﻿[3] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  210 
  

  

  2311 
  " 
  on 
  the 
  ship's 
  log, 
  tbis 
  locality 
  being 
  off 
  the 
  Carolina 
  coast, 
  in 
  

   lat. 
  32° 
  54/ 
  N. 
  and 
  long. 
  77° 
  53' 
  W., 
  approximately. 
  

  

  After 
  setting 
  the 
  trawl-line 
  I 
  lay 
  by 
  its 
  lee 
  end 
  in 
  the 
  boat 
  until 
  10.20 
  

   a. 
  m., 
  when 
  we 
  began 
  hauling. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  strong 
  current 
  running, 
  

   and 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  anchor 
  was 
  aweigh 
  the 
  weather 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   ground 
  line, 
  near 
  the 
  other 
  anchor, 
  parted, 
  and 
  before 
  we 
  got 
  all 
  the 
  

   line 
  in, 
  the 
  boat 
  had 
  drifted 
  out 
  of 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  buoy-flag. 
  Know- 
  

   ing, 
  however, 
  the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  lay, 
  we 
  pulled 
  for 
  it, 
  and 
  sighted 
  

   it 
  after 
  awhile, 
  but 
  the 
  current 
  ran 
  so 
  strong 
  and 
  the 
  wind 
  also 
  began 
  

   to 
  breeze 
  up 
  somewhat, 
  making 
  a 
  small 
  choppy 
  sea, 
  that 
  we 
  gained 
  very 
  

   slowly, 
  despite 
  our 
  utmost 
  endeavors. 
  There 
  was 
  little 
  prospect 
  of* 
  

   reaching 
  the 
  buoy, 
  at 
  least 
  within 
  a 
  reasonable 
  time, 
  unless 
  we 
  had 
  as- 
  

   sistance 
  from 
  the 
  ship, 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  mean 
  time 
  had 
  been 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   dredging 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  boat. 
  We 
  were 
  

   finally 
  taken 
  in 
  tow 
  by 
  the 
  ship 
  and 
  pulled 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  buoy, 
  when 
  we 
  

   succeeded 
  in 
  getting 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  apparatus, 
  which, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   remarked, 
  had 
  become 
  so 
  much 
  deteriorated 
  by 
  previous 
  use 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   decided 
  to 
  condemn 
  the 
  line, 
  the 
  hooks 
  only 
  being 
  of 
  any 
  value. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  this 
  "set" 
  were 
  unimportant, 
  the 
  "take" 
  consisting 
  

   only 
  of 
  three 
  small 
  fish, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  hake, 
  Phycis 
  regius, 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  an 
  eel, 
  that 
  was 
  identified 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Bean 
  as 
  probably 
  belonging 
  to 
  

   the 
  genus 
  OphicUthys. 
  

  

  The 
  hauls 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  also 
  seemed 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  locality 
  was 
  evidently 
  not 
  one 
  that 
  would 
  support 
  an 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  such 
  fish 
  life 
  as 
  would 
  tend 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  of 
  any 
  importance, 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  are 
  concerned. 
  

  

  The 
  prevalence 
  of 
  rough 
  weather 
  during 
  the 
  next 
  two 
  days 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  made 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  fish, 
  even 
  had 
  it 
  been 
  desirable. 
  

  

  An 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  catch 
  fish 
  by 
  drailing 
  on 
  Thursday, 
  Janu- 
  

   ary 
  8, 
  while 
  steaming 
  across 
  from 
  the 
  Bahama 
  Reefs 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  

   Florida, 
  but 
  nothing 
  was 
  caught. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  following 
  day, 
  however, 
  while 
  sailing 
  along 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast, 
  

   south 
  of 
  Alligator 
  Light, 
  we 
  caught 
  five 
  kingiish 
  on 
  drail 
  lines. 
  These 
  

   fish 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  abundant 
  near 
  Sombrero 
  Key, 
  where 
  many 
  

   were 
  hooked 
  and 
  a 
  still 
  greater 
  number 
  struck 
  the 
  drails. 
  But 
  as 
  the 
  

   ship 
  was 
  steaming 
  about 
  10 
  knots, 
  the 
  speed 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   difficult 
  to 
  hook 
  a 
  fish, 
  and 
  the 
  chances 
  of 
  getting 
  one 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  

   hooked 
  were 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  minimum. 
  But 
  allusion 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  this 
  mat- 
  

   ter 
  more, 
  as 
  an 
  episode 
  of 
  the 
  cruise 
  than 
  as 
  being 
  of 
  any 
  special 
  im- 
  

   portance, 
  for, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  detailed 
  in 
  a 
  succeeding 
  paragraph, 
  the 
  locality 
  

   mentioned 
  is 
  a 
  well-known 
  and 
  much 
  frequented 
  fishing 
  ground 
  for 
  the 
  

   boats 
  which 
  go 
  after 
  kingiish, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  craft 
  we 
  saw 
  at 
  work 
  

   as 
  wo 
  passed 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  Sombrero 
  Light. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  fishing 
  was 
  done 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  with 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   ception 
  of 
  making 
  several 
  "shots" 
  with 
  the 
  capelan 
  seine 
  for 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  of 
  securing 
  collections 
  of 
  fishes 
  for 
  scientific 
  purposes. 
  The 
  report 
  

  

  