﻿328 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  red-snapfer 
  fishery. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  this 
  fishery 
  wbicli 
  gives 
  to 
  Pensacola 
  

   its 
  chief 
  importance 
  as 
  a 
  flshiug 
  center 
  and 
  has 
  brought 
  the 
  phxce 
  into 
  

   prominent 
  notice 
  from 
  a 
  fishing 
  standpoint. 
  The 
  taking 
  of 
  red 
  snap- 
  

   pers 
  here 
  not 
  only 
  readies 
  larger 
  proportions 
  than 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  but 
  the 
  product 
  is 
  many 
  tiiiies 
  greater 
  than 
  at 
  all 
  other 
  

   centers 
  combined. 
  

  

  The 
  red-snapper 
  fishery 
  is 
  essentially 
  a 
  vessel 
  fishery, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  sailboats 
  which 
  frequent 
  the 
  nearer 
  grounds. 
  

   The 
  snapper 
  vessels 
  now 
  employed 
  vary 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  54 
  tons 
  and 
  

   carry 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  men. 
  Their 
  average 
  size 
  is 
  about 
  29 
  tons 
  and 
  their 
  

   average 
  crew 
  is 
  7. 
  Their 
  average 
  value, 
  inclusive 
  of 
  outfit, 
  is 
  $5,587. 
  

   With 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  exceptions 
  they 
  are 
  schooner-rigged, 
  only 
  2 
  sloops 
  

   being 
  employed 
  in 
  1895. 
  Each 
  vessel 
  carries 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  boats, 
  from 
  

   which 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  is 
  done. 
  

  

  The 
  lines 
  used 
  are 
  valued 
  at 
  about 
  .$1 
  each. 
  The 
  usual 
  complement 
  

   is 
  2 
  to 
  each 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  crew, 
  besides 
  which 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  lines 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  are 
  

   kept 
  in 
  reserve. 
  Tlie 
  boats 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  snapper 
  fishery 
  carry 
  

   about 
  5 
  men 
  each 
  and 
  are 
  valued 
  at 
  $125 
  on 
  an 
  average. 
  The 
  lines 
  

   are 
  fewer 
  and 
  less 
  expensive 
  than 
  those 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  vessel 
  fishery. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  six 
  warmer 
  months 
  of 
  each 
  year 
  the 
  snapper 
  vessels 
  

   resort 
  to 
  those 
  banks 
  lying 
  between 
  Ship 
  Island 
  and 
  Tortugas, 
  and 
  

   during 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  on 
  the 
  great 
  Campeche 
  Bank, 
  lying 
  

   off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Yucatan. 
  Snappers 
  could 
  probably 
  be 
  caught 
  off 
  the 
  

   Florida 
  coast 
  during 
  the 
  colder 
  months 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  very 
  unset- 
  

   tled 
  weather 
  there 
  encountered. 
  On 
  the 
  Campeche 
  Bank 
  good 
  weather 
  

   prevails, 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  warmer, 
  and 
  the 
  snapi^ers 
  can 
  be 
  caught 
  with 
  

   great 
  facility. 
  The 
  location, 
  depth, 
  extent, 
  and 
  general 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  various 
  fishing-grounds 
  for 
  suapi)ers 
  have 
  been 
  fully 
  described 
  in 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  Commission.* 
  The 
  bait 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  snapper 
  

   fishery 
  consists 
  entirely 
  of 
  pieces 
  of 
  fish, 
  the 
  principal 
  species 
  being 
  

   snappers, 
  groupers, 
  bluefish, 
  sharks, 
  lady-fish, 
  menhaden, 
  and 
  other 
  

   fish 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  banks. 
  Salted 
  lady-fish 
  is 
  a 
  favorite 
  and 
  much-used 
  

   bait. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  bait 
  is 
  carried 
  from 
  shore, 
  but 
  a 
  fair 
  proportion 
  is 
  

   caught 
  on 
  the 
  fishing-grounds. 
  

  

  The 
  usual 
  time 
  consumed 
  on 
  a 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  distant 
  banks 
  is 
  two 
  

   weeks, 
  but 
  a 
  vessel 
  may 
  return 
  from 
  the 
  nearer 
  grounds 
  in 
  a 
  week, 
  or 
  

   less. 
  The 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  trips 
  during 
  a 
  season 
  is 
  now 
  about 
  22. 
  

   Necessary 
  repairs 
  to 
  the 
  vessels 
  and 
  inclement 
  weather 
  occasion 
  delays. 
  

  

  A 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  conducting 
  this 
  fishery 
  has 
  taken 
  idace 
  in 
  

   comparatively 
  recent 
  years. 
  Ten 
  years 
  ago 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  were 
  

   well-smacks, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  as 
  caught 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  wells 
  and 
  landed 
  

  

  *See 
  especially 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  Report 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  and 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fishing-grounds 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  during 
  the 
  cruise 
  along 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Coast 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  with 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  Gulf 
  fisheries. 
  Report 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Com. 
  1885. 
  

  

  Report 
  upon 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fishing-grounds 
  ofi' 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida. 
  

   Bulletin 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Conuuissiou 
  1890. 
  

  

  The 
  red-snapper 
  fishery. 
  Fisheries 
  and 
  Fishery 
  Industries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  

   Sec. 
  V, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  18S7. 
  

  

  