﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LXVII 
  

  

  fish, 
  such 
  as 
  lady-fish, 
  skipjacks, 
  porgies, 
  &c. 
  A 
  vessel 
  engaged 
  in 
  this 
  

   fishery 
  usually 
  carries 
  from 
  300 
  to 
  400 
  pounds 
  of 
  salt 
  bait 
  on 
  each 
  frip. 
  

   Other 
  fish 
  when 
  caught 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  bait, 
  and 
  this, 
  when 
  fresh, 
  has 
  

   the 
  advantage 
  of 
  being 
  tougher 
  tban 
  the 
  salt 
  bait, 
  and 
  not 
  so 
  easily 
  

   torn 
  from 
  the 
  hooks. 
  Much 
  care 
  must 
  be 
  exercised 
  in 
  searching 
  for 
  the 
  

   small 
  and 
  closely 
  circumscribed 
  spots 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  snappers 
  are 
  found; 
  

   and, 
  even 
  when 
  found, 
  the 
  fish, 
  which 
  are 
  usually 
  so 
  ready 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  

   bait, 
  cannot 
  always 
  be 
  caught. 
  

  

  Some 
  vessels 
  put 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  their 
  catch 
  in 
  ice 
  and 
  thus 
  carry 
  them 
  

   to 
  market; 
  others 
  carry 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  wells 
  of 
  the 
  vessels, 
  where 
  much 
  

   care 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  prevent 
  them 
  from 
  dying 
  of 
  suffocation. 
  In 
  

   either 
  case, 
  when 
  a 
  fare 
  is 
  obtained 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  market 
  

   as 
  soon 
  as 
  possible. 
  From 
  Pensacola 
  all 
  the 
  fish 
  shipped 
  go 
  by 
  rail, 
  

   except 
  those 
  sent 
  to 
  New 
  York, 
  which 
  are 
  generally 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  Sa- 
  

   vannah 
  Steamship 
  Company's 
  line. 
  

  

  During 
  October, 
  November, 
  and 
  December 
  the 
  best 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   is 
  made, 
  while 
  from 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  March 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  little 
  is 
  done, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  vessels 
  generally 
  haul 
  up 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  mouths 
  in 
  summer. 
  The 
  fish 
  range 
  in 
  weight 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  35 
  pounds, 
  

   averaging 
  7 
  pounds. 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  paid 
  by 
  the 
  Pensacola 
  dealers 
  

   for 
  the 
  fresh 
  fish 
  is 
  about 
  3 
  cents 
  per 
  pound, 
  while 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  

   red 
  snappers 
  taken 
  during 
  1885 
  was 
  about 
  2,000,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  As 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  the 
  best 
  opportunities 
  for 
  knowing 
  claim 
  that 
  the 
  

   red 
  snappers 
  are 
  rapidly 
  becoming 
  scarcer 
  on 
  the 
  grounds 
  where 
  they 
  

   are 
  now 
  taken, 
  it 
  seems 
  eminently 
  desirable 
  that 
  some 
  means 
  should 
  be 
  

   adopted 
  for 
  preventing 
  this 
  depletion. 
  If 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  should 
  

   be 
  exhausted, 
  a 
  promising 
  industry 
  would 
  be 
  broken 
  up, 
  and 
  the 
  country 
  

   at 
  large 
  would 
  be 
  deprived 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  of 
  our 
  edible 
  fishes. 
  This 
  

   may 
  be 
  prevented 
  by 
  two 
  methods: 
  First, 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  artificial 
  

   propagation 
  to 
  the 
  red 
  snapper; 
  and, 
  second, 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  new 
  fish- 
  

   ing-grounds 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  worked 
  while 
  the 
  old 
  ones 
  are 
  recuperating. 
  

   As 
  to 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  this 
  fish, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  at 
  

   present 
  so 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  its 
  breeding 
  habits 
  that 
  nothing 
  can 
  now 
  be 
  

   done. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  congratulation 
  that 
  the 
  recent 
  researches 
  of 
  the 
  

   Albatross 
  have 
  demonstrated 
  the 
  important 
  fact 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  

   area 
  of 
  ground 
  yet 
  unworked 
  off 
  Tampa 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  it 
  where 
  the 
  snap- 
  

   per 
  is 
  seemingly 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  formerly 
  been 
  sought. 
  

   This 
  may 
  give 
  relief 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  grounds 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  too 
  much 
  ex- 
  

   hausted, 
  and 
  may 
  lead 
  to 
  further 
  investigation 
  and 
  discovery. 
  

  

  24. 
  — 
  THE 
  BLACK 
  COD 
  OF 
  THE 
  PACIFIC. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  cod 
  (Anojilopoma 
  fimbria 
  Pallas) 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Ocean 
  

   is 
  not 
  a 
  true 
  cod 
  (Gadus 
  morrhua 
  Linn.) 
  in 
  its 
  family 
  relation, 
  but 
  in 
  

   its 
  appearance 
  somewhat 
  nearly 
  resembles 
  the 
  pollock 
  (Pollachius 
  car- 
  

   bonarius 
  Linn.), 
  having 
  a 
  color 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  which 
  has 
  obtained 
  for 
  both 
  

   itself 
  and 
  the 
  pollock 
  in 
  some 
  regions 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  "coal-fish." 
  Gener- 
  

  

  