﻿LXVI 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Tne 
  red 
  snapper 
  (Luijanus 
  vivanus 
  Cuv. 
  & 
  Val. 
  [or 
  Lutjanus 
  black- 
  

   fordi 
  Goode 
  & 
  Bean 
  j) 
  Las 
  long 
  - 
  been 
  locally 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  favorite 
  food-fish, 
  

   but 
  the 
  fishery 
  for 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  developed 
  within 
  recent 
  years 
  when 
  it 
  

   has 
  become 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  and 
  West. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  fish 
  

   that 
  will 
  keep 
  for 
  an 
  unusually 
  long 
  time 
  in 
  ice. 
  Thus 
  packed 
  in 
  bar- 
  

   rels 
  or 
  boxes 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  sent 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  country, 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   markets 
  of 
  Boston, 
  Chicago, 
  and 
  Denver, 
  where, 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  bright 
  

   crimson 
  color, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  fish 
  seen. 
  The 
  favorite 
  fish- 
  

   ing-grounds 
  for 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias 
  off 
  

   the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida, 
  but 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  

   as 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  New 
  Jersey 
  and 
  even, 
  beyond. 
  The 
  Florida 
  reefs, 
  

   however, 
  and 
  rocky 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  40 
  

   fathoms 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  their 
  favorite 
  resorts, 
  being 
  gregarious 
  in 
  habit 
  and 
  

   strictly 
  carnivorous 
  in 
  their 
  food. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  red-snapper 
  fishery 
  the 
  inshore 
  grounds 
  were 
  

   most 
  resorted 
  to, 
  but 
  at 
  present 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  grounds 
  are 
  tbose 
  

   lying 
  offshore, 
  where 
  the 
  snapper 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  most 
  abundant 
  in 
  win- 
  

   ter, 
  when 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  at 
  its 
  height. 
  The 
  headquarters 
  of 
  this 
  indus- 
  

   try 
  is 
  at 
  Pensacola, 
  which 
  is 
  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  grounds 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  port, 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  available 
  market 
  for 
  the 
  receipt 
  and 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  grounds, 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  fish 
  to 
  

   be 
  found 
  upon 
  them, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  changing 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  marked 
  manner. 
  

   This 
  change, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  most 
  noticeable 
  during 
  very 
  recent 
  years, 
  is 
  

   still 
  going 
  on, 
  and 
  localities 
  formerly 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  abundance 
  offish 
  

   on 
  them 
  only 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  so 
  ago 
  are 
  now 
  of 
  comparatively 
  little 
  importance. 
  

   This 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  vessels 
  a^e 
  continually 
  obliged 
  to 
  extend 
  

   their 
  cruises 
  farther 
  off 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  meet 
  with 
  success; 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  feared 
  

   that 
  this 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  abund" 
  ice 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  may 
  continue 
  until 
  the 
  

   fishery 
  will 
  be 
  no 
  longer 
  profitable. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  reasons 
  why 
  the 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  red 
  snappers 
  maybe 
  more 
  easily 
  reduced 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  the 
  

   case 
  with 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  food-fishes, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  these 
  snappers 
  are 
  

   local 
  in 
  their 
  habits, 
  occupying 
  a 
  region 
  of 
  comparatively 
  small 
  pro- 
  

   portions 
  and 
  being 
  found 
  only 
  in 
  small 
  areas 
  or 
  banks 
  within 
  this 
  re- 
  

   gion, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  though 
  prefera- 
  

   bly 
  in 
  winter. 
  

  

  Much 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  fishermen 
  from 
  New 
  England, 
  some 
  of 
  

   whom 
  are 
  engaged 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  and 
  fish 
  

   off 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coasts 
  in 
  summer. 
  The 
  vessels 
  used 
  in 
  this 
  fishery 
  

   are 
  naturally, 
  then, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  of 
  Northern 
  build, 
  though 
  it 
  

   should 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats 
  of 
  nearly 
  all 
  styles 
  

   and 
  rigs, 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  fishermen 
  are 
  of 
  all 
  classes 
  and 
  climes. 
  

  

  The 
  fishing 
  for 
  red 
  snappers 
  is 
  done 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  with 
  hand- 
  

   lines, 
  which 
  are 
  rigged 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  primitive 
  manner, 
  as 
  the 
  snapper 
  is 
  a 
  

   greedy 
  biter, 
  from 
  which 
  fact 
  it 
  gets 
  its 
  name, 
  and 
  the 
  lines 
  are 
  exposed 
  

   to 
  frequent 
  loss. 
  The 
  bait 
  used 
  is 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  smaller 
  

  

  