﻿240 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [24] 
  

  

  With 
  a 
  strong 
  head 
  tide 
  and 
  light 
  wind, 
  our 
  progress 
  was 
  necessarily 
  

   somewhat 
  slow, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  the 
  oars 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  first 
  

   beach 
  on 
  the 
  point 
  northeast 
  of 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  about 
  11 
  

   o'clock. 
  As 
  we 
  ran 
  in 
  across 
  the 
  broad 
  shallow 
  plateau 
  that 
  extends 
  

   outwards 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  we 
  frequently 
  saw 
  large 
  fish 
  going 
  along 
  over 
  

   the 
  bottom, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  too 
  far 
  off 
  to 
  definitely 
  determine 
  what 
  they 
  

   were, 
  though 
  we 
  thought 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  sharks. 
  Xearer 
  the 
  

   land 
  fish 
  were 
  seemingly 
  abundant. 
  They 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  jumping 
  out 
  of 
  

   water 
  here 
  and 
  there, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  a 
  small 
  school 
  of 
  mullet 
  were 
  no- 
  

   ticed 
  running 
  along 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  beach. 
  Landing 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  party 
  

   with 
  the 
  guns, 
  baskets, 
  buckets, 
  &c, 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  brought 
  along, 
  we 
  

   shoved 
  off 
  and 
  immediately 
  threw 
  over 
  the 
  seine. 
  Unfortunately 
  for 
  

   our 
  complete 
  success, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  

   . 
  was 
  concerned, 
  the 
  seine 
  was 
  too 
  deep 
  and 
  too 
  heavily 
  leaded 
  for 
  the 
  

   shallow 
  water. 
  The 
  bottom 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  alga?, 
  and 
  the 
  bunt 
  of 
  

   the 
  seine 
  became 
  so 
  filled 
  and 
  clogged 
  with 
  it 
  that 
  considerable 
  diffi- 
  

   culty 
  was 
  experienced 
  in 
  making 
  a 
  landing 
  ; 
  and 
  notwithstanding 
  our 
  

   best 
  efforts, 
  this 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  done 
  quickly 
  enough 
  to 
  prevent 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  mullet 
  from 
  jumping 
  over 
  the 
  cork 
  rope, 
  while 
  more 
  of 
  them 
  

   were 
  seen 
  to 
  escape 
  by 
  running 
  around 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  net. 
  But, 
  even 
  

   with 
  these 
  hindrances, 
  we 
  made 
  a 
  very 
  fair 
  haul, 
  landing 
  about 
  a 
  barrel 
  

   or 
  more 
  of 
  fish, 
  among 
  which 
  were 
  mullet, 
  crevalle, 
  catfish, 
  sea 
  trout, 
  

   sheep's-head, 
  and 
  bill-fish, 
  besides 
  several 
  kinds 
  of 
  smaller 
  ones. 
  Sub- 
  

   sequently 
  we 
  made 
  two 
  other 
  shots 
  with 
  the 
  seine, 
  and, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  

   the 
  varieties 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  we 
  took 
  drum, 
  big- 
  eyed 
  herring 
  ["?], 
  two 
  

   shovel-nosed 
  sharks, 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  kinds 
  of 
  fish 
  that 
  none 
  of 
  our 
  party 
  

   were 
  familiar 
  with. 
  

  

  Our 
  second 
  haul 
  was 
  made 
  around 
  the 
  point 
  from 
  where 
  we 
  first 
  

   landed, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  Fish 
  of 
  various 
  kinds 
  were 
  very 
  

   abundant 
  here, 
  jumping 
  out 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  over 
  a 
  large 
  area. 
  

   The 
  water 
  was 
  shallow, 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  from 
  shore 
  to 
  shore, 
  

   a 
  distance 
  of 
  half 
  or 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile, 
  we 
  could 
  see 
  fish 
  spring- 
  

   ing 
  into 
  the 
  air. 
  But 
  the 
  loose 
  alga? 
  was 
  even 
  more 
  plentiful 
  here 
  than 
  

   where 
  we 
  had 
  first 
  set 
  the 
  seine, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  we 
  had 
  great 
  difficulty 
  

   in 
  making 
  a 
  landing, 
  and 
  the 
  mortification 
  of 
  seeing 
  the 
  fish 
  we 
  had 
  in- 
  

   closed 
  jump 
  the 
  cork 
  rope 
  or 
  dart 
  by 
  the 
  wings 
  of 
  the 
  net. 
  However. 
  

   Ave 
  got 
  several 
  varieties 
  that 
  had 
  not 
  previously 
  been 
  taken, 
  and, 
  con- 
  

   sidering 
  that 
  we 
  were 
  not 
  anxious 
  to 
  catch 
  large 
  quantities, 
  the 
  result 
  

   was 
  fairly 
  satisfactory. 
  But 
  with 
  a 
  larger-meshed 
  seine, 
  70 
  or 
  80 
  fath- 
  

   oms 
  long, 
  and 
  about 
  feet 
  deep, 
  we 
  could 
  doubtless 
  have 
  filled 
  our 
  boat 
  

   in 
  a 
  short 
  time. 
  

  

  Sharks 
  are 
  seemingly 
  abundant 
  here. 
  Besides 
  the 
  two 
  small 
  ones 
  

   taken 
  in 
  the 
  seine, 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  large 
  one 
  come 
  in 
  near 
  the 
  shore 
  in 
  the 
  

   shallow 
  water. 
  As 
  he 
  swam 
  about, 
  near 
  the 
  point, 
  his 
  dorsal 
  fin 
  was 
  

   plainly 
  seen 
  above 
  the 
  water's 
  surface. 
  Of 
  the 
  other 
  species, 
  mullet 
  

   were 
  apparently 
  most 
  plentiful, 
  but 
  big-eyed 
  herring, 
  crevalle, 
  sheeps- 
  

   head, 
  and 
  catfish 
  were 
  also 
  abundant. 
  Fish-hawks 
  were 
  numerous, 
  and 
  

  

  