﻿220 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [4] 
  

  

  on 
  these 
  operations, 
  the 
  different 
  species 
  captured, 
  &c, 
  belongs 
  more 
  

   properly 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Tarleton 
  H. 
  Bean, 
  who 
  was 
  always 
  present 
  on 
  tbe 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  occasions, 
  and 
  who, 
  having 
  - 
  the 
  collections 
  in 
  his 
  charge, 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  

   person 
  capable 
  or 
  entitled 
  to 
  submit 
  a 
  report 
  concerning 
  what 
  was 
  

   done. 
  This 
  being 
  the 
  case, 
  I 
  deem 
  it 
  only 
  necessary 
  for 
  me 
  to 
  allude 
  

   incidentally 
  to 
  these 
  operations, 
  both 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  and 
  later 
  dining 
  the 
  

   cruise, 
  and 
  this 
  might 
  not 
  even 
  be 
  required 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  seemingly 
  de- 
  

   sirable 
  to 
  remark 
  upon 
  the 
  feasibility 
  of 
  using 
  such 
  apparatus 
  lor 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  which 
  we 
  visited. 
  

  

  We 
  found 
  that 
  while 
  a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  success 
  might 
  be 
  attained 
  

   at 
  Key 
  West 
  by 
  using 
  a 
  drag-seine 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  collecting, 
  such 
  

   apparatus 
  could 
  not 
  lie 
  profitably 
  employed 
  in 
  fishing 
  for 
  market, 
  at 
  least 
  

   not 
  where 
  we 
  went. 
  The 
  bottom 
  is 
  composed 
  largely, 
  if 
  not 
  wholly, 
  of 
  

   coral 
  formation, 
  and 
  even 
  with 
  the 
  greatest 
  care 
  we 
  tore 
  large 
  holes 
  in 
  

   our 
  seine, 
  while 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  fish 
  that 
  would 
  be 
  marketable 
  was 
  insig- 
  

   nificant. 
  

  

  I 
  wished 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  trip 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  boats 
  that 
  were 
  going 
  

   for 
  kingfish 
  off 
  Sombrero 
  Key. 
  An 
  arrangement 
  was 
  accordingly 
  made 
  

   with 
  the 
  skipper 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  boats 
  on 
  Saturday, 
  January 
  10, 
  to 
  take 
  

   me 
  on 
  board 
  next 
  morning 
  when 
  he 
  started 
  out. 
  He 
  said 
  he 
  would 
  

   return 
  on 
  Monday 
  afternoon 
  to 
  sell 
  his 
  fish 
  to 
  the 
  smack 
  that 
  was 
  ex- 
  

   pected 
  to 
  sail 
  for 
  Havana 
  on 
  Tuesday, 
  and 
  he 
  promised 
  to 
  come 
  along- 
  

   side 
  the 
  Albatross 
  on 
  his 
  way 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  harbor 
  and 
  take 
  me 
  on 
  board. 
  

   This 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  do, 
  and 
  consequently 
  I 
  failed 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  trip. 
  I 
  

   learned 
  later 
  that 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  the 
  smack's 
  sailing 
  was 
  changed 
  to 
  the 
  

   evening 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  on 
  which 
  we 
  thought 
  to 
  leave 
  Key 
  West, 
  and 
  the 
  

   boatman 
  did 
  not 
  expect 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  harbor 
  until 
  our 
  ship 
  had 
  

   left 
  it. 
  

  

  My 
  time 
  at 
  Key 
  West, 
  during 
  the 
  six 
  days 
  of 
  our 
  stay, 
  was 
  occu- 
  

   pied 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  in 
  obtaining 
  data, 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  port, 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  1ST. 
  B. 
  Miller 
  volunteered 
  to 
  take 
  some 
  photographs 
  of 
  vessels, 
  

   boats, 
  &c.j 
  that 
  may 
  serve 
  as 
  material 
  for 
  illustration. 
  The 
  fishing 
  

   industries 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  are 
  important 
  and 
  support 
  a 
  large 
  percentage 
  

   of 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  while 
  a 
  numerous 
  fleet 
  of 
  vessels 
  and 
  

   boats 
  find 
  employment 
  in 
  gathering 
  the 
  ocean 
  products 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  

   taken 
  about 
  the 
  keys, 
  banks, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  within 
  the 
  radius 
  

   of 
  150 
  miles. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  desirable 
  that 
  the 
  information 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  gathered 
  

   relative 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  and 
  other 
  places 
  visited, 
  par- 
  

   ticularly 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  should 
  be 
  appended 
  to 
  this 
  report. 
  Aside 
  

   from 
  the 
  interest 
  which 
  may 
  attach 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  themselves, 
  which 
  

   is 
  considerable, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  by 
  making 
  a 
  full 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  methods, 
  

   vessels, 
  boats, 
  &c, 
  now 
  in 
  use 
  that 
  we 
  can 
  form 
  an 
  intelligible 
  idea 
  of 
  

   the 
  business, 
  and 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  determine 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  it 
  is 
  desirable 
  to 
  

   offer 
  any 
  suggestions 
  for 
  improving 
  the 
  same. 
  

  

  