﻿332 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  table 
  shows 
  the 
  quantity 
  aud 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  taken 
  

   in 
  the 
  Pensacola 
  seine 
  fishery 
  in 
  1895. 
  From 
  this 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  

   considerably 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  consisted 
  of 
  mullet. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   1,071,414 
  pounds 
  credited 
  to 
  this 
  fishery 
  1,030,000 
  pounds 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  

   the 
  boat 
  fishery 
  and 
  only 
  about 
  41,000 
  iwunds 
  iu 
  the. 
  vessel 
  fishery. 
  

  

  Species. 
  

  

  Pounds. 
  

  

  Value. 
  

  

  Blueflsh 
  

  

  Channel 
  bass 
  

  

  Mullet 
  

  

  Pompano 
  

  

  Sheepsheail 
  

  

  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  

  

  Spot 
  

  

  Trout 
  

  

  Jarel 
  

  

  Yellow-tail 
  

  

  Angel-fisli 
  

  

  Crevalle 
  

  

  Bream 
  

  

  Ijady-fish 
  

  

  Whiting 
  

  

  Other 
  tish 
  

  

  Mobilians 
  (terrapins) 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  83, 
  202 
  

  

  9,825 
  

  

  612,071 
  

  

  17, 
  908 
  

  

  40, 
  662 
  

  

  107, 
  430 
  

  

  15, 
  695 
  

  

  38, 
  949 
  

  

  63, 
  388 
  

  

  9,010 
  

  

  14, 
  486 
  

  

  14, 
  165 
  

  

  7,180 
  

  

  22, 
  655 
  

  

  7,689 
  

  

  6,059 
  

  

  440 
  

  

  1,071,414 
  

  

  $1, 
  656 
  

   153 
  

  

  7,981 
  

  

  1,099 
  

   764 
  

  

  4,877 
  

   297 
  

  

  1,514 
  

   761 
  

   119 
  

   181 
  

   138 
  

   223 
  

   227 
  

   77 
  

   135 
  

   14 
  

  

  20, 
  216 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  gill-net 
  fishery, 
  carried 
  on 
  j^rincipally 
  for 
  mullet, 
  which 
  is 
  

   of 
  comparatively 
  little 
  importance. 
  In 
  1895 
  it 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  by 
  18 
  

   persons, 
  who 
  operated 
  9 
  gill 
  nets 
  from 
  9 
  boats. 
  The 
  nets 
  had 
  an 
  

   aggregate 
  length 
  of 
  4,320 
  feet, 
  a 
  3^-inch 
  mesh, 
  and 
  were 
  valued 
  at 
  

   $1,118. 
  The 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  taken 
  were 
  as 
  follows: 
  

   Bluefish, 
  3,199 
  pounds, 
  1132; 
  channel 
  bass, 
  922 
  pounds, 
  $13; 
  mullet, 
  

   86,558 
  pounds, 
  $1,155; 
  Si^anish 
  mackerel, 
  5,844 
  pounds, 
  $292; 
  trout, 
  

   G,440 
  pounds, 
  $226. 
  

  

  Spanish 
  mackerel 
  and 
  pompano 
  have 
  been 
  decreasing 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  

   during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years. 
  Fifteen 
  years 
  ago 
  pompano 
  were 
  very 
  

   abundant, 
  and 
  brought 
  better 
  i)rices 
  than 
  they 
  do 
  now. 
  At 
  the 
  opening 
  

   of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  dealers 
  have 
  paid 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  $1 
  per 
  fish. 
  When 
  the 
  

   price 
  dropped 
  to 
  15 
  cents 
  per 
  fish, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  became 
  discouraged. 
  

   The 
  present 
  price 
  is 
  only 
  5 
  cents 
  a 
  pound, 
  or 
  about 
  10 
  cents 
  per 
  fish. 
  

  

  An 
  apparent 
  relation 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  between 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   bluefish 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  About 
  ten 
  

   years 
  ago, 
  when 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  scarcity 
  of 
  bluefish 
  on 
  the 
  east- 
  

   ern 
  seaboard, 
  these 
  fish 
  were 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf, 
  but 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  

   they 
  reappeared 
  in 
  numbers 
  on 
  the 
  Atlanti<i 
  coast 
  they 
  became 
  scarce 
  

   on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  fHd»,s/r</.— 
  Although 
  much 
  less 
  extensive 
  than 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  other 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Pensacola, 
  the 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  is 
  of 
  considerable 
  

   importance 
  and 
  possesses 
  some 
  interesting 
  features. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  

   taken 
  for 
  market 
  from 
  both 
  natural 
  and 
  cultivated 
  grounds. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Pensacola 
  are 
  in 
  

   Escambia 
  and 
  East 
  bays, 
  oysters 
  of 
  excellent 
  quality 
  being 
  found 
  on 
  all 
  

   the 
  reefs 
  and 
  bars. 
  The 
  supply 
  of 
  marketable 
  oysters 
  on 
  these 
  grounds, 
  

  

  