﻿[11] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  227 
  

  

  uortliward 
  of 
  Gape 
  Catoche. 
  The 
  lirst 
  trial 
  was 
  made 
  about 
  8 
  a. 
  in., 
  

   when 
  two 
  lines 
  were 
  put 
  out, 
  soundings 
  Laving- 
  been 
  previously 
  taken 
  

   (at 
  7.42 
  a. 
  m.) 
  in 
  2G 
  fathoms, 
  on 
  white 
  coral 
  bottom 
  (station 
  23G0). 
  No 
  

   fish 
  were 
  taken 
  ou 
  this 
  occasion. 
  Several 
  dredgings 
  were 
  then 
  made 
  

   with 
  tangles 
  and 
  beam-trawl 
  at 
  stations 
  23G1 
  and 
  23G2. 
  From 
  the 
  latter 
  

   position 
  the 
  ship 
  steamed 
  S 
  knots 
  on 
  a 
  southwest 
  by 
  west 
  course, 
  

   and 
  at 
  10.37 
  a. 
  m. 
  sounded 
  in 
  21 
  fathoms, 
  on 
  red 
  and 
  white 
  coral 
  bottom 
  

   (station 
  23G3, 
  hit. 
  22° 
  7' 
  30" 
  N., 
  long. 
  87° 
  6' 
  W.). 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  lines 
  

   were 
  put 
  out, 
  but, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  one 
  small 
  fish 
  that 
  was 
  of 
  no 
  

   commercial 
  value, 
  nothing 
  was 
  caught. 
  A 
  haul 
  was 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  

   beam 
  trawl 
  at 
  this 
  station, 
  bringing 
  up, 
  among 
  other 
  things, 
  a 
  large 
  

   amount 
  of 
  dead 
  shells 
  and 
  coral, 
  also 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  fishes, 
  none, 
  however, 
  

   of 
  any 
  economic 
  importance. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  trawl 
  was 
  up, 
  the 
  ship 
  steamed 
  northward 
  about 
  a 
  mile, 
  

   and 
  at 
  11.25 
  a, 
  in. 
  sounded 
  in 
  22 
  fathoms 
  (station 
  2364, 
  hit. 
  22° 
  08' 
  K, 
  

   long. 
  S7° 
  00' 
  W.). 
  Eight 
  or 
  ten 
  lines 
  were 
  put 
  out 
  — 
  baited, 
  as 
  before, 
  

   with 
  salt 
  mackerel 
  and 
  the 
  meat 
  of 
  live 
  conch 
  shells 
  — 
  and 
  we 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  fishing 
  until 
  a 
  little 
  after 
  1 
  p. 
  m., 
  the 
  fish 
  biting 
  the 
  best, 
  perhaps, 
  

   about 
  noon. 
  Fifteen 
  large 
  red 
  groupers 
  were 
  caught, 
  and 
  probably 
  

   twice 
  that 
  number 
  lost 
  after 
  being 
  hooked. 
  Some 
  got 
  away 
  after 
  being 
  

   brought 
  alongside, 
  and 
  in 
  several 
  instances 
  they 
  parted 
  the 
  snoods 
  and 
  

   went 
  off 
  with 
  the 
  hooks. 
  The 
  fish 
  weighed 
  from 
  about 
  9 
  to 
  upwards 
  of 
  

   15 
  pounds 
  apiece. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  fish 
  ceased 
  biting, 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  was 
  put 
  out 
  and 
  a 
  dredg- 
  

   ing 
  made. 
  In 
  this 
  instance, 
  as 
  before, 
  the 
  trawl 
  brought 
  up 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  quantities 
  of 
  dead 
  shells 
  and 
  dead 
  coral, 
  among 
  other 
  material, 
  the 
  

   general 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  haul 
  indicating 
  what 
  fishermen 
  usually 
  desig- 
  

   nate 
  as 
  " 
  dead 
  bottom."* 
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  ground 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  destitute 
  of 
  animal 
  life 
  that 
  may 
  serve 
  as 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  

   more 
  valuable 
  kinds 
  of 
  ground-feeding 
  food-fishes, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  seldom 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  in 
  such 
  localities. 
  

  

  Later 
  in 
  the 
  day, 
  the 
  ship 
  steamed 
  northwardly, 
  and 
  dredgings 
  were 
  

   made 
  at 
  station 
  2365 
  (lat. 
  22° 
  18' 
  N., 
  long. 
  87° 
  04' 
  W.), 
  in 
  24 
  fathoms 
  ; 
  

   station 
  2300 
  (lat. 
  22° 
  28' 
  !N 
  T 
  .,long. 
  87° 
  02' 
  W.), 
  in 
  27 
  fathoms 
  ; 
  and 
  at 
  sta- 
  

   tion 
  2307 
  (lat, 
  22° 
  3S' 
  K,long. 
  S7° 
  00' 
  W.), 
  in 
  124 
  fathoms. 
  At 
  the 
  two 
  

   first-mentioned 
  positions 
  a 
  line 
  was 
  put 
  out 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  minutes, 
  but 
  noth- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  caught. 
  The 
  last 
  haul 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  was 
  made 
  after 
  

   dark. 
  

  

  From 
  Campeche 
  Bank 
  the 
  ship 
  proceeded 
  directly 
  to 
  Pensacola, 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  February 
  2 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  navy-yard 
  at 
  that 
  port 
  

   and 
  made 
  fast 
  to 
  the 
  pier. 
  

  

  4. 
  FIRST 
  RED-SNAPPER 
  TRIP 
  FROM 
  PENSACOLA. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  following 
  morning, 
  in 
  compliance 
  with 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  Captain 
  

   Tanner, 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Pensacola, 
  some 
  5 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  navy- 
  

  

  * 
  For 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  taken 
  in 
  these 
  dredgings 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  to- 
  the 
  re- 
  

   ports 
  on 
  the 
  collections 
  obtained 
  during 
  the 
  cruise. 
  

  

  