﻿[oT>] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  281 
  

  

  that 
  distinguished 
  them 
  from 
  other 
  fishing 
  grounds, 
  .should 
  be 
  consid- 
  

   ered* 
  

  

  The 
  rod 
  snapper 
  has 
  a 
  habit 
  of 
  congregating 
  in 
  schools 
  of 
  limited 
  

   extent, 
  something 
  like 
  the 
  mackerel 
  and 
  menhaden, 
  instead 
  of 
  spread- 
  

   ing 
  over 
  the 
  bottom 
  as 
  do 
  the 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  

   ground 
  feeders. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  difficult 
  to 
  define 
  precisely 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  

   the 
  areas 
  that 
  it 
  inhabits. 
  The 
  best 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  is 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  locality 
  aud 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  banks 
  on 
  which 
  are 
  small 
  

   patches 
  of 
  ground 
  where 
  the 
  snapper 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  abundance. 
  It 
  is 
  not, 
  

   however, 
  known, 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  fish 
  remain 
  

   on 
  a 
  particular 
  spot 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  length 
  of 
  time. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  known 
  

   that 
  the 
  fish 
  cover 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  area, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  they 
  can- 
  

   not 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  locality 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  found. 
  A 
  vessel 
  

   will 
  rarely 
  stop 
  in 
  one 
  position 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  day, 
  and 
  frequently 
  only 
  a 
  

   few 
  hours, 
  before 
  the 
  school 
  of 
  snappers 
  she 
  is 
  fishing 
  on 
  is 
  broken 
  up, 
  

   or 
  the 
  fish 
  become 
  gorged 
  with 
  bait 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  bite 
  fast 
  

   enough 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  profitable 
  to 
  stay 
  longer. 
  Consequently, 
  the 
  vessel 
  

   gets 
  under 
  way 
  and 
  goes 
  to 
  port 
  or 
  "tries 
  around" 
  to 
  find 
  another 
  

   school. 
  This 
  being 
  the 
  case, 
  it 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  quite 
  impossible 
  for 
  any- 
  

   one 
  to 
  say 
  positively 
  that 
  snappers 
  remain 
  in 
  one 
  locality 
  for 
  days 
  or 
  

   weeks 
  at 
  a 
  time. 
  It 
  may, 
  perhaps, 
  be 
  safe 
  to 
  infer 
  that 
  when 
  they 
  have 
  

   located 
  in 
  a 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  well 
  suited 
  to 
  their 
  exist 
  

   ence, 
  they 
  remain 
  there 
  until 
  the 
  instinct 
  of 
  reproduction 
  or 
  other 
  

   cause 
  may 
  induce 
  them 
  to 
  change 
  their 
  position. 
  This 
  seems 
  all 
  the 
  

   more 
  reasonable, 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  on 
  certain 
  kinds 
  of 
  bottom 
  that 
  the 
  

   fish 
  are 
  found, 
  the 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  alluded 
  to. 
  

  

  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  snapper 
  grounds, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  relates 
  to 
  the 
  abun- 
  

   dance 
  offish 
  on 
  them, 
  and, 
  of 
  course, 
  their 
  consequent 
  importance, 
  has 
  

   changed 
  very 
  materially, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  within 
  the 
  past 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  years. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  this 
  change 
  is 
  still 
  going 
  on, 
  and 
  that 
  localities 
  

   that 
  were 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  fish 
  on 
  them 
  only 
  a 
  year 
  

   or 
  two 
  ago 
  are 
  now 
  of 
  comparatively 
  little 
  importance. 
  The 
  best 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  adduced 
  in 
  support 
  of 
  this 
  theory 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   the 
  vessels 
  are 
  continually 
  obliged 
  to 
  extend 
  their 
  cruises 
  further 
  off 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  meet 
  with 
  success, 
  and 
  at 
  present 
  we 
  are 
  told 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  of 
  little 
  use 
  to 
  attempt 
  to 
  catch 
  fish 
  on 
  grounds 
  where 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  

   taken 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  business. 
  Whether 
  

   this 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  will 
  go 
  on 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  

   longer 
  profitable 
  to 
  prosecute 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  a 
  vital 
  question. 
  While 
  

   this 
  seems 
  probable, 
  one 
  could 
  scarcely 
  be 
  so 
  dogmatic 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  such 
  

   a 
  prediction, 
  unless, 
  indeed, 
  he 
  had 
  special 
  opportunities 
  for 
  studying 
  

   the 
  fishery 
  during 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  reasous, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  which 
  might 
  lead 
  one 
  to 
  anticipate 
  a 
  serious 
  depletion 
  in 
  the 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  obtain 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  food- 
  fishes. 
  

   First, 
  it 
  is 
  local 
  in 
  its 
  habits, 
  and, 
  unlike 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  migratory 
  species, 
  

   is 
  taken 
  at 
  all 
  seasons 
  of 
  the 
  year; 
  second, 
  the 
  region 
  inhabited 
  by 
  the 
  

  

  