﻿2G2 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [46] 
  

   3. 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  FISHING. 
  

  

  Working 
  as 
  they 
  do 
  in 
  shallow 
  water, 
  fishing 
  can 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  

   the 
  smacks 
  only 
  in 
  fine 
  weather. 
  When 
  the 
  wind 
  blows 
  hard 
  enough 
  

   to 
  get 
  up 
  a 
  choppy 
  sea, 
  the 
  vessels 
  run 
  into 
  harbor 
  or 
  take 
  shelter 
  under 
  

   a 
  lee. 
  As 
  a 
  result, 
  much 
  time 
  is 
  lost, 
  and 
  it 
  often 
  takes 
  them 
  five 
  or 
  

   six 
  weeks 
  to 
  catch 
  a 
  fare 
  of 
  10,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish. 
  This, 
  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  

   tells 
  me, 
  is 
  about 
  a 
  maximum 
  fare. 
  The 
  vessels 
  generally 
  fish 
  at 
  a 
  drift, 
  

   the 
  men 
  using 
  hand 
  lines 
  over 
  the 
  smack's 
  weather 
  rail. 
  The 
  gear 
  dif- 
  

   fers 
  somewhat 
  from 
  that 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Peusacola 
  red-snapper 
  fishermen. 
  

   A 
  sinker 
  is 
  made 
  fast 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  line, 
  and 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  above 
  

   this 
  are 
  the 
  snoods, 
  with 
  hooks 
  at 
  their 
  ends, 
  bent 
  to 
  the 
  line, 
  one 
  over 
  

   the 
  other, 
  like 
  hooks 
  on 
  a 
  trawl. 
  In 
  fishing, 
  the 
  lead 
  or 
  sinker 
  is 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  bottom, 
  while 
  the 
  hooks 
  trail 
  out, 
  one 
  over 
  the 
  

   Other, 
  at 
  a 
  little 
  distance 
  above 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  Salt 
  mullet 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  bait. 
  Each 
  smack 
  generally 
  has 
  a 
  small 
  

   seine, 
  and 
  the 
  crew 
  catch 
  their 
  bait 
  while 
  in 
  harbor 
  and 
  salt 
  what 
  they 
  

   need 
  for 
  use. 
  

  

  The 
  fish 
  are 
  crimped— 
  pierced 
  with 
  a 
  sharp-pointed 
  cylindrical 
  tube 
  

   behind 
  the 
  pectoral 
  fin, 
  to 
  let 
  the 
  air 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  swim 
  bladder 
  — 
  as 
  soon 
  

   as 
  they 
  are 
  caught, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  then 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  well. 
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  

   the 
  well 
  must 
  be 
  "swept" 
  each 
  morning, 
  and 
  the 
  dead 
  fish 
  removed, 
  

   the 
  latter 
  being 
  salted 
  or 
  preserved 
  in 
  ice. 
  

  

  ♦ 
  C. 
  — 
  The 
  market 
  fishery. 
  

  

  The 
  market 
  fishery 
  at 
  Key 
  West 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  port, 
  

   employing 
  some 
  40 
  or 
  50 
  sail 
  boats, 
  half 
  of 
  this 
  number 
  being 
  large 
  and 
  

   able 
  crafts, 
  which 
  not 
  only 
  supply 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Key 
  West 
  with 
  fish 
  for 
  

   local 
  consumption, 
  but 
  take 
  quantities 
  that 
  are 
  shipped 
  to 
  Cuban 
  mar- 
  

   kets. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  boats 
  confine 
  their 
  operations 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  grounds 
  

   situated 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  Key 
  West, 
  going 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  and 
  returning 
  

   to 
  the 
  market 
  wharf 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  to 
  sell 
  their 
  catch, 
  or 
  to 
  make 
  any 
  

   necessary 
  arrangement 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  day's 
  fishing. 
  

  

  1. 
  THE 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  distiuct 
  fisheries 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  the 
  market 
  boats. 
  One 
  

   of 
  these 
  has 
  the 
  kingfish 
  (several 
  species) 
  for 
  its 
  object, 
  while 
  the 
  

   other 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  grunts, 
  yellow-tails, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  varieties 
  

   of 
  ground-feeding 
  species. 
  The 
  most 
  favorite 
  ground 
  for 
  the 
  kingfish 
  

   is 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Sombrero 
  Key, 
  but 
  more 
  particularly, 
  we 
  were 
  told, 
  

   on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  key, 
  over 
  a 
  stretch 
  of 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  miles 
  in 
  the 
  

   direction 
  of 
  Key 
  West, 
  and 
  generally 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  

   line, 
  over 
  the 
  bottom 
  that 
  slopes 
  toward 
  the 
  Gulf 
  Stream, 
  and 
  some- 
  

   times 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  inside 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  In 
  this 
  region 
  kingfish 
  

   are 
  usually 
  very 
  abundant 
  from 
  November 
  to 
  April, 
  therefore 
  the 
  locality 
  

   has 
  become 
  somewhat 
  celebrated 
  us 
  a 
  valuable 
  fishing 
  ground, 
  and 
  is 
  

  

  