﻿224 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [8] 
  

  

  might 
  bo 
  stripped 
  of 
  its 
  bait 
  by 
  thein 
  time 
  after 
  time, 
  until 
  one's 
  pa- 
  

   tience 
  was 
  quite 
  exhausted, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  by 
  a 
  "lucky 
  hit" 
  that 
  a 
  

   capture 
  could 
  be 
  effected. 
  The 
  parrot 
  fishes 
  are 
  not, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  

   aware, 
  very 
  highly 
  valued 
  as 
  food, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  it 
  is 
  prob- 
  

   able 
  that 
  a 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  are 
  of 
  

   littic 
  economical 
  importance. 
  No 
  fishing, 
  other 
  than 
  that 
  mentioned 
  

   above, 
  was 
  attempted, 
  otherwise 
  than 
  for 
  making 
  collections 
  for 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  purposes. 
  To 
  obtain 
  such 
  collections 
  the 
  capelan 
  seine 
  was 
  set 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  times. 
  The 
  catch, 
  while 
  often 
  very 
  important 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  capture 
  

   of 
  different 
  varieties 
  was 
  concerned, 
  was 
  nevertheless 
  always 
  insignifi- 
  

   cant 
  from 
  a 
  fisherman's 
  stand 
  point. 
  The 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  may 
  bo 
  fouud 
  

   in 
  .the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  are 
  unfavorable 
  

   for 
  seining. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  places 
  smooth, 
  white, 
  sandy 
  beaches 
  occur, 
  where 
  

   it 
  is 
  easy 
  enough 
  to 
  haul 
  a 
  seine, 
  but, 
  unfortunately, 
  these 
  localities 
  are 
  

   invariably 
  barren 
  of 
  fish-life, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  limited 
  amount 
  of 
  

   the 
  smallest 
  varieties 
  that 
  are 
  of 
  no 
  commercial 
  importance. 
  There 
  are 
  

   long 
  stretches 
  of 
  beach, 
  not 
  only 
  near 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  but 
  more 
  particularly 
  

   toward 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  on 
  its 
  western 
  side, 
  which, 
  seen 
  

   from 
  a 
  distance, 
  have 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  being 
  very 
  favorable 
  localities 
  

   for 
  landing 
  a 
  seine. 
  But, 
  with 
  few 
  exceptions, 
  appearances 
  are 
  mislead- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  we 
  found 
  on 
  close 
  examination 
  that 
  numerous 
  outcropping 
  coral 
  

   rocks, 
  with 
  jagged 
  edges 
  and 
  sharp 
  points, 
  lay 
  just 
  outside 
  the 
  surf, 
  if 
  

   they 
  did 
  not 
  show 
  above 
  the 
  water 
  line, 
  and 
  it 
  goes 
  without 
  saying 
  that 
  

   where 
  these 
  occurred 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  seining 
  was 
  impracticable. 
  

   But 
  it 
  was 
  around 
  these 
  particular 
  beaches, 
  that 
  bristled 
  witli 
  craggy 
  

   rocks, 
  and 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  abundance 
  of 
  algae, 
  madre- 
  

   pores, 
  &e., 
  that 
  fish 
  were 
  plentiful. 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  unusual 
  in 
  these 
  places 
  

   to 
  see 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  species, 
  like 
  barracuda, 
  lady-fish, 
  &c, 
  chasing 
  

   t 
  he 
  schools 
  of 
  smaller 
  fish, 
  darting 
  about 
  and 
  leaping 
  out 
  of 
  water, 
  a 
  short 
  

   distance 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  surf. 
  Such 
  displays 
  were 
  a 
  great 
  temptation 
  to 
  

   try 
  the 
  seine, 
  but 
  the 
  result 
  — 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  net 
  — 
  was 
  too 
  self- 
  

   evident 
  to 
  warrant 
  us 
  in 
  making 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  use 
  it. 
  The 
  difficulties 
  

   encountered 
  may 
  be 
  judged 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  on 
  several 
  occasions, 
  not- 
  

   withstanding 
  much 
  care 
  was 
  exercised 
  in 
  selecting 
  what 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  favorable 
  spot 
  for 
  hauling 
  the 
  seine, 
  it 
  took 
  the 
  whole 
  party 
  of 
  six 
  

   seamen 
  and 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  others 
  more 
  than 
  an 
  hour 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  landing. 
  

   The 
  foot-line 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  constantly 
  watched 
  and 
  pulled 
  from 
  beneath 
  the 
  

   coral 
  rocks 
  by 
  a 
  man 
  in 
  the 
  boat, 
  though, 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  shallow 
  

   enough 
  for 
  the 
  purpose, 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  seamen 
  waded 
  out 
  up 
  to 
  their 
  

   arm-pits 
  ami 
  shoulders 
  and 
  tended 
  the 
  net, 
  frequently 
  diving 
  under 
  

   water 
  to 
  detach 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  from 
  (he 
  bottom. 
  Even 
  with 
  all 
  

   this 
  labor 
  and 
  care, 
  often 
  rendered 
  doubly 
  fatiguing 
  by 
  the 
  blazing 
  heat 
  

   of 
  a- 
  tropical 
  noonday 
  sun, 
  we 
  rarely 
  succeeded 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  haul 
  without 
  

   tearing 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  large 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  net; 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  constant 
  lifting 
  

   of 
  the 
  foot-line 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  made 
  the 
  escape 
  of 
  fish 
  possible, 
  the 
  

  

  