﻿[25] 
  

  

  the 
  gulp 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  and 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  241 
  

  

  evidently 
  bad 
  no 
  difficulty 
  iu 
  supplying 
  their 
  wants, 
  since 
  in 
  such 
  shallow 
  

   water 
  they 
  could 
  easily 
  capture 
  all 
  the 
  fish 
  they 
  required, 
  as 
  we 
  had 
  a 
  

   chance 
  to 
  observe. 
  

  

  We 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  ship 
  about 
  5 
  p. 
  m. 
  The 
  steam 
  launch 
  met 
  us, 
  

   after 
  we 
  had 
  sailed 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  point, 
  and 
  took 
  the 
  dinghy 
  

   in 
  tow. 
  

  

  Were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  so 
  many 
  sharks, 
  pounds 
  could 
  proba- 
  

   bly 
  be 
  used 
  here 
  with 
  great 
  success. 
  But 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  any 
  netting 
  

   left 
  in 
  tbe 
  water 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  would 
  be 
  inevitable. 
  

   It 
  is 
  possible, 
  however, 
  that 
  a 
  brush 
  weir 
  might 
  be 
  successfully 
  used, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  toredo 
  would 
  injure 
  it 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  

   it 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  rebuilt 
  at 
  comparatively 
  short 
  intervals. 
  Therefore, 
  

   while 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  fish 
  can 
  be 
  supplied 
  by 
  using 
  seines 
  that 
  are 
  inex- 
  

   pensive 
  and 
  seemingly 
  well 
  adapted 
  for 
  work 
  iu 
  the 
  shallow 
  waters 
  of 
  

   the 
  coast, 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  inducement 
  to 
  make 
  any 
  very 
  radical 
  changes 
  

   in 
  the 
  apparatus 
  employed. 
  

  

  8. 
  FROM 
  TAMPA 
  TO 
  KEY 
  WEST. 
  

  

  Early 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  18th 
  the 
  ship 
  got 
  under 
  way 
  and 
  ran 
  out 
  

   of 
  Tampa. 
  After 
  getting 
  outside 
  the 
  channel, 
  or 
  fair-way, 
  buoy, 
  she 
  

   steamed 
  offshore 
  on 
  a 
  southwest 
  three-quarter 
  south 
  course. 
  The 
  day 
  

   was 
  fine, 
  with 
  a 
  light 
  westerly 
  breeze, 
  and 
  after 
  we 
  were 
  well 
  off 
  from 
  

   the 
  land 
  a 
  scries 
  of 
  soundings 
  and 
  trials 
  for 
  fish 
  were 
  begun 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  until 
  night, 
  and 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  next 
  day. 
  The 
  general 
  direction 
  of 
  

   these 
  researches, 
  after 
  we 
  reached 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  28 
  fathoms, 
  was 
  southerly 
  

   and 
  southeasterly, 
  or 
  nearly 
  parallel 
  with 
  the 
  coast 
  line. 
  The 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  is 
  a 
  tabulated 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  done 
  on 
  the 
  18th 
  and 
  19th: 
  

  

  [Date, 
  March 
  18. 
  J 
  

  

  Depth. 
  

  

  Fath. 
  

  

  18 
  

  

  ?r, 
  

  

  Lat.,N. 
  ;Long.,W. 
  

  

  27 
  1C 
  00 
  

   27 
  08 
  30 
  

   27 
  04 
  00 
  

  

  2C 
  58 
  00 
  

  

  83 
  10 
  00 
  

   83 
  19 
  30 
  

   83 
  21 
  15 
  

  

  83 
  22 
  30 
  

  

  Character 
  of 
  bottom 
  as 
  

   indicated 
  by 
  tho 
  lead. 
  

  

  Gray 
  and 
  black 
  sand. 
  

  

  Coarse 
  gray 
  and 
  black 
  

  

  sand. 
  

   Coarse 
  gray 
  sand 
  and 
  

  

  broken 
  shells. 
  

  

  ..do. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  

  

  Stopped 
  to 
  pick 
  np 
  small 
  sharpie 
  that 
  was 
  adrift; 
  

  

  put 
  Out 
  lines 
  ; 
  no 
  iisli. 
  

   No 
  fish. 
  

  

  Here, 
  1 
  red 
  snapper, 
  2 
  groupers, 
  and 
  1 
  porgie 
  

   weio 
  taken. 
  As 
  soon, 
  as 
  we 
  began 
  to 
  catch 
  

   fish 
  tho 
  beam-trawl 
  was 
  lowered 
  and 
  dragged 
  

   along 
  the 
  bottom 
  as 
  tho 
  ship 
  drifted. 
  The 
  

   trawl 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  about 
  fifteen 
  minutes. 
  

   It 
  brought 
  up 
  a 
  large 
  mass 
  of 
  material 
  (about 
  

   1| 
  barrels), 
  most 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  sponges 
  of 
  vari- 
  

   ous 
  species, 
  3 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  very 
  large 
  cup 
  

   sponges. 
  There 
  wore 
  also 
  a 
  few 
  live 
  corals, 
  

   bryozoa, 
  hydroids. 
  shells, 
  and 
  some 
  small 
  fish. 
  

   A 
  scarcity 
  of 
  dead 
  shells, 
  dead 
  corals, 
  &c, 
  

   was 
  noticeable, 
  and 
  contrasted 
  strongly 
  in 
  

   this 
  respect 
  with 
  the 
  grounds 
  we 
  have 
  previ- 
  

   ously 
  dredged, 
  particularly 
  iu 
  those 
  localities 
  

   where 
  no 
  fish 
  were 
  caught. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  position, 
  where 
  we 
  stopped 
  less 
  than 
  fif- 
  

   teen 
  minutes, 
  2 
  largo 
  red 
  snappers 
  (one 
  weigh- 
  

   ing 
  20 
  pounds), 
  1 
  black 
  grouper 
  (25 
  pounds), 
  

   and 
  4 
  red 
  groupers 
  were 
  caught. 
  As 
  previ- 
  

   ously 
  explained, 
  our 
  object 
  was 
  not 
  to 
  catch 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  fish, 
  but 
  only 
  to 
  ascertain 
  if 
  

   there 
  were 
  any 
  iu 
  tho 
  positions 
  where 
  we 
  

   stopped 
  ; 
  therefore 
  ten 
  or 
  fifteen 
  minutes 
  was 
  

   generally 
  long 
  enough 
  to 
  determine 
  this, 
  after 
  

   which 
  the 
  ship 
  stood. 
  on 
  for 
  a 
  now 
  berth 
  unless 
  

   tbe 
  trawl 
  was 
  put 
  over. 
  

  

  S. 
  Mis. 
  70- 
  

  

  -16 
  

  

  