﻿[61] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  277 
  

  

  being 
  in 
  the 
  front 
  rank 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  coast. 
  Its 
  head- 
  

   quarters 
  are 
  at 
  Pensacola, 
  which 
  now 
  controls 
  this 
  industry, 
  since 
  the 
  

   nearness 
  of 
  this 
  port 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds, 
  combined 
  with 
  its 
  railroad 
  

   facilities, 
  make 
  it 
  the 
  most 
  available 
  market, 
  and 
  give 
  it 
  many 
  advan- 
  

   tages 
  over 
  New 
  Orleans 
  and 
  Mobile, 
  which 
  cities 
  have 
  a 
  few 
  vessels 
  

   employed 
  in 
  the 
  business. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  two 
  vessels 
  owned 
  

   at 
  Mobile, 
  and 
  which 
  market 
  their 
  catch 
  at 
  that 
  port, 
  the 
  entire 
  fleet 
  

   take 
  their 
  fish 
  to 
  Pensacola, 
  where 
  they 
  arc 
  sold, 
  or, 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  cases, 
  

   shipped 
  to 
  consignees 
  at 
  New 
  Orleans. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  (1885) 
  there 
  are 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  red-snapper 
  

   fishery 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  seventeen 
  schooners 
  and 
  four 
  sloops, 
  with 
  a 
  total 
  

   tonnage 
  of 
  709.21 
  tons, 
  and 
  manned 
  by 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  forty 
  men, 
  

   approximately. 
  The 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  fish 
  taken 
  by 
  this 
  fleet 
  we 
  were 
  

   unable 
  to 
  obtain, 
  but 
  judging 
  by 
  such 
  statistical 
  data 
  as 
  are 
  at 
  hand, 
  it 
  

   cannot 
  fall 
  far 
  short 
  of 
  2,000,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  vessels, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  numerous 
  fleel 
  <»f 
  

   sail 
  boats, 
  of 
  various 
  sizes, 
  up 
  to 
  six 
  tons, 
  that 
  find 
  employment 
  (lin- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  summer 
  in 
  fishing 
  for 
  snappers, 
  and 
  the 
  aggregate 
  taken 
  by 
  

   these 
  is 
  considerable. 
  

  

  1. 
  THE 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  snapper 
  fishery 
  the 
  inshore 
  grounds, 
  where 
  

   the 
  water 
  is 
  comparatively 
  shallow 
  — 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  fathoms 
  deep 
  — 
  were 
  most 
  

   generally 
  resorted 
  to, 
  and 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  in 
  spring 
  and 
  sum- 
  

   mer, 
  fish 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  these 
  localities, 
  but 
  not, 
  however, 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   abundance 
  as 
  formerly. 
  The 
  most 
  important 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  now 
  are 
  

   those 
  lying 
  off 
  shore, 
  where 
  the 
  snapper 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   in 
  winter, 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  fishery 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  at 
  its 
  height. 
  Previous 
  

   to 
  1882 
  the 
  chief 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  "snapper 
  fishing 
  was 
  done 
  between 
  Perdido 
  

   Bay 
  and 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias, 
  in 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  22 
  fathoms. 
  Along 
  this 
  stretch 
  

   of 
  ground 
  there 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be, 
  here 
  and 
  there, 
  patches 
  of 
  hard 
  limestone 
  

   bottom, 
  on 
  which 
  live 
  corals 
  and 
  other 
  forms 
  of 
  invertebrate 
  life 
  occur. 
  

   These 
  places 
  are 
  often, 
  says 
  Stearns, 
  depressions 
  or 
  gullies, 
  seemingly 
  

   scooped 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  surrounding 
  sand, 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  somewhat 
  greater 
  

   depth 
  of 
  water 
  than 
  the 
  adjacent 
  bottom. 
  Patches 
  of 
  ground 
  of 
  this 
  

   character 
  are 
  the 
  favorite 
  haunts 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  snapper. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  these 
  spots 
  have 
  names, 
  given 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  to 
  dis- 
  

   tinguish 
  them 
  from 
  each 
  other, 
  though 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  grounds 
  have 
  not 
  

   received 
  the 
  same 
  consideration. 
  

  

  The 
  Trysail 
  Banlc, 
  a 
  narrow 
  gully, 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  500 
  yards 
  wide 
  and 
  

   about 
  a 
  mile 
  long, 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  bears 
  south 
  southwest 
  from 
  Pensacola 
  

   Bar, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  distant 
  23 
  miles. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  19 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  Dutch 
  Bank, 
  with 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  13 
  fathoms, 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  patch 
  (hat 
  lies 
  off 
  

   Perdido 
  Inlet, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  only 
  by 
  ranges. 
  

  

  Southwest 
  Ground 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  spot 
  bearing 
  southwest 
  from 
  Pensacola 
  

   light-house, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  5 
  miles 
  distant. 
  

  

  