﻿278 
  RETORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [62] 
  

  

  Middle 
  Ground, 
  on 
  which 
  many 
  small 
  boats 
  from 
  the 
  navy-yard 
  fish 
  

   in 
  summer, 
  is 
  3 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Pensacola 
  Bar 
  buoy. 
  Like 
  the 
  others, 
  its 
  

   area 
  is 
  small. 
  

  

  Charles 
  Henry 
  Ground 
  embraces 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  seven 
  small 
  patches 
  lying 
  

   between 
  the 
  bearings 
  of 
  south-southeast 
  from 
  Pensacola 
  Bar 
  and 
  south 
  

   by 
  west 
  from 
  Santa 
  Bosa 
  Inlet, 
  in 
  19 
  to 
  22 
  fathoms. 
  

  

  East 
  Pass 
  Grounds 
  are 
  several 
  small 
  patches 
  of 
  coral 
  bottom, 
  about 
  

   15 
  miles 
  from 
  land, 
  with 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  19 
  fathoms, 
  bearing 
  south 
  by 
  east 
  

   from 
  the 
  East 
  Pass 
  of 
  Santa 
  Bosa 
  Island. 
  

  

  Besides 
  those 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  small 
  patches 
  of 
  

   ground 
  lying 
  between 
  East 
  Pass 
  of 
  Santa 
  Bosa 
  Island 
  and 
  Saint 
  An- 
  

   drew's 
  Bay, 
  in 
  12 
  to 
  22 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water. 
  These 
  have 
  been 
  important 
  

   fishing 
  grounds 
  for 
  several 
  years, 
  and 
  are 
  still 
  much 
  resorted 
  to 
  during 
  

   the 
  warm 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  grounds 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  most 
  generally 
  visited 
  in 
  winter, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   sequently 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  importance, 
  are 
  embraced 
  in 
  a 
  somewhat 
  nar- 
  

   now 
  belt 
  along 
  what 
  is 
  termed 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  soundings, 
  

   between 
  the 
  meridians 
  of 
  85° 
  and 
  SS° 
  west 
  longitude. 
  Along 
  this 
  

   stretch 
  of 
  sea 
  bottom, 
  which 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  crescent 
  shaped, 
  are 
  vari- 
  

   ous 
  patches 
  of 
  considerable 
  extent, 
  with 
  depths 
  varying 
  from 
  about 
  20 
  

   to 
  47 
  fathoms, 
  where 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  occurs 
  in 
  greater 
  abundance 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  winter 
  season 
  than 
  elsewhere 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  is 
  known. 
  The 
  species 
  

   is 
  found 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  and 
  eastward 
  of 
  this, 
  even 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Tor- 
  

   tugas, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  plentiful 
  and 
  bite 
  freely, 
  though, 
  ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  Stearns, 
  there 
  is 
  this 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  grounds 
  east 
  of 
  

   the 
  85th 
  meridian 
  and 
  those 
  west 
  of 
  it: 
  On 
  the 
  former, 
  groupers 
  are 
  

   far 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  red 
  snappers, 
  outnumbering 
  them 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  

   to 
  one, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  grounds 
  the 
  case 
  is 
  reversed, 
  for 
  there 
  the 
  

   snappers 
  arc 
  found 
  in 
  large 
  schools, 
  and 
  average 
  about 
  twice 
  as 
  many 
  

   in 
  number 
  as 
  other 
  species. 
  The 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  Pensacola 
  snapper 
  fish- 
  

   ery 
  is 
  unquestionably 
  due, 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  measure, 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  

   species 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  such 
  large 
  schools 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  grounds 
  

   and 
  within 
  easy 
  reach 
  of 
  a 
  market.* 
  

  

  The 
  grounds 
  lying 
  between 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias 
  and 
  the 
  Tortugas 
  have 
  

   been 
  worked 
  over, 
  we 
  are 
  told, 
  but 
  mostly 
  inshore, 
  in 
  from 
  5 
  to 
  15 
  fath- 
  

   oms, 
  which 
  region 
  has 
  been 
  thoroughly 
  fished 
  by 
  the 
  Key 
  West 
  smack- 
  

   men. 
  Outside 
  of 
  the 
  fifteen-fathom 
  line, 
  south 
  of 
  Tampa 
  Bay, 
  it 
  is 
  al- 
  

   together 
  probable 
  that 
  little 
  fishing 
  has 
  been 
  done, 
  and 
  here, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   farther 
  northwest, 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  may 
  probably 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  abundance. 
  

   As 
  a 
  rule, 
  the 
  Pensacola 
  smacks 
  do 
  not 
  go 
  farther 
  to 
  the 
  southeast 
  than 
  

   on 
  a 
  small 
  ground 
  that 
  bears 
  southeast 
  £ 
  east 
  from 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias, 
  and 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  researches 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Albatross 
  between 
  Tampa 
  Bay 
  and 
  Tortugas 
  (see 
  re- 
  

   port 
  of 
  the 
  cruise) 
  apparently 
  proved 
  that 
  red 
  snappers 
  were 
  even 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  

   I 
  his 
  region, 
  in 
  25 
  to 
  27 
  fathoms, 
  than 
  they 
  are 
  farther 
  to 
  the 
  northwest. 
  And 
  while 
  

   the 
  grouper 
  appeared 
  to 
  outnumber 
  the 
  snapper 
  north 
  of 
  Tampa, 
  or 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  

   Cape 
  San 
  Bias, 
  the 
  reverse 
  was 
  the 
  case 
  mi 
  the 
  more 
  southern 
  grounds. 
  

  

  