of 
  supply. 
  

  

  Opinions 
  differ 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  becoming 
  scarcer, 
  

   although 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  dealers 
  and 
  oystermen 
  think 
  they 
  are 
  decreasing 
  

   each 
  year. 
  Some 
  time 
  ago 
  Tampa 
  drew 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  oyster 
  supply 
  from 
  

   Old 
  Tampa 
  Bay, 
  but 
  the 
  beds 
  in. 
  that 
  place 
  are 
  so 
  depleted 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  

   not 
  paid 
  to 
  work 
  them 
  for 
  several 
  years. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  oystering 
  is 
  done 
  from 
  Tampa, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  oyster 
  business 
  at 
  Punta 
  Gorda. 
  In 
  1895, 
  77 
  persons 
  were 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  taking 
  oysters. 
  These 
  used 
  vessels, 
  boats, 
  and 
  apparatus 
  

   (tongs) 
  valued 
  at 
  $3,058. 
  The 
  product, 
  amounting 
  to 
  70,384 
  bushels, 
  

   was 
  worth 
  $21,334, 
  an 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  cents 
  a 
  bushel. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  some 
  efforts 
  at 
  private 
  oyster-culture 
  have 
  

   been 
  made, 
  consisting 
  in 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  seed 
  oysters 
  in 
  Hillsboro 
  Bay 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  worked-out 
  Manatee 
  beds, 
  but 
  the 
  enterprise 
  has 
  thus 
  far 
  

   been 
  unsatisfactory, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  robbery 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  

  

  Clams 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  Sarasota 
  Bay 
  and 
  elsewhere, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   limited 
  demand 
  no 
  regular 
  fishery 
  has 
  been 
  established 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  

   thousand 
  are 
  taken 
  annually. 
  

  

  The 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  and 
  trade. 
  — 
  The 
  sponge 
  business 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  

   centers 
  at 
  Tarpon 
  Springs, 
  in 
  Hillsboro 
  County, 
  on 
  the 
  Anclote 
  Kivcr. 
  

   This 
  river 
  affords 
  a 
  good 
  harbor, 
  is 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  Anclote 
  sponge- 
  

   grounds, 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  rendezvous 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  sponge 
  vessels 
  

  

  