﻿322 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  formerly 
  engaged 
  in 
  sliacl 
  fishing 
  on 
  Albemarle 
  Sound, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  

   tliat 
  they 
  were 
  correct 
  in 
  their 
  identification. 
  This 
  year 
  the 
  sturgeon 
  

   fishermen 
  intend 
  to 
  use 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  shad 
  gill 
  nets 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  

   their 
  sturgeon 
  fishing, 
  and 
  are 
  in 
  hopes 
  of 
  making 
  profitable 
  catches. 
  

   A 
  drawback 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  nets 
  on 
  this 
  river 
  is 
  tlie 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  

   stumps 
  and 
  sunken 
  logs 
  which 
  interfere 
  with 
  the 
  fishing. 
  If 
  shad 
  are 
  

   caught 
  in 
  paying 
  quantities, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  an 
  effort 
  will 
  be 
  made 
  

   to 
  improve 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  certain 
  spots 
  that 
  are 
  favorable 
  for 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  drift 
  gill 
  nets. 
  

  

  Turtle 
  and 
  terrapin 
  fishing. 
  — 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  green 
  turtles 
  was 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  by 
  42 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  fishermen. 
  These 
  used 
  28 
  sail 
  and 
  row 
  

   boats, 
  valued 
  at 
  |5,405, 
  and 
  43 
  turtle 
  nets, 
  worth 
  $1,290. 
  The 
  number 
  

   of 
  turtles 
  taken 
  was 
  2,651, 
  weighing 
  107,610 
  pounds 
  and 
  valued 
  at 
  

   $6,981. 
  The 
  average 
  weight 
  was 
  only 
  40 
  pounds. 
  In 
  1890 
  113 
  turtle 
  

   nets 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  this 
  place; 
  these 
  took 
  89,958 
  pounds 
  of 
  turtle, 
  having 
  

   a 
  value 
  of 
  $6,297. 
  The 
  turtle 
  fishermen 
  and 
  larger 
  boys 
  of 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  

   make 
  quite 
  a 
  business 
  of 
  getting 
  terrapins, 
  which 
  are 
  usually 
  caught 
  

   with 
  the 
  hands. 
  About 
  30 
  cents 
  apiece 
  is 
  the 
  average 
  price 
  received 
  

   by 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  catch 
  amounted 
  to 
  11,400 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  

   at 
  $1,250. 
  This 
  was 
  an 
  increase 
  over 
  1890, 
  when 
  the 
  output 
  was 
  4,180 
  

   jiounds. 
  The 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  terrapins 
  is 
  3 
  pounds. 
  

  

  Summary 
  of 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  fisheries. 
  — 
  In 
  1895 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  place 
  

   gave 
  employment 
  to 
  246 
  persons; 
  of 
  these, 
  230 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  

   proper, 
  6 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  transporting 
  fishery 
  products 
  to 
  market, 
  and 
  

   10 
  were 
  employed 
  in 
  various 
  capacities 
  on 
  shore. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  

   capital 
  invested 
  in 
  this 
  industry 
  was 
  $26,651. 
  The 
  leading 
  items 
  in 
  the 
  

   investment 
  were 
  123 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats 
  valued 
  at 
  $13,910, 
  apparatus 
  of 
  

   capture 
  worth 
  $2,702, 
  shore 
  and 
  accessory 
  property 
  valued 
  at 
  $1,539, 
  

   and 
  cash 
  capital 
  $8,500. 
  The 
  fishery 
  products 
  weighed 
  1,726,658 
  pounds, 
  

   and 
  had 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $33,888; 
  of 
  this 
  sum, 
  fishes 
  represented 
  $23,652, 
  

   reptiles 
  $8,231, 
  and 
  mollusks 
  $2,005. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  figures 
  do 
  not 
  include 
  the 
  sponge 
  vessels 
  which 
  take 
  

   out 
  papers 
  at 
  the 
  Cedar 
  Keys 
  custom-house, 
  but 
  are 
  owned 
  or 
  make 
  

   their 
  headquarters 
  elsewhere. 
  

  

  THE 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA 
  AND 
  VICINITY. 
  

  

  General 
  character 
  and 
  extent. 
  — 
  The 
  fisheries 
  prosecuted 
  fromApalach- 
  

   icola, 
  Carrabelle, 
  and 
  other 
  j)oints 
  in 
  Franklin 
  County 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  varied 
  

   character 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate 
  are 
  quite 
  important, 
  although 
  no 
  single 
  

   branch 
  is 
  of 
  special 
  prominence. 
  The 
  principal 
  fisheries 
  are 
  the 
  sponge, 
  

   oyster, 
  and 
  mullet, 
  although 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  fish 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  large 
  quantities 
  with 
  gill 
  nets, 
  seines, 
  and 
  other 
  apparatus. 
  

   Apalachicola 
  ranks 
  next 
  to 
  Key 
  West 
  and 
  Pensacola 
  in 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  

   its 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  this 
  prominence 
  seems 
  quite 
  remarkable 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   exceedingly 
  poor 
  facilities 
  for 
  shipping 
  the 
  catch. 
  The 
  establishment 
  

   of 
  railroad 
  communication, 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  assured, 
  will 
  greatly 
  increase 
  

   the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  and 
  vicinity, 
  as 
  the 
  resources 
  are 
  

  

  