﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  329 
  

  

  alive. 
  In 
  1890 
  the 
  well-smack 
  had 
  nearly 
  gone 
  out 
  of 
  use 
  at 
  Pensacola, 
  

   and 
  as 
  repairs 
  became 
  necessary 
  the 
  vesselswere 
  made 
  ov.er 
  into 
  tight- 
  

   bottom 
  craft, 
  and 
  by 
  1895 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  A^essels 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  belonging 
  

   at 
  Pensacola. 
  It 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  given 
  up 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   losses 
  sustained 
  in 
  bringing 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  cold 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  to 
  

   the 
  warmer 
  waters 
  encountered 
  near 
  shore. 
  With 
  the 
  tight-bottomed 
  

   vessels 
  the 
  fishing 
  may 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  deeper 
  water, 
  and 
  larger 
  fares 
  are 
  

   obtained 
  than 
  when 
  welled 
  vessels 
  were 
  used. 
  Now, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  

   are 
  caught 
  they 
  are 
  killed 
  and 
  packed 
  in 
  ice 
  in 
  storage 
  compartments 
  

   near 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  vessel. 
  The 
  larger 
  vessels 
  have 
  storage 
  room 
  for 
  

   4,500 
  Of 
  5,000 
  fish, 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  others 
  being 
  proportionate 
  to 
  

   their 
  size. 
  

  

  The 
  arrangement 
  between 
  the 
  vessel-owners 
  and 
  fishermen 
  is 
  as 
  fol- 
  

   lows: 
  The 
  owners 
  furnish 
  the 
  ice 
  and 
  bait, 
  and 
  when 
  a 
  vessel 
  returns 
  

   these 
  items 
  are 
  deducted 
  from 
  the 
  gross 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fish. 
  Of 
  the 
  remain- 
  

   ing 
  stock, 
  40 
  i)er 
  cent 
  is 
  set 
  aside 
  as 
  the 
  vessel's 
  share; 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  60 
  

   per 
  cent, 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  provisions 
  and 
  lines 
  is 
  taken. 
  The 
  balance 
  

   is 
  then 
  divided 
  among 
  the 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  proportions: 
  The 
  cap- 
  

   tain, 
  first 
  hand, 
  and 
  cook 
  get 
  1^ 
  shares 
  each; 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   crew 
  1 
  share 
  each. 
  The 
  captain 
  also 
  receives 
  15 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  vessel's 
  

   share 
  as 
  a 
  bonus. 
  If 
  a 
  vessel 
  has 
  a 
  broken 
  trip 
  or 
  a 
  poor 
  catch, 
  and 
  

   hais 
  not 
  secured 
  enough 
  fish 
  to 
  pay 
  the 
  expenses 
  of 
  a 
  trii), 
  the 
  owners, 
  

   on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  getting 
  good 
  crews, 
  usually 
  make 
  no 
  effort 
  

   to 
  collect 
  the 
  balance 
  due 
  them, 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  under 
  other 
  

   treatment 
  the 
  crews 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  give 
  up 
  their 
  situations 
  on 
  returning 
  

   with 
  a 
  small 
  fare. 
  

  

  The 
  cost 
  of 
  fitting 
  out 
  a 
  vessel 
  for 
  red-snapper 
  fishing 
  is 
  considerable. 
  

   In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  lines 
  and 
  dories, 
  the 
  expense 
  for 
  ice, 
  bait, 
  fuel, 
  i)ro- 
  

   visions, 
  and 
  general 
  stores 
  for 
  each 
  trip 
  of 
  a 
  large-sized 
  vessel 
  is 
  about 
  

   $175; 
  ice, 
  at 
  $8 
  per 
  ton, 
  being 
  the 
  largest 
  item. 
  

  

  Up 
  to 
  1895 
  the 
  suapjier 
  catch 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  the 
  following 
  grades 
  

   by 
  the 
  Pensacola 
  dealers: 
  Small 
  snappers, 
  or 
  "rats,'" 
  which 
  weigh 
  3i 
  

   pounds 
  or 
  less; 
  medium 
  snappers, 
  which 
  weigh 
  more 
  than 
  3.^ 
  pounds 
  

   and 
  up 
  to 
  7 
  pounds; 
  large 
  snappers, 
  or 
  "counts," 
  which 
  weigh 
  over 
  7 
  

   pounds 
  and 
  average 
  10 
  pounds. 
  The 
  prices 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   for 
  the 
  various 
  sizes 
  were 
  4^ 
  cents 
  a 
  i)Ound 
  (or 
  the 
  small, 
  'S.\ 
  cents 
  a 
  

   pound 
  for 
  the 
  medium, 
  25 
  cents 
  each 
  for 
  the 
  large 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  (iOO, 
  and 
  

   20 
  cents 
  each 
  for 
  the 
  remainder. 
  On 
  June 
  15, 
  1895, 
  a 
  new 
  schedule 
  of 
  

   prices 
  went 
  into 
  effect 
  and 
  this 
  still 
  prevails; 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  For 
  all 
  

   snappers 
  under 
  7 
  pounds 
  in 
  weight, 
  3i 
  cents 
  a 
  ptmnd; 
  for 
  all 
  sna|)pers 
  

   over 
  that 
  weight, 
  20 
  cents 
  each 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  1,000, 
  15 
  cents 
  each 
  for 
  the 
  

   second 
  1,000, 
  and 
  10 
  cents 
  each 
  for 
  the 
  remainder. 
  The 
  i)rice 
  of 
  

   groupers 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  has 
  remained 
  at 
  1 
  cent 
  a 
  ]H>und. 
  

  

  In 
  1895 
  the 
  snapper 
  fishery 
  centering 
  at 
  Pensacola 
  gave 
  employment 
  

   to 
  42 
  vessels, 
  with 
  an 
  aggregate 
  tonnage 
  of 
  1,209.(12 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  value, 
  

   including 
  outfits, 
  of 
  $234,050. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  sailboats 
  employed 
  was 
  

  

  