﻿[19] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  235 
  

  

  The 
  scarcity 
  of 
  red 
  snappers 
  on 
  this 
  ground 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  some- 
  

   what 
  remarkable, 
  considering 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  they 
  were 
  

   abundant. 
  However, 
  from 
  their 
  peculiar 
  habit 
  of 
  going 
  in 
  schools 
  that 
  

   cover 
  only 
  a 
  limited 
  area, 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  difficult 
  for 
  the 
  fishermen 
  to 
  find 
  

   them, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  a 
  whole 
  day 
  will 
  be 
  spent 
  in 
  sounding 
  and 
  trying 
  

   to 
  catch 
  snappers 
  without 
  meeting 
  with 
  any 
  material 
  success. 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  season, 
  we 
  are 
  told, 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  difficult 
  to 
  find 
  good 
  snapper 
  

   fishing 
  than 
  in 
  winter. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  schools 
  appear 
  to 
  

   be 
  somewhat 
  broken 
  up, 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  moving 
  about, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  

   they 
  are 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  chasing 
  smaller 
  fish 
  that 
  come 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  in 
  

   the 
  early 
  spring. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  last 
  sounding 
  was 
  made, 
  and 
  some 
  fish 
  taken, 
  the 
  order 
  

   was 
  given 
  to 
  set 
  the 
  large 
  gill-nets 
  to 
  ascertain 
  if 
  any 
  red 
  snappers 
  could 
  

   be 
  taken 
  in 
  them. 
  There 
  was 
  considerable 
  difficulty 
  in 
  getting 
  the 
  two 
  

   nets 
  ready; 
  they 
  got 
  fouled 
  up 
  and 
  had 
  to 
  bo 
  cleared, 
  and 
  besides, 
  sinkers 
  

   had 
  to 
  be 
  prepared 
  for 
  them. 
  Consequently, 
  considerable 
  time 
  was 
  oc- 
  

   cupied 
  in 
  preparing 
  them 
  for 
  setting. 
  In 
  the 
  mean 
  time 
  the 
  ship 
  had, 
  

   of 
  course, 
  drifted 
  off 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  caught, 
  but 
  she 
  

   steamed 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  place, 
  or 
  as 
  near 
  to 
  it 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  judged. 
  

  

  At 
  8.30 
  p. 
  in. 
  the 
  dinghy 
  was 
  lowered, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Stearus 
  and 
  two 
  sea- 
  

   men 
  went 
  into 
  the 
  boat 
  with 
  me 
  to 
  set 
  and 
  haul 
  the 
  nets. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  

   boat 
  was 
  well 
  clear 
  of 
  the 
  ship 
  we 
  began 
  setting 
  the 
  gear. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  slow 
  

   job, 
  for 
  the 
  twine 
  fouled 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  dinghy, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  darkness 
  was 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  difficult 
  to 
  clear, 
  while 
  the 
  boat 
  jumped 
  

   about 
  considerably, 
  notwithstanding 
  there 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  moderate 
  breeze 
  

   and 
  a 
  small 
  choppy 
  sea. 
  We 
  got 
  the 
  nets 
  set- 
  at 
  9 
  p. 
  m. 
  and 
  began 
  

   hauling 
  at 
  10.40. 
  There 
  was 
  somewhat 
  more 
  wind 
  and 
  sea 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  

   we 
  begau 
  to 
  haul 
  ; 
  the 
  current 
  ran 
  quite 
  strongly 
  to 
  leeward, 
  and 
  as 
  

   we 
  had 
  to 
  pull 
  the 
  net 
  in 
  over 
  the 
  boat's 
  side, 
  thus 
  keeping 
  her 
  broad- 
  

   side 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  tide, 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  heavy 
  drag 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  apparatus 
  up. 
  

   We 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  ship 
  a 
  little 
  after 
  midnight. 
  No 
  fish 
  were 
  taken. 
  

   The 
  nets 
  set 
  on 
  this 
  occasion 
  were 
  each 
  50 
  fathoms 
  long, 
  and 
  3 
  fathoms 
  

   deep, 
  when 
  hung. 
  They 
  had 
  a 
  0-inch 
  mesh, 
  and 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  strong 
  

   linen 
  twine, 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  cod 
  gill-nets. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  dinghy 
  was 
  hoisted, 
  the 
  ship 
  steamed 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  7 
  or 
  

   8 
  miles, 
  and 
  hove 
  to 
  for 
  the 
  night. 
  During 
  the 
  forenoon 
  of 
  the 
  8th 
  

   trials 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  fish 
  on 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  grouud 
  that 
  we 
  fished 
  over 
  

   the 
  previous 
  morning. 
  Satisfactory 
  results 
  were 
  not 
  obtained, 
  however, 
  

   and 
  about 
  10 
  a. 
  m. 
  the 
  ship 
  started 
  to 
  the 
  southeast 
  for 
  the 
  " 
  New 
  Cape 
  

   Ground," 
  the 
  locality 
  aimed 
  at 
  being 
  about 
  40 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  starting 
  

   point. 
  

  

  