﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  321 
  

  

  3 
  small 
  vessels 
  (one 
  of 
  wliicli 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  hand-line 
  fishery). 
  The 
  value 
  

   of 
  the 
  two 
  vessels 
  that 
  were 
  in 
  no 
  other 
  branch 
  was 
  .$3,580, 
  including 
  

   outfits. 
  The 
  gill 
  nets 
  numbered 
  50: 
  they 
  bad 
  a 
  ;5.f-inch 
  mesh, 
  and 
  the 
  

   average 
  length 
  was 
  57G 
  feet; 
  their 
  total 
  value 
  was 
  81,14(). 
  

  

  This 
  fishery 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  nearly 
  1 
  ,500,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish, 
  

   having 
  a 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  $22,555. 
  Over 
  two-tbirds 
  of 
  tbe 
  

   catch 
  were 
  mullet. 
  Following 
  is 
  a 
  table 
  showing 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  

   of 
  the 
  diflerent 
  species: 
  

  

  Specica. 
  

  

  Bluefish 
  

  

  Channel 
  bass 
  

  

  Croaker 
  

  

  Drum 
  

  

  Mangrove 
  snapper 
  

  

  Mullet, 
  fresh 
  

  

  Mullet, 
  salt 
  

  

  Pompano 
  

  

  Sailor's 
  choice 
  

  

  Sheepshead 
  

  

  Trout 
  , 
  

  

  other 
  fish 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  roundB. 
  

  

  Value. 
  

  

  1,474,540 
  

  

  22, 
  555 
  

  

  Hand-line 
  fishing. 
  — 
  The 
  taking 
  of 
  fish 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  hand 
  lines 
  is 
  an 
  

   unimportant 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  fisheries. 
  In 
  1895 
  some 
  15 
  semi- 
  

   professionals, 
  using 
  hand 
  lines 
  from 
  the 
  railroad 
  dock 
  and 
  fromrowboats, 
  

   caught 
  sheepshead, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  and 
  trout, 
  and 
  3 
  fishermen 
  in 
  a 
  

   small 
  schooner 
  (of 
  15 
  tons) 
  caught 
  red 
  snappers 
  and 
  groupers. 
  The 
  

   yield, 
  which 
  amounted 
  to 
  59,724 
  pounds, 
  was 
  valued 
  at 
  $1,097, 
  and 
  was 
  

   divided 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Sheepshead, 
  11,114: 
  pounds 
  ; 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  4,000 
  

   pounds; 
  trout, 
  15,810 
  pounds; 
  red 
  snappers, 
  8,800 
  pounds; 
  groupers, 
  

   20,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  Sturgeon 
  and 
  shad 
  in 
  the 
  Suwanee 
  Fiver. 
  — 
  Sturgeon 
  are 
  found 
  iu 
  

   nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  Florida 
  coast 
  at 
  certain 
  seasons 
  of 
  

   the 
  year, 
  but 
  very 
  little 
  attention 
  is 
  given 
  to 
  this 
  valuable 
  fish. 
  In 
  

   1895 
  a 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  dealer 
  sent 
  a 
  small: 
  j)arty 
  of 
  fishermen 
  with 
  gill 
  nets 
  

   to 
  the 
  Suwanee 
  Eiver 
  to 
  make 
  trials 
  for 
  fish 
  and 
  determine 
  the 
  best 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  for 
  fishing. 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  expected 
  that 
  much 
  wonld 
  bo 
  

   done 
  that 
  year, 
  as 
  tlie 
  visit 
  was 
  rather 
  late, 
  but 
  as 
  aresnlt 
  of 
  the 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  then 
  made 
  the 
  matter 
  was 
  taken 
  up 
  again 
  in 
  November, 
  1800, 
  

   fishing 
  was 
  actively 
  begun, 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  sturgeon 
  had 
  been 
  secured 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  investigation. 
  

  

  In 
  June, 
  1892, 
  the 
  Fisli 
  Commission 
  made 
  a 
  plant 
  of 
  750,000 
  shad 
  

   fry 
  in 
  the 
  Suwanee 
  River, 
  and 
  on 
  several 
  occasions 
  the 
  catching 
  of 
  

   mature 
  fish 
  has 
  been 
  reported 
  from 
  that 
  stream, 
  but 
  the 
  resnlts 
  have 
  

   been 
  so 
  meager 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  supposed 
  the 
  experiment 
  had 
  been 
  snc- 
  

   cessful. 
  The 
  sturgeon 
  fishermen 
  who 
  made 
  a 
  prospective 
  trip 
  to 
  this 
  

   river 
  in 
  1895 
  reported 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  seen 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  shad 
  going 
  

   up 
  the 
  stream, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  caught 
  a 
  few 
  and 
  identified 
  them 
  as 
  

   the 
  ''wliite 
  shad" 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast. 
  As 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  men 
  were 
  

   F. 
  R. 
  90 
  21 
  

  

  