﻿[27] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  243 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  sounding, 
  on 
  the 
  19th, 
  was 
  made 
  after 
  C 
  p. 
  m., 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  

   nearly 
  dark. 
  The 
  beam-trawl 
  was 
  put 
  out 
  here. 
  After 
  it 
  was 
  up 
  the 
  

   ship 
  headed 
  on 
  her 
  course 
  for 
  Key 
  West, 
  where 
  she 
  arrived 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  morning. 
  

  

  The 
  investigations 
  that 
  were 
  made 
  after 
  leaving 
  Tampa 
  may 
  fairly 
  

   be 
  considered 
  as 
  probably 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  work 
  done 
  on 
  the 
  cruise 
  

   in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  making 
  researches 
  on 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds. 
  The 
  re- 
  

   gion 
  lying 
  between. 
  Tampa 
  and 
  the 
  Tortugas, 
  outside 
  of 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  20 
  

   fathoms, 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  resorted 
  to 
  by 
  fishing 
  smacks, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  cer- 
  

   tainly 
  questionable 
  if 
  any 
  one 
  knew 
  that 
  red 
  snappers 
  could 
  be 
  taken 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground 
  we 
  went 
  over. 
  That 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  generally 
  distributed 
  

   here, 
  in 
  depths 
  of 
  26 
  to 
  27 
  fathoms, 
  and 
  far 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  

   grounds 
  visited 
  by 
  the 
  snapper 
  fishermen 
  of 
  Pensacola, 
  seems 
  clearly 
  

   established 
  by 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  researches 
  made. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  growing 
  demand 
  for 
  the 
  red 
  snapper, 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  the 
  fish 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  grounds 
  are 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  depleted 
  

   and 
  becoming 
  scarcer 
  every 
  year, 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  this 
  discovery, 
  if 
  it 
  

   may 
  so 
  be 
  termed, 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  overestimated, 
  since 
  it 
  opens 
  up 
  an 
  

   additional 
  field 
  of 
  broad 
  proportions 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  good 
  reason 
  to 
  sup- 
  

   pose 
  will 
  be 
  profitably 
  worked 
  in 
  the 
  future. 
  Its 
  nearness 
  to 
  Tampa-, 
  

   which 
  has 
  the 
  advantages 
  of 
  an 
  excellent 
  harbor 
  and 
  railroad 
  commu- 
  

   nication, 
  are 
  features 
  that 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  overlooked, 
  for 
  if 
  the 
  distance 
  

   from 
  Pensacola 
  is 
  too 
  great 
  to 
  run 
  fish 
  there 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  shipped 
  from 
  

   the 
  nearer 
  port. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  on 
  which 
  we 
  arrived 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  I 
  en- 
  

   gaged 
  a 
  boat 
  fisherman 
  to 
  catch 
  some 
  kingfish, 
  and 
  late 
  on 
  Monday 
  

   afternoon, 
  March 
  23, 
  he 
  got 
  back, 
  having 
  taken 
  all 
  I 
  wanted, 
  besides 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  quantity 
  more. 
  The 
  fish 
  having 
  first 
  been 
  split, 
  they 
  were 
  

   taken 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  ship 
  and 
  salted. 
  These 
  were 
  purchased 
  with 
  the 
  

   intention 
  of 
  experimenting 
  with 
  them, 
  to 
  ascertain 
  if 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  

   smoked 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  a 
  desirable 
  article 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  0. 
  FROM 
  KEY 
  WEST 
  TO 
  WASHINGTON. 
  

  

  Early 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  March 
  30 
  the 
  ship 
  got 
  under 
  way 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   ceeded 
  to 
  sea, 
  on 
  her 
  way 
  north. 
  A 
  moderate 
  to 
  light 
  head 
  wind 
  pre- 
  

   vailed, 
  but 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  the 
  wind 
  blew 
  strong. 
  The 
  Aveather 
  moderated 
  

   during 
  the 
  night, 
  and 
  shortly 
  after 
  daylight, 
  April 
  1, 
  a 
  dredging 
  was 
  

   made 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  in 
  440 
  fathoms, 
  a 
  large 
  mass 
  of 
  live 
  corals, 
  hy- 
  

   droids, 
  sponges, 
  bryozoa, 
  &c, 
  being 
  obtained. 
  The 
  ship 
  then 
  steered 
  

   north-northeast, 
  and 
  another 
  haul 
  was 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  trawl 
  in 
  the 
  after- 
  

   noon, 
  sponges 
  of 
  various 
  kinds 
  being 
  the 
  chief 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  

   taken. 
  At 
  p. 
  m. 
  the 
  ship 
  stopped, 
  and 
  soundings 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  8G 
  

   fathoms, 
  lat. 
  31° 
  54' 
  45" 
  K, 
  long. 
  79° 
  ] 
  7' 
  00" 
  W. 
  Several 
  fishing 
  lines 
  

   were 
  put 
  over, 
  baited 
  with 
  salt 
  mackerel, 
  but 
  nothing 
  was 
  caught, 
  though 
  

   we 
  kept 
  the 
  gear 
  out 
  a 
  half 
  hour. 
  

  

  