﻿[V] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  223 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  oft 
  the 
  iiortk 
  end 
  of 
  this 
  island 
  Las 
  a 
  very 
  gradual 
  slope 
  

   from 
  the 
  shore 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  5 
  or 
  G 
  miles. 
  The 
  ship's 
  anchorage 
  was 
  

   about 
  3 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  laud, 
  in 
  5 
  or 
  C 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water. 
  Here 
  the 
  

   water 
  was 
  so 
  clear 
  that 
  objects 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  could 
  be 
  seen, 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  

   this 
  was 
  practically 
  the 
  case 
  quite 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  verge 
  of 
  the 
  bank. 
  

  

  After 
  anchoring, 
  some 
  small 
  hand-lines 
  were 
  put 
  out 
  aud 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  

   yellow 
  tails 
  (probably 
  Sciccna 
  punctatus 
  Linn) 
  aud 
  one 
  grunt 
  (JJiabasis 
  

   formosus 
  J. 
  & 
  G.) 
  were 
  caught; 
  also 
  a 
  small 
  shark. 
  It 
  was 
  nearly 
  

   dark 
  when 
  the 
  lines 
  were 
  first 
  put 
  out, 
  and 
  wo 
  had 
  not 
  fished 
  long 
  before 
  

   the 
  sharks 
  gathered 
  around 
  in 
  sufficient 
  numbers 
  to 
  take 
  away 
  the 
  hooks 
  

   and 
  sinkers 
  from 
  several 
  Hues. 
  Just 
  how 
  many 
  there 
  were 
  it 
  was, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  impossible 
  to 
  tell, 
  as 
  a 
  siugle 
  fish 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  might 
  play 
  

   liavoc 
  with 
  as 
  many 
  small 
  Hues 
  as 
  he 
  took 
  a 
  fancy 
  to 
  bite 
  at. 
  However, 
  

   we 
  were 
  satisfied 
  that 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  did 
  the 
  mischief, 
  since 
  two 
  lines 
  

   were 
  stripped 
  of 
  their 
  hooks 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  A 
  shark 
  line 
  was 
  put 
  

   out, 
  but 
  beyoud 
  the 
  specimen 
  mentioned 
  no 
  sharks 
  were 
  taken. 
  

  

  At 
  daylight 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  January 
  23, 
  the 
  ship 
  got 
  under 
  way 
  

   aud 
  steamed 
  around 
  to 
  the 
  little 
  village 
  of 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  on 
  the 
  northwest 
  

   .side 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  where 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  anchor 
  in 
  about 
  5 
  fathoms 
  within 
  

   easy 
  distance 
  of 
  the 
  shore. 
  The 
  beach 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  makes 
  a 
  slight 
  

   bend, 
  curving 
  in 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  and 
  with 
  easterly 
  winds, 
  which 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  prevail, 
  this 
  cove 
  offers 
  an 
  excellent 
  shelter 
  and 
  good 
  landing. 
  

   But 
  with 
  a 
  norther 
  or 
  even 
  with 
  a 
  westerly 
  wind, 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  liable 
  to 
  

   come 
  on 
  suddenly 
  in 
  winter, 
  a 
  vessel 
  would 
  be 
  ou 
  a 
  lee 
  shore, 
  or 
  at 
  best 
  

   be 
  exposed 
  to 
  a 
  wind 
  and 
  sea 
  driving 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  This 
  being 
  the 
  

   case, 
  it 
  was, 
  therefore, 
  somewhat 
  risky, 
  to 
  say 
  the 
  least, 
  to 
  attempt 
  any 
  

   night 
  fishing 
  with 
  gill-nets, 
  since 
  it 
  might 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  be 
  necessary 
  for 
  

   the 
  ship 
  to 
  get 
  under 
  way 
  and 
  leave 
  the 
  place, 
  aud 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  getting 
  

   afoul 
  of 
  gear 
  in 
  the 
  night 
  aud 
  entangliug 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  screws, 
  was 
  one 
  not 
  

   to 
  be 
  despised, 
  providing 
  the 
  apparatus 
  was 
  set 
  near 
  the 
  ship 
  ; 
  to 
  put 
  

   it 
  far 
  from 
  her 
  would 
  expose 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  sweep 
  of 
  the 
  swift 
  current 
  that 
  

   ran 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  No 
  night 
  fishing 
  was 
  attempted. 
  

  

  Although 
  fish 
  of 
  many 
  varieties 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  abundant 
  about 
  Cozu- 
  

   mel, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  fishing, 
  strictly 
  speaking, 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  the 
  inhabitants. 
  

   A 
  few 
  fish 
  are 
  sometimes 
  captured 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  cast 
  nets 
  thrown 
  from 
  

   the 
  hand, 
  but 
  these 
  are 
  seldom 
  used 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  could 
  learn, 
  aud 
  of 
  

   course 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  are 
  so 
  meager 
  that 
  such 
  operations 
  can 
  

   scarcely 
  come 
  into 
  the 
  category 
  of 
  fishing, 
  as 
  understood 
  from 
  a 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  standpoint. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  little 
  can 
  be 
  doue 
  with 
  hook 
  and 
  line. 
  Nearly 
  

   every 
  day 
  while 
  we 
  were 
  at 
  the 
  island, 
  the 
  ingenuity 
  of 
  the 
  ship's 
  

   officers 
  and 
  naturalists 
  was 
  exercised 
  to 
  capture 
  the 
  fish 
  which 
  could 
  

   be 
  seen 
  swimming 
  about, 
  several 
  fathoms 
  down, 
  in 
  the 
  clear, 
  translu- 
  

   cent 
  water. 
  A 
  few 
  specimens 
  of 
  barracuda, 
  also 
  some 
  parrot 
  and 
  file 
  

   fishes 
  were 
  taken, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  but 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  last 
  mentioned 
  

   species 
  are 
  so 
  small, 
  and 
  the 
  dentition 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  character, 
  that 
  a 
  hook 
  

  

  