﻿[17] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  2^5 
  

  

  the 
  first 
  and 
  last 
  trial 
  for 
  fish, 
  were 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Thirty-two 
  fathoms, 
  

   sand, 
  gravel, 
  broken 
  shells; 
  25 
  fathoms, 
  gray 
  sand; 
  35 
  fathoms, 
  yel- 
  

   low 
  sand, 
  black 
  specks 
  ; 
  27 
  fathoms, 
  gray 
  sand, 
  broken 
  shells 
  ; 
  3G 
  fath- 
  

   oms, 
  fine 
  gray 
  sand, 
  black 
  specks 
  ; 
  30 
  fathoms, 
  coarse 
  sand, 
  black 
  

   specks, 
  stones; 
  25 
  fathoms, 
  gray 
  sand, 
  black 
  specks; 
  25 
  fathoms, 
  

   coarse 
  sand, 
  black 
  specks, 
  broken 
  shells 
  ; 
  22 
  fathoms, 
  fine 
  white 
  sand. 
  

   As 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  the 
  depth 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  are 
  precisely 
  the 
  

   same 
  on 
  the 
  two 
  last 
  soundings 
  taken, 
  although 
  they 
  were 
  made 
  more 
  

   than 
  4 
  miles 
  apart. 
  It 
  would 
  appear 
  somewhat 
  strange 
  that 
  not 
  a 
  

   single 
  food-fish 
  was 
  taken 
  over 
  all 
  this 
  extended 
  area. 
  But 
  the 
  dredg- 
  

   mgs 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  brought 
  up 
  very 
  little 
  that 
  might 
  serve 
  

   as 
  food 
  for 
  fish 
  so 
  active 
  and 
  voracious 
  as 
  either 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  or 
  

   grouper. 
  According 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Stearns, 
  red 
  snappers 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  

   abundant 
  over 
  this 
  ground, 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  still 
  farther 
  inshore, 
  a 
  few 
  

   weeks 
  later, 
  in 
  April 
  and 
  May, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  near 
  their 
  spawning 
  sea- 
  

   son. 
  He 
  thinks 
  that 
  they 
  go 
  in 
  at 
  such 
  times 
  on 
  the 
  sandy 
  bottom 
  to 
  

   spawn, 
  where 
  their 
  eggs 
  may 
  be 
  less 
  liable 
  to 
  attacks 
  from 
  Crustacea 
  

   and 
  numerous 
  species 
  of 
  predaceous 
  fish 
  that 
  are 
  plentiful 
  a 
  little 
  farther 
  

   out, 
  in 
  deeper 
  water. 
  lie 
  is 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  some 
  

   schools 
  of 
  snappers 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  35 
  to 
  47 
  fathoms, 
  a 
  little 
  

   outside 
  of 
  the 
  northernmost 
  soundings 
  obtained 
  by 
  us. 
  Although 
  the 
  

   snappers 
  that 
  are 
  caught 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Cape 
  San 
  

   Bias, 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  from 
  27 
  to 
  3L 
  fathoms 
  (and 
  on 
  one 
  spot 
  in 
  a 
  less 
  

   depth) 
  in 
  winter, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  say 
  that 
  they 
  must 
  go 
  in 
  deeper 
  water 
  

   on 
  the 
  grounds 
  off 
  Mobile. 
  

  

  Early 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  March 
  5 
  the 
  ship 
  arrived 
  in 
  Pensacola 
  and 
  

   made 
  fast 
  to 
  the 
  coal 
  wharf 
  at 
  the 
  navy-yard. 
  

  

  G. 
  SECOND 
  RED-SNAPPER 
  TRIP 
  FROM 
  PENSACOLA. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  forenoon 
  after 
  our 
  arrival 
  at 
  Pensacola 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  town 
  

   in 
  the 
  steam 
  launch, 
  at 
  Captain 
  Tanner's 
  request, 
  to 
  see 
  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  

   and 
  ask 
  him 
  to 
  come 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  ship, 
  which 
  he 
  did. 
  He 
  wished 
  to 
  

   make 
  a 
  trip 
  with 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  snapper 
  banks, 
  and 
  on 
  his 
  return 
  to 
  town 
  

   made 
  arrangements 
  to 
  do 
  so. 
  He 
  accordingly 
  came 
  on 
  board 
  again 
  the 
  

   next 
  day 
  (March 
  G), 
  and 
  at 
  5.15 
  p. 
  m. 
  the 
  ship 
  left 
  the 
  navy-yard 
  and 
  

   steamed 
  to 
  sea. 
  After 
  getting 
  outside 
  the 
  bar 
  the 
  course 
  was 
  laid 
  for 
  

   the 
  " 
  Old 
  Cape 
  Ground," 
  off 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias. 
  At 
  a 
  little 
  before 
  G 
  o'clock 
  

   on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  7th 
  we 
  began 
  fishing, 
  in 
  30 
  fathoms; 
  bottom 
  of 
  

   gray 
  sand, 
  black 
  specks, 
  and 
  broken 
  shells 
  ; 
  the 
  ship's 
  position 
  being 
  

   lat. 
  29° 
  1G' 
  19" 
  N., 
  long. 
  85° 
  4fl' 
  30" 
  W. 
  Several 
  hand-lines 
  were 
  put 
  

   out, 
  these 
  being 
  baited 
  with 
  mackerel, 
  but 
  only 
  one 
  grouper 
  was 
  caught; 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  reported 
  hauling 
  a 
  small 
  red 
  snapper 
  alongside, 
  but 
  he 
  

   lost 
  it. 
  At 
  G.30 
  the 
  ship 
  started 
  ahead 
  and 
  steamed 
  nearly 
  2 
  miles 
  

   southeast 
  by 
  east, 
  where 
  soundings 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  29 
  fathoms; 
  bottom 
  

   same 
  as 
  before 
  ; 
  position, 
  lat, 
  29° 
  1G' 
  00" 
  N., 
  long. 
  85° 
  47' 
  30" 
  W. 
  The 
  

   fishing 
  lines 
  were 
  put 
  out 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  ship 
  stopped, 
  and 
  almost 
  im- 
  

   mediately 
  a 
  grouper 
  and 
  snapper 
  were 
  caught. 
  We 
  fished 
  almost 
  an 
  

  

  