﻿274 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [58] 
  

  

  be 
  included 
  in- 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  turtle 
  hunters. 
  Five 
  men 
  usually 
  constitute 
  

   a 
  crew. 
  

  

  The 
  turtles 
  are 
  sought 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  channels 
  between 
  the 
  keys 
  that 
  are 
  

   their 
  favorite 
  haunts. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  the 
  turtle 
  to 
  feed 
  in 
  these 
  

   channels, 
  moving 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  with 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  tides. 
  The 
  localities 
  

   frequented 
  by 
  turtles 
  are 
  called 
  " 
  turtle 
  sets," 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  

   hunters 
  become 
  exceedingly 
  expert 
  in 
  finding 
  these, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  cap- 
  

   turing 
  the 
  animals 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of. 
  But 
  the 
  greatest 
  skill 
  is 
  

   often 
  of 
  no 
  avail, 
  for 
  so 
  extremely 
  uncertain 
  are 
  the 
  returns, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  

   asserted 
  that 
  a 
  vessel 
  may 
  sometimes 
  be 
  a 
  month 
  absent 
  from 
  port 
  

   without 
  taking 
  a 
  single 
  turtle, 
  while 
  another 
  may 
  be 
  "lucky" 
  enough 
  

   to 
  secure 
  two 
  dozen 
  or 
  thereabouts 
  in 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days. 
  

  

  The 
  turtles 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  nets 
  similar 
  to 
  an 
  ordinary 
  gill-net, 
  which 
  

   are 
  put 
  out 
  at 
  night 
  across 
  the 
  turtle 
  sets 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  intercept 
  the 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  as 
  they 
  move 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  through 
  the 
  channels. 
  The 
  turtles 
  get 
  

   their 
  heads 
  and 
  flippers 
  entangled 
  in 
  the 
  meshes, 
  and 
  in 
  their 
  strug- 
  

   gles 
  soon 
  become 
  so 
  wound 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  twine 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  for 
  

   them 
  to 
  escape. 
  The 
  nets 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  coarse, 
  strong 
  twine; 
  they 
  are 
  

   each 
  50 
  to 
  75 
  fathoms 
  long, 
  5 
  to 
  7 
  fathoms 
  deep, 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  mesh 
  vary- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  14 
  to 
  18 
  inches. 
  The 
  nets 
  are 
  hung 
  to 
  ropes 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   manner 
  of 
  hanging 
  gill-nets; 
  wooden 
  floats 
  are 
  strung 
  along 
  the 
  upper 
  

   edge, 
  and 
  lead 
  sinkers 
  are 
  most 
  commonly 
  used. 
  Turtle 
  pegs 
  are 
  also 
  

   sometimes 
  used 
  ; 
  but 
  we 
  were 
  told 
  that 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  men 
  depend 
  

   chiefly 
  on 
  nets 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  capture. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  much 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  turtles, 
  their 
  weight 
  rang- 
  

   ing 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  from 
  pounds 
  to 
  200 
  pounds 
  or 
  upwards. 
  The 
  smaller 
  

   turtles, 
  those 
  ranging 
  from 
  to 
  10 
  pounds 
  in 
  weight, 
  are 
  utilized 
  to 
  

   supply 
  the 
  local 
  demand, 
  and 
  the 
  price 
  for 
  these 
  is 
  about 
  10 
  cents 
  per 
  

   pound. 
  The 
  larger 
  animals, 
  those 
  between 
  1G 
  and 
  200 
  pounds 
  in 
  

   weight, 
  are 
  shipped 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  pay 
  to 
  send 
  any 
  

   larger 
  ones 
  North. 
  After 
  being 
  brought 
  to 
  Key 
  West 
  the 
  turtles 
  are 
  

   [mt 
  in 
  large 
  pens 
  built 
  underneath 
  the 
  piers 
  — 
  sometimes 
  called 
  " 
  turtle 
  

   crawls" 
  — 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  kept 
  pending 
  their 
  shipment. 
  Those 
  sold 
  to 
  

   New 
  York 
  parties 
  average 
  a 
  price 
  of 
  to 
  8 
  cents 
  per 
  pound. 
  The 
  

   largest 
  turtles, 
  those 
  too 
  big 
  to 
  ship, 
  are, 
  like 
  the 
  small 
  ones, 
  used 
  to 
  

   supply 
  the 
  local 
  market. 
  They 
  are 
  worth 
  about 
  3 
  cents 
  per 
  pound 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  being 
  butchered, 
  but 
  sell 
  for 
  about 
  15 
  cents 
  in 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  The 
  returns 
  from 
  this 
  business 
  are 
  very 
  uncertain, 
  as 
  has 
  already 
  

   been 
  indicated, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  Avhole 
  the 
  men 
  engaged 
  in 
  it 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  do 
  

   fairly 
  well, 
  though 
  we 
  were 
  unable 
  to 
  get 
  any 
  estimate 
  of 
  their 
  earnings. 
  

  

  E. 
  — 
  TnE 
  SHORE 
  SEINE 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  A 
  limited 
  fishery 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  fisheimen, 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  

   weeks 
  or 
  months 
  of 
  each 
  year, 
  with 
  drag 
  seines 
  that 
  they 
  throw 
  around 
  

   schools 
  of 
  fish 
  near 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  pull 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  land. 
  Of 
  course. 
  

  

  