﻿[75] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  291 
  

  

  let 
  go, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  vessel, 
  when 
  a 
  "scope" 
  is 
  paid 
  out, 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  nearly 
  

   over 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  school 
  as 
  possible. 
  Now 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  fishing 
  be- 
  

   gins 
  in 
  good 
  earaest, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  snappers 
  bite 
  well, 
  t, 
  hieh 
  is 
  usually 
  

   the 
  case, 
  they 
  are 
  pulled 
  iti 
  with 
  a 
  rapidity 
  that 
  is 
  surprising. 
  We 
  are 
  

   assured 
  by 
  the 
  most 
  reliable 
  authority 
  that 
  the 
  numbers 
  takeu 
  in 
  a 
  lim- 
  

   ited 
  time 
  are 
  very 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  would 
  be 
  believed 
  possible 
  by 
  one 
  

   uuacquaiuted 
  with 
  the 
  fishery. 
  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  tells 
  me 
  that 
  smacks 
  have 
  

   taken 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  1,700 
  to 
  1,800 
  fish 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  day, 
  and 
  on 
  one 
  occa- 
  

   sion 
  a 
  fisherman 
  who 
  sailed 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  his 
  vessels 
  caught 
  400 
  fish 
  as 
  tlie 
  

   result 
  of 
  one 
  day's 
  work. 
  

  

  When 
  fishing 
  begins, 
  the 
  snappers 
  are 
  usually 
  caught 
  within 
  or 
  8 
  

   feet 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  but 
  if 
  the 
  school 
  is 
  large 
  and 
  the 
  fish 
  hungry, 
  they 
  

   soon 
  follow 
  the 
  lines 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  iu 
  a 
  little 
  while 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  

   by 
  pairs 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  fathoms 
  from 
  the 
  surface. 
  At 
  such 
  times 
  the 
  en- 
  

   ergy 
  and 
  dexterity 
  of 
  the 
  fisherman 
  is 
  fully 
  tested, 
  and 
  he 
  who 
  is 
  quick 
  

   est 
  at 
  pulling 
  in 
  his 
  line, 
  unhooking 
  his 
  fish, 
  rebaiting 
  his 
  hooks, 
  &c, 
  

   catches 
  the 
  greatest 
  number 
  of 
  fish, 
  and 
  correspondingly 
  becomes 
  more 
  

   valuable 
  to 
  his 
  employer. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  kept 
  alive 
  in 
  the 
  well 
  of 
  a 
  smack, 
  much 
  more 
  

   than 
  ordinary 
  care 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  consequently 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  rush 
  is 
  dispensed 
  with 
  and 
  fewer 
  fish 
  are 
  takeu. 
  As 
  the 
  snappers 
  

   are 
  pulled 
  in 
  they 
  are 
  carefully 
  unhooked, 
  and 
  the 
  crimping 
  awl 
  is 
  

   quickly 
  inserted 
  under 
  the 
  fourth 
  scale, 
  behind 
  the 
  sharp, 
  angular 
  pro- 
  

   jection 
  of 
  the 
  gill-cover, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  distinguishing 
  feature 
  of 
  their 
  

   heads. 
  This 
  lets 
  out 
  the 
  air 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  almost 
  always 
  in- 
  

   flated, 
  after 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  well. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  usually 
  continues 
  without- 
  cessation 
  until 
  the 
  snappers 
  cease 
  

   biting. 
  If 
  darkness 
  puts 
  a 
  stop 
  to 
  the 
  fishing 
  the 
  vessel 
  generally 
  lays 
  

   at 
  anchor 
  until 
  the 
  next 
  morning, 
  when 
  she 
  may 
  get 
  a 
  second 
  "spurt." 
  

   It 
  more 
  commonly 
  happens, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  cease 
  to 
  bite 
  while 
  

   there 
  is 
  yet 
  daylight, 
  the 
  inference 
  generally 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  school 
  is 
  

   very 
  much 
  broken 
  up, 
  though 
  in 
  some 
  instances 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  

   fish 
  are 
  still 
  very 
  abundant, 
  since 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  felt 
  knocking 
  against 
  the 
  

   gear 
  and 
  occasionally 
  nibbling 
  at 
  the 
  hooks. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  catch 
  

   one. 
  They 
  take 
  such 
  a 
  dainty 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  bait 
  at 
  such 
  times 
  that 
  if 
  is 
  

   only 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  that 
  one 
  is 
  hooked 
  firmly 
  enough 
  to 
  bring 
  him 
  to 
  I 
  he 
  

   surface. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  gorged 
  with 
  bait, 
  since 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  other 
  plausible 
  reason 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  given 
  for 
  their 
  change 
  from 
  re- 
  

   markable 
  voracity 
  to 
  almost 
  total 
  indifference 
  to 
  food. 
  The 
  common 
  

   mackerel 
  has 
  a 
  similar 
  habit. 
  

  

  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  cease 
  biting, 
  if 
  there 
  is 
  still 
  enough 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  left 
  

   to 
  "try 
  around," 
  the 
  vessel 
  gets 
  under 
  way 
  and 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  sounding 
  

   for 
  a 
  new 
  school 
  is 
  begun 
  and 
  continued 
  in 
  the 
  same, 
  manner 
  as 
  has 
  

   been 
  described, 
  while 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  crew 
  proceed 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  

   fish, 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  iced. 
  

  

  It 
  occasionally 
  happens 
  that 
  one, 
  two, 
  or 
  even 
  more 
  clays 
  may 
  some- 
  

  

  