﻿326 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  ripe 
  fish 
  are 
  found 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  February. 
  The 
  trout 
  or 
  squeteague 
  ranks 
  

   next 
  to 
  the 
  mullet 
  in 
  value. 
  It 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  largest 
  quantities 
  during 
  

   cold 
  weather, 
  when 
  it 
  congregates 
  in 
  deep 
  holes 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  readily 
  

   caught 
  with 
  a 
  seine, 
  while 
  in 
  warm 
  weather 
  the 
  schools 
  scatter. 
  The 
  

   sheepshead 
  is 
  most 
  common 
  from 
  December 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  March, 
  

   The 
  best 
  season 
  for 
  pompano 
  is 
  from 
  April 
  15 
  to 
  May 
  15, 
  and 
  for 
  Spanish 
  

   mackerel 
  from 
  March 
  15 
  to 
  May 
  1, 
  though 
  some 
  pompano 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  

   October 
  and 
  I^ovember. 
  The 
  redflsh 
  or 
  channel 
  bass 
  is 
  taken 
  princi- 
  

   pally 
  in 
  February, 
  March, 
  and 
  April. 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  food-fishes 
  of 
  Franklin 
  County 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  now 
  utilized, 
  

   although 
  abundant, 
  are 
  pinfish, 
  sturgeon, 
  and 
  catfish. 
  Large 
  quantities 
  

   of 
  pinfish 
  are 
  taken 
  each 
  year, 
  but 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  sale 
  for 
  them 
  they 
  are 
  

   thrown 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  water. 
  Sturgeon 
  are 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  common 
  

   in 
  the 
  rivers, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  sought. 
  There 
  are 
  immense 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   catfish 
  in 
  the 
  streams, 
  but 
  their 
  food 
  value 
  is 
  not 
  appreciated, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  

   189G 
  no 
  attention 
  was 
  paid 
  to 
  them. 
  In 
  this 
  year, 
  however, 
  an 
  Apalachi- 
  

   cola 
  dealer 
  began 
  to 
  purchase 
  and 
  ship 
  them 
  to 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   country. 
  

  

  The 
  yield 
  of 
  these 
  fisheries 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  over 
  3,000,000 
  pounds, 
  with 
  a 
  

   value 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  min^e 
  than 
  $73,000. 
  The 
  quantity 
  taken 
  with 
  

   seines 
  was 
  nearly 
  double 
  that 
  obtained 
  with 
  gill 
  nets. 
  Mullet, 
  fresh, 
  

   salted, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  roe, 
  constituted 
  five-sixths 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  

   eight-ninths 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch. 
  The 
  importance 
  of 
  each 
  product 
  

   is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  summary 
  of 
  the 
  yield: 
  

  

  Angel-fish 
  

  

  Bluelish 
  

  

  Chauuel 
  bass 
  

  

  Drum 
  

  

  Flounders 
  

  

  Kiiiglish 
  

  

  Mullet, 
  fresh 
  

  

  Mullet, 
  salted 
  

  

  Mullet 
  roe, 
  fresh 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   Mullet 
  roe, 
  salted 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Pigflsh 
  

  

  Pompano, 
  fresh 
  

  

  Pompano, 
  salted 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   Sheepshead. 
  fresh. 
  . 
  

   Sheepshead, 
  salted 
  . 
  

   Spanish 
  mackerel 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Spots 
  

  

  Trout, 
  fresh 
  

  

  Trout, 
  salted 
  

  

  Whiting 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Pounds. 
  

  

  Total 
  3,013,030 
  

  

  Value. 
  

  

  73,470 
  

  

  The 
  red-snapper 
  fishery. 
  — 
  A 
  little 
  fishing 
  for 
  red 
  snappers 
  and 
  group- 
  

   ers 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  from 
  Carrabelle 
  in 
  1S95, 
  a 
  small 
  sloop 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  

   schooner, 
  each 
  with 
  3 
  men, 
  being 
  employed. 
  It 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  finest 
  snapper 
  banks 
  oft" 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast 
  is 
  located 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  

   southeast 
  of 
  Dog 
  Island, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  9 
  miles 
  from 
  Carrabelle. 
  Owing 
  

   to 
  the 
  very 
  shoal 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  harbor 
  of 
  this 
  place, 
  only 
  

  

  