﻿230 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [14] 
  

  

  After 
  steaming 
  to 
  windward 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  possibly 
  a 
  little 
  farther 
  

   than 
  we 
  had 
  drifted, 
  the 
  ship 
  hove 
  to 
  again 
  and 
  the 
  lines 
  were 
  put 
  out. 
  

   This 
  time 
  we 
  were 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  stop 
  directly 
  on 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   the 
  -school, 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  not 
  only 
  bit 
  with 
  the 
  utmost 
  eagerness, 
  bid 
  

   they 
  were 
  much 
  larger 
  and 
  finer 
  than 
  those 
  previously 
  taken, 
  and 
  be- 
  

   sides 
  there 
  were 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  other 
  kinds. 
  No 
  sooner 
  would 
  the 
  hooks 
  

   reach 
  bottom 
  than 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  taken 
  ; 
  pairs 
  of 
  large 
  snappers 
  were 
  

   frequently 
  caught, 
  and 
  so 
  eager 
  did 
  they 
  become 
  that 
  they 
  chased 
  the 
  

   gear 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  water. 
  It 
  frequently 
  happened 
  that 
  if 
  one 
  started 
  his 
  

   line 
  from 
  bottom 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  single 
  fish 
  on 
  it 
  another 
  would 
  bite 
  the 
  free 
  

   hook 
  before 
  it 
  got 
  far 
  up. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  my 
  line 
  Avas 
  fouled 
  and 
  stop 
  

   ped 
  running 
  for 
  a 
  moment, 
  when 
  about 
  halfway 
  to 
  bottom. 
  When 
  it 
  w:is 
  

   free 
  I 
  found 
  it 
  *' 
  loaded," 
  and 
  pulled 
  in 
  two 
  fine 
  snappers 
  that 
  averaged 
  15 
  

   pounds 
  each, 
  at 
  the 
  least. 
  As 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  gamiest 
  of 
  sea 
  fishes, 
  consequently 
  it 
  requires 
  some 
  muscle 
  and 
  grip 
  

   to 
  continue 
  pulling 
  in 
  such 
  big 
  and 
  active 
  fish, 
  particularly 
  when 
  two 
  

   at 
  a 
  time 
  come 
  as 
  often 
  as 
  one. 
  Every 
  one 
  began 
  fishing 
  barehanded, 
  

   and, 
  as 
  a 
  consequence, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  long 
  before 
  all 
  had 
  their 
  hands 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  blistered 
  by 
  the 
  lines, 
  and 
  gloves, 
  mitteus, 
  &c, 
  were 
  in 
  requisi- 
  

   tion. 
  For 
  nearly 
  an 
  hour 
  or 
  more 
  the 
  fishing 
  continued 
  in 
  good 
  earnest, 
  

   but 
  at 
  the 
  expiration 
  of 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  ship 
  drifted 
  off 
  the 
  school, 
  as 
  be- 
  

   fore, 
  and 
  not 
  a 
  single, 
  fish 
  could 
  be 
  caught. 
  While 
  we 
  were 
  steaming 
  

   to 
  windward 
  again 
  opportunity 
  was 
  afforded 
  to 
  sum 
  up 
  the 
  results, 
  

   which 
  were 
  as 
  follows: 
  80 
  red 
  snappers, 
  the 
  largest 
  weighing 
  21 
  pounds, 
  

   2 
  groupers, 
  and 
  G 
  porgies. 
  A 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  snappers 
  would 
  tip 
  

   the 
  scales 
  at 
  12 
  to 
  15 
  pounds, 
  while 
  not 
  a 
  few 
  were 
  heavier. 
  

  

  The 
  ship 
  hove 
  to 
  after 
  going 
  a 
  short 
  distance, 
  but 
  on 
  this 
  occasion 
  

   we 
  were 
  less 
  fortunate 
  than 
  before. 
  Only 
  seven 
  snappers 
  were 
  caught, 
  

   but 
  these 
  were 
  of 
  extraordinary 
  size, 
  the 
  largest 
  weighing 
  27.1 
  pounds, 
  

   which 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  the 
  maximum 
  for 
  the 
  species, 
  since 
  we 
  are 
  

   told 
  that 
  one 
  is 
  seldom 
  seen 
  to 
  exceed 
  or 
  even 
  equal 
  this 
  in 
  size. 
  Besides 
  

   the 
  snappers, 
  we 
  caught 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  gags 
  and 
  a 
  single 
  porgie. 
  It 
  

   was 
  not 
  long, 
  however, 
  before 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  catch 
  anything, 
  and 
  the 
  

   ship 
  then 
  shifted 
  her 
  position 
  again. 
  The 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  was 
  

   spent 
  in 
  dredging 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl, 
  but 
  no 
  more 
  fish 
  were 
  taken, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  lines 
  were 
  put 
  out 
  at 
  nearly 
  every 
  station, 
  'flu? 
  ma- 
  

   terial 
  dredged 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  consisted 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  of 
  dead 
  

   shells, 
  dead 
  corals, 
  black 
  sand, 
  gravel, 
  &c, 
  with 
  which 
  were 
  many 
  small 
  

   Crustacea, 
  small 
  octopods, 
  and 
  worms, 
  also 
  a 
  few 
  little 
  fish, 
  and 
  sonic 
  

   other 
  material. 
  In 
  one 
  locality 
  "live 
  bottom" 
  was 
  found, 
  many 
  live 
  

   corals, 
  shells, 
  sponges, 
  &c, 
  being 
  brought 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  trawl. 
  The 
  fisher 
  

   men 
  claim 
  that 
  patches 
  of 
  bottom 
  of 
  this 
  character 
  are 
  the 
  favorite 
  

   haunts 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  snapper. 
  In 
  another 
  place 
  (station 
  2375, 
  in 
  30 
  

   fathoms, 
  lat. 
  29° 
  10' 
  IS.,, 
  long. 
  S5° 
  31' 
  W.), 
  where 
  we 
  made 
  the 
  last 
  

   dredging 
  of 
  the 
  day, 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  fiat 
  sea 
  urchins, 
  called 
  "sand 
  

  

  