﻿280 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [G4] 
  

  

  Ground 
  by 
  a 
  stretch 
  of 
  barren 
  bottom 
  that 
  lays 
  about 
  south 
  from 
  Gape 
  

   San 
  Bias, 
  is 
  the 
  New 
  Cape 
  Ground. 
  This 
  bears 
  from 
  south-southeast 
  to 
  

   southeast 
  from 
  the 
  cape, 
  and 
  has 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  extent 
  as 
  the 
  old 
  

   bank, 
  while 
  the 
  depths 
  do 
  not 
  differ 
  materially 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  

   ground. 
  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  on 
  all 
  those 
  

   banks, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  at 
  least 
  on 
  the 
  spots 
  where 
  snappers 
  

   are 
  found, 
  and 
  they 
  say 
  that 
  where 
  the 
  arming 
  of 
  their 
  leads 
  will 
  bring 
  

   up 
  black 
  sand, 
  or 
  sand 
  with 
  black 
  specks, 
  coarse 
  gravel, 
  and 
  live 
  corals 
  

   or 
  bryozoa, 
  they 
  consider 
  it 
  good 
  ground 
  for 
  fish. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  out 
  of 
  place 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  quite 
  extended 
  researches 
  have 
  

   been 
  made 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  snapper 
  banks, 
  the 
  de- 
  

   mand 
  for 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  Galveston 
  and 
  New 
  Orleans 
  markets, 
  and 
  the 
  conse- 
  

   quent 
  high 
  prices 
  often 
  paid 
  being, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  an 
  inducement 
  toward 
  

   making 
  these 
  investigations. 
  As 
  early 
  as 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1880 
  two 
  smacks, 
  

   from 
  Noank, 
  Conn., 
  which 
  were 
  fishing 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf, 
  made 
  a 
  cruise 
  off 
  

   Galveston 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  fishing 
  grounds, 
  but 
  found 
  no 
  bottom 
  suitable 
  

   for 
  red 
  snappers 
  to 
  live 
  on. 
  Mr. 
  Sewall 
  G. 
  Gobi) 
  also 
  tells 
  us 
  that 
  he 
  

   spent 
  the 
  entire 
  month 
  of 
  July, 
  in 
  1S8.3, 
  seeking 
  for 
  red 
  snappers, 
  and 
  

   sounding 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  from 
  the 
  southwest 
  pass 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  to 
  a 
  

   point 
  off 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  Padre 
  Island, 
  Texas, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  450 
  miles. 
  

   The 
  bottom, 
  over 
  all 
  this 
  extent 
  of 
  ground, 
  was 
  mostly 
  mud 
  and 
  broken 
  

   shells, 
  and 
  totally 
  devoid 
  of 
  any 
  fish 
  life, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  tell. 
  He 
  

   succeeded, 
  however, 
  in 
  finding 
  a 
  small 
  area, 
  in 
  10 
  or 
  12 
  fathoms, 
  bear 
  

   ing 
  about 
  east-southeast 
  from 
  Galveston, 
  some 
  45 
  or 
  50 
  miles 
  distant, 
  

   where 
  there 
  were 
  some 
  outcropping 
  coral 
  rocks 
  on 
  the 
  bottom; 
  and 
  

   here 
  some 
  red 
  snappers 
  were 
  taken. 
  It 
  appears 
  that 
  two 
  schools 
  of 
  

   fish 
  were 
  found, 
  but 
  in 
  each 
  case 
  the 
  individuals 
  were 
  of 
  small 
  size 
  and 
  

   they 
  were 
  not 
  very 
  abundant. 
  The 
  first 
  lot 
  taken 
  averaged 
  about 
  3 
  

   pounds 
  apiece, 
  while 
  the 
  fish 
  caught 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  school 
  weighed 
  an 
  

   average 
  of 
  7 
  pounds 
  each.* 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1884 
  the 
  Teusacola 
  Ice 
  Company 
  sent 
  another 
  

   schooner 
  off 
  Galveston 
  for 
  red 
  snappers, 
  but 
  the 
  voyage 
  was 
  a 
  failure, 
  

   the 
  vessel 
  not 
  getting 
  fish 
  enough 
  to 
  pay 
  her 
  provision 
  bill. 
  

  

  Captains 
  of 
  merchant 
  vessels 
  who 
  visit 
  Pensaeola 
  have 
  reported 
  that 
  

   red 
  snappers 
  are 
  abundant 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  

   immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Vera 
  Cruz. 
  Mr. 
  Stearns, 
  who 
  has 
  inquired 
  pretty 
  

   closely 
  into 
  this 
  matter, 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  these 
  reports 
  are 
  exag- 
  

   gerated. 
  He 
  says 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  small 
  spots 
  in 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  

   Vera 
  Cruz 
  where 
  boat 
  -fishermen 
  take 
  a 
  few 
  snappers, 
  but 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  

   believe 
  there 
  are 
  grounds 
  extensive 
  enough 
  to 
  support 
  anything 
  like 
  an 
  

   important 
  vessel 
  fishery. 
  

  

  The 
  banks 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  having 
  been 
  discussed 
  in 
  a 
  

   general 
  way, 
  it 
  seems 
  desirable 
  that 
  certain 
  peculiar 
  characteristics, 
  

  

  * 
  Mr. 
  Cobb 
  showed 
  mo 
  a 
  large 
  piece 
  of 
  coral 
  rock 
  that 
  was 
  pulled 
  op 
  on 
  a 
  fishing 
  

   lino, 
  at, 
  this 
  place, 
  and 
  which 
  he 
  brought 
  home 
  and 
  still 
  keeps 
  as 
  a 
  souvenir 
  of 
  the 
  

   trip. 
  This 
  rock 
  would 
  probably 
  weigh 
  30 
  or 
  40 
  pounds. 
  

  

  