﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  325 
  

  

  out 
  custom-house 
  papers, 
  the 
  others, 
  11 
  in 
  number, 
  being 
  of 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  tons 
  

   burden. 
  The 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats, 
  without 
  their 
  apparatus 
  and 
  outfit, 
  had 
  

   a 
  vahie 
  of 
  $7,420. 
  The 
  crews 
  numbered 
  8G. 
  

  

  The 
  Apalachicola 
  sponge 
  vessels 
  usually 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  liock 
  Island 
  

   grounds 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  then 
  to 
  Sea 
  Horse 
  Key, 
  off 
  Cedar 
  Keys, 
  

   then 
  down 
  the 
  coast 
  to 
  the 
  Anclote 
  region. 
  The 
  grounds 
  between 
  Sea 
  

   Horse 
  Key 
  and 
  Anclote 
  are 
  those 
  most 
  resorted 
  to. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  

   is 
  sold 
  to 
  Tarpon 
  Springs 
  dealers, 
  ^earlj^ 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  S])onge 
  vessels 
  

   engage 
  in 
  oystering 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  several 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  also 
  

   employed 
  in 
  transporting 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  7,35G 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  sponges, 
  almost 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  variety, 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  

   dealers 
  paid 
  $11,981. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  spouge-dealers 
  at 
  Apalachicola 
  who 
  handle 
  chiefly 
  the 
  

   catch 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  fleet. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  also 
  maizes 
  purchases 
  at 
  Anclote, 
  

   where 
  the 
  principal 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  business 
  Avas 
  done 
  in 
  1895. 
  The 
  

   handling 
  of 
  sponges 
  gave 
  employnient 
  to 
  19 
  persons. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   sponge 
  warehouses 
  and 
  fixtures 
  was 
  about 
  $4,150. 
  The 
  cost 
  price 
  of 
  

   the 
  sponges 
  purchased 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  $16,207. 
  This 
  sum, 
  however, 
  does 
  

   not 
  represent 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  Apalachicola 
  sponge 
  fishery, 
  as 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  vessels 
  did 
  not 
  sell 
  to 
  local 
  dealers 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  latter 
  bought 
  from 
  

   outside 
  vessels. 
  

  

  Seine 
  and 
  gill-net 
  fishing. 
  — 
  The 
  taking 
  of 
  fish 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  seines 
  and 
  

   drift 
  gill 
  nets 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  of 
  

   Apalachicola 
  and 
  Carrabelle; 
  more 
  persons 
  find 
  emidoyment 
  in 
  this 
  

   branch, 
  more 
  capital 
  is 
  invested 
  therein, 
  and 
  more 
  i)roducts 
  are 
  taken 
  

   than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  fishery. 
  The 
  fishery 
  is 
  more 
  extensive 
  at 
  Ai)alachi- 
  

   cola 
  than 
  at 
  Carrabelle. 
  

  

  In 
  1895 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  who 
  engaged 
  in 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  fishing 
  

   was 
  335; 
  147 
  of 
  these 
  used 
  gill 
  nets 
  and 
  255 
  used 
  seines, 
  67 
  persons 
  

   employing 
  both 
  kinds 
  of 
  apparatus. 
  The 
  gill 
  nets 
  numbered 
  69, 
  had 
  

   an 
  aggregate 
  length 
  of 
  44,400 
  feet, 
  and 
  were 
  valued 
  at 
  $1,895; 
  the 
  

   mesh 
  is 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  3i 
  inches. 
  Forty 
  seines 
  were 
  operated; 
  these 
  had 
  a 
  

   combined 
  length 
  of 
  26,955 
  feet, 
  and 
  were 
  worth 
  $3,280 
  ; 
  the 
  mesh 
  was 
  2i 
  

   to 
  3 
  inches. 
  In 
  the 
  setting 
  and 
  hauling 
  of 
  the 
  nets 
  and 
  seines, 
  78 
  sail- 
  

   boats 
  and 
  53 
  rowboats 
  were 
  used, 
  and 
  in 
  transferring 
  the 
  catch 
  from 
  the 
  

   fishing-grounds 
  to 
  the 
  markets 
  19 
  small 
  vessels 
  were 
  employed: 
  the 
  

   investment 
  in 
  boats 
  and 
  vessels 
  was 
  $10,200. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  fishes 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  seine 
  and 
  gill-net 
  fisheries 
  of 
  this 
  

   county 
  are 
  mullet, 
  sheep^head, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  i)ompano, 
  trout, 
  

   redflsh, 
  spot, 
  and 
  whiting, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  others 
  being 
  secured 
  in 
  snuill 
  

   quantities. 
  The 
  mullet 
  is 
  the 
  leading 
  si)ecies, 
  and 
  is 
  sold 
  in 
  very 
  large 
  

   quantities 
  in 
  a 
  fresh 
  and 
  salted 
  condition. 
  The 
  principal 
  season 
  for 
  

   mullet 
  is 
  October 
  and 
  November, 
  when 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  near 
  the 
  shores, 
  

   and 
  are 
  mostly 
  taken 
  in 
  seines; 
  in 
  August 
  ami 
  September 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  catch 
  is 
  in 
  gill 
  nets, 
  the 
  fish 
  then 
  being 
  in 
  deep 
  water. 
  The 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  spawning 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  mullet 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  is 
  December, 
  although 
  

  

  