﻿[63] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  279 
  

  

  the 
  center 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  lat. 
  28° 
  43' 
  K 
  and 
  long. 
  84° 
  27' 
  W. 
  This, 
  

   and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  bottom, 
  has 
  been 
  worked 
  on 
  about 
  three 
  years. 
  As 
  a 
  

   matter 
  of 
  fact 
  it 
  is 
  thought 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  scarcely 
  be 
  profitable 
  at 
  present 
  

   for 
  them 
  to 
  go 
  farther 
  from 
  Pensacola, 
  since 
  it 
  would 
  take 
  too 
  long 
  to 
  

   reach 
  market 
  with 
  a 
  fare 
  of 
  fish 
  if 
  a 
  vessel 
  encountered 
  head 
  winds 
  on 
  

   her 
  passage. 
  Stearns 
  says: 
  "We 
  have 
  occasionally 
  had 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  

   vessels 
  go 
  as 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  off 
  Tampa, 
  where, 
  in 
  summer, 
  

   they 
  have 
  found 
  patches 
  of 
  good 
  ground, 
  and 
  a 
  fair 
  catch 
  of 
  snappers, 
  

   all 
  along 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  so-called 
  deep 
  water, 
  in 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  about 
  22 
  

   fathoms. 
  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1884 
  the 
  schooner 
  Sarah 
  L. 
  Harding 
  went 
  

   there 
  to 
  fish 
  for 
  groupers, 
  which 
  she 
  was 
  going 
  to 
  carry 
  to 
  Galveston. 
  

   But 
  where 
  in 
  former 
  years 
  groupers 
  had 
  been 
  abundant 
  a 
  good 
  school 
  of 
  

   snappers 
  was 
  found, 
  a 
  fare 
  was 
  obtained, 
  and 
  the 
  vessel 
  took 
  her 
  cargo 
  

   to 
  Pensacola." 
  

  

  Although 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  deemed 
  impracticable 
  to 
  go 
  farther 
  from 
  Pensa- 
  

   cola 
  than 
  the 
  vessels 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  fishing, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  

   but 
  that 
  the 
  men 
  would 
  extend 
  their 
  cruises 
  were 
  they 
  sure 
  of 
  fair 
  re- 
  

   turns 
  on 
  distant 
  grounds, 
  whenever 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  fish 
  on 
  those 
  now 
  

   visited 
  grows 
  less. 
  As 
  the 
  case 
  now 
  stands, 
  a 
  smack 
  will 
  generally 
  

   strike 
  fish 
  before 
  getting 
  far 
  beyond 
  Cape 
  San 
  Bias, 
  at 
  the 
  farthest, 
  and 
  

   though 
  the 
  catch 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  all 
  that 
  one 
  might 
  desire, 
  still 
  it 
  would 
  

   not 
  be 
  deemed 
  wise 
  to 
  leave 
  a 
  certainty 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  better 
  grounds 
  

   farther 
  off, 
  which 
  no 
  one 
  has 
  yet 
  any 
  definite 
  knowledge 
  of. 
  The 
  fact, 
  

   too, 
  that 
  on 
  these 
  eastern 
  grounds 
  there 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   groupers, 
  a 
  fish 
  that 
  has 
  little 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  Pensacola 
  market, 
  would 
  

   naturally 
  deter 
  the 
  fishermen 
  from 
  making 
  extended 
  cruises 
  which 
  oth- 
  

   erwise 
  they 
  might 
  venture 
  on. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  offshore 
  snapper 
  grounds 
  lies 
  off 
  Mobile, 
  and 
  is 
  about 
  

   .15 
  miles 
  long 
  northeast 
  and 
  southwest, 
  and 
  its 
  width 
  is, 
  approximately, 
  

   2 
  to 
  5 
  miles; 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  37 
  to 
  42 
  fathoms, 
  with 
  a 
  rough 
  bottom, 
  

   chiefly 
  of 
  limestone 
  and 
  coral. 
  It 
  bears 
  south-southwest 
  from 
  Pensa- 
  

   cola, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  G5 
  miles 
  distant. 
  This 
  ground 
  has 
  been 
  

   worked 
  out, 
  so 
  that 
  at 
  present 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  

   the 
  winter, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  more 
  plentiful 
  in 
  March, 
  April, 
  and 
  

   May. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  locality 
  more 
  West 
  Indian 
  species 
  of 
  fish 
  

   and 
  deep-water 
  surface 
  swimmers 
  are 
  found 
  than 
  elsewhere 
  on 
  the 
  

   northern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf. 
  

  

  The 
  Old 
  Cape 
  Groundis 
  another 
  bank 
  that, 
  for 
  several 
  years, 
  has 
  been 
  

   accounted 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  prolific 
  regions 
  visited 
  by 
  the 
  snapper 
  fish 
  

   ermen. 
  Even 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  grounds 
  

   along 
  the 
  coast. 
  The 
  center 
  of 
  this 
  bears 
  about 
  southwest 
  from 
  Cape 
  

   San 
  Bias. 
  The 
  depths 
  usually 
  fished 
  in, 
  in 
  winter, 
  vary 
  from 
  27 
  to 
  31 
  

   fathoms. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  definite 
  limits 
  to 
  the 
  ground, 
  but, 
  according 
  to 
  

   what 
  we 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  learn 
  of 
  it, 
  its 
  length 
  is 
  about 
  20 
  to 
  25 
  miles 
  along 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  soundings 
  southeast 
  and 
  northwest, 
  and 
  its 
  width 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  

   7 
  miles. 
  Farther 
  to 
  the 
  southeast, 
  and 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  Old 
  Cape 
  

  

  