﻿282 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [66] 
  

  

  snapper 
  (from 
  a 
  point 
  about 
  south 
  from 
  Mobile 
  to 
  the 
  Tortugas) 
  is 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  belt, 
  rarely 
  exceeding 
  more 
  than 
  3 
  to 
  6 
  miles 
  in 
  width, 
  and 
  its 
  

   total 
  area 
  is 
  of 
  comparatively 
  small 
  proportions 
  ; 
  third, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  

   in 
  mind 
  that 
  certainly 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  one-half 
  of 
  this 
  ground 
  can 
  be 
  

   taken 
  into 
  account 
  at 
  present, 
  since 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  fished 
  on 
  for 
  snappers 
  ; 
  

   fourth, 
  it 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  considered 
  that, 
  even 
  on 
  this 
  so-called 
  snapper 
  

   bank, 
  fish 
  are 
  found 
  only 
  on 
  small 
  areas, 
  that 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  widely 
  

   separated, 
  and 
  which, 
  combined, 
  constitute 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  percent- 
  

   age 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  ground 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  the 
  localities 
  inhabited 
  by 
  schools 
  of 
  

   snappers 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  numerous 
  but 
  that 
  much 
  trouble 
  is 
  oftentimes 
  ex- 
  

   perienced 
  in 
  finding 
  them, 
  and 
  not 
  unfrequently 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  days 
  are 
  

   spent 
  on 
  the 
  best 
  grounds 
  without 
  good 
  fishing 
  being 
  obtained 
  ; 
  fifth, 
  

   the 
  great 
  voracity 
  of 
  the 
  snapper, 
  and 
  its 
  readiness 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  hook, 
  

   makes 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  capture 
  a 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  individuals 
  in 
  a 
  

   school, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  fair 
  to 
  infer 
  that 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  their 
  numbers 
  will 
  have 
  

   suffered 
  a 
  very 
  marked 
  diminution 
  before 
  they 
  cease 
  biting. 
  In 
  many 
  

   instances 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  nearly 
  all 
  tbe 
  fish 
  in 
  a 
  school 
  are 
  caught. 
  It 
  

   will 
  be 
  apparent 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  understood 
  that 
  one 
  or 
  

   two 
  thousand 
  fish 
  are 
  sometimes 
  taken 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  hours, 
  the 
  total 
  weight 
  

   of 
  which 
  would 
  approximate 
  10,000 
  to 
  20,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  its 
  food, 
  which 
  unquestionably 
  exercises 
  a 
  great 
  influence 
  

   on 
  its 
  movements, 
  and 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  which 
  perhaps 
  confines 
  it 
  to 
  

   certain 
  localities, 
  there 
  are 
  various 
  statements 
  based 
  on 
  observation. 
  

   Stearns 
  thinks 
  that 
  while 
  groupers 
  feed 
  chiefly 
  on 
  Crustacea 
  and 
  other 
  

   material 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  picked 
  off 
  the 
  bottom, 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  preys 
  on 
  

   fish, 
  which 
  is 
  his 
  favorite 
  and 
  principal 
  food. 
  

  

  Cobb 
  says 
  "The 
  snapper 
  feeds 
  upon 
  the 
  best 
  in 
  the 
  sea, 
  calico 
  crab, 
  

   blue 
  crab, 
  squid, 
  polyp, 
  and 
  shrimp 
  being 
  his 
  favorite 
  diet." 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  myself 
  taken 
  a 
  small 
  bivalve 
  from 
  the 
  stomach 
  of 
  a 
  snapper. 
  

   But 
  those 
  caught 
  on 
  the 
  Albatross 
  seldom 
  had 
  anything 
  besides 
  fish 
  in 
  

   their 
  stomachs, 
  though 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  instances 
  small 
  crabs 
  were 
  noticed. 
  

   Fish 
  were 
  also 
  often 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  groupers. 
  

  

  2. 
  THE 
  FISHERMEN. 
  

  

  The 
  fact 
  that 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  vessel 
  fishery 
  for 
  red 
  snnppers 
  

   was 
  carried 
  on 
  exclusively 
  by 
  "Yankee 
  fishermen," 
  who 
  came 
  here 
  in 
  

   winter 
  from 
  New 
  England, 
  has 
  naturally 
  led 
  to 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  eastern 
  

   men 
  being 
  at 
  present 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  business. 
  In 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  

   1884-'85 
  there 
  were 
  three 
  New 
  England 
  vessels 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  snapper 
  

   fishery 
  from 
  Pensacpla, 
  and 
  certainly 
  one 
  schooner 
  belonging 
  to 
  that 
  

   port, 
  which 
  carried 
  a 
  captain 
  and 
  crew 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  section. 
  In 
  some 
  

   other 
  cases 
  the 
  skippers 
  were 
  from 
  New 
  England. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  spend 
  

   the 
  winter 
  here, 
  and 
  go 
  north 
  in 
  summer. 
  

  

  Mixed 
  with 
  these 
  northern-born 
  fishermen 
  are 
  many 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  

   South, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  liberal 
  sprinkling 
  of 
  foreigners 
  — 
  Ital- 
  

  

  