﻿[79] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  PISH 
  TNG 
  GROUNDS 
  AM) 
  FISHERIES. 
  295 
  

  

  9. 
  FINANCIAL 
  PROFITS 
  OF 
  THE 
  SNAPPER, 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  The 
  scale 
  of 
  prices 
  paid 
  by 
  the 
  Pensacola 
  dealers 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  3£ 
  

   cents 
  per 
  pound 
  for 
  red 
  snappers 
  of 
  8 
  pounds' 
  weight 
  and 
  less. 
  Fish 
  

   weighing 
  more 
  than 
  8 
  pounds 
  bring- 
  25 
  cents 
  each. 
  As 
  the 
  average 
  of 
  

   the 
  latter 
  is 
  about 
  12 
  to 
  13 
  pounds, 
  the 
  price 
  is, 
  approximately, 
  2 
  cents 
  

   per 
  pound. 
  The 
  average 
  price 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  about 
  3 
  cents 
  per 
  pound. 
  

   Taking 
  this 
  as 
  a 
  basis, 
  we 
  are 
  ableto 
  get 
  some 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  business 
  from 
  

   the 
  following 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  fish 
  taken 
  by 
  several 
  vessels 
  be- 
  

   longing 
  to 
  the 
  fleet 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  Warren 
  & 
  Co.: 
  

  

  The 
  schooner 
  Sarah 
  L. 
  Harding, 
  in 
  ten 
  months 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  1884, 
  

   caught 
  155,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  red 
  snappers 
  with 
  a 
  crew 
  of 
  six 
  men. 
  In 
  De- 
  

   cember 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  year, 
  with 
  a 
  crew 
  of 
  nine 
  men, 
  she 
  landed 
  30,000 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  these 
  fish. 
  

  

  The 
  schooner 
  John 
  Pew 
  in 
  three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  months, 
  ending 
  December 
  

   31, 
  1884, 
  landed 
  110,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  snappers. 
  

  

  The 
  schooner 
  Clarence 
  Barclay 
  in 
  six 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  months' 
  fishing, 
  in 
  

   1884, 
  landed 
  110,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  If 
  a 
  vessel 
  gets 
  1,500 
  fish, 
  weighing 
  7,500 
  to 
  10,000 
  pounds, 
  each 
  trip, 
  

   it 
  is 
  considered 
  a 
  good 
  fare. 
  This 
  is 
  often 
  exceeded, 
  however, 
  by 
  the 
  

   larger 
  vessels 
  now 
  employed. 
  While 
  we 
  were 
  at 
  Pensacola 
  in 
  the 
  Al- 
  

   batross 
  we 
  learned 
  of 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  two 
  schooners, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  

   3,500 
  snappers, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  about 
  2,500. 
  

  

  The 
  trips 
  vary 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  in 
  length. 
  A 
  vessel 
  may 
  be 
  fortunate 
  

   enough 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  good 
  fare 
  and 
  return 
  to 
  port 
  after 
  an 
  absence 
  of 
  no 
  

   more 
  than 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  days. 
  At 
  another 
  time 
  she 
  may 
  be 
  prevented 
  

   from 
  fishing 
  by 
  rough 
  weather 
  for 
  a 
  week 
  after 
  sailing, 
  and 
  other 
  things 
  

   may 
  cause 
  her 
  to 
  stay 
  out 
  two 
  weeks. 
  Even 
  then 
  she 
  may 
  be 
  unfort- 
  

   unate 
  enough 
  not 
  to 
  find 
  fish 
  abundant, 
  and 
  may 
  return 
  to 
  port 
  with 
  a 
  

   half 
  fare. 
  

  

  The 
  three 
  last 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  — 
  October, 
  November, 
  and 
  Decem- 
  

   ber 
  — 
  are 
  the 
  best 
  for 
  this 
  fishery, 
  since 
  at 
  this 
  season 
  a 
  greater 
  catch 
  is 
  

   made 
  than 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  demand 
  is 
  usually 
  good. 
  From 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  March 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  June 
  comparatively 
  little 
  is 
  done. 
  

   The 
  fish 
  can 
  be 
  caught 
  in 
  considerable 
  quantities, 
  but 
  the 
  demand 
  drops 
  

   off 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  after 
  Lent. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  demand 
  

   for 
  the 
  red 
  snapper 
  is 
  greatly 
  influenced 
  at 
  this 
  season 
  by 
  the 
  many 
  

   kinds 
  and 
  enormous 
  quantities 
  of 
  other 
  fish, 
  from 
  sea, 
  lake, 
  and 
  river, 
  

   that 
  fill 
  the 
  markets 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  principal 
  cities. 
  Owing 
  to 
  this 
  lack 
  of 
  

   demand 
  for 
  fish, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  difficulties 
  attending 
  their 
  preserva- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  hot 
  weather, 
  the 
  vessels 
  generally 
  haul 
  up 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   mouths 
  in 
  summer. 
  

  

  10. 
  HISTORY 
  OF 
  THE 
  RED-SNAPPER 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  The 
  fishery 
  for 
  red 
  snappers 
  began 
  more 
  than 
  thirty 
  years 
  ago, 
  ac- 
  

   cording 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Bartholomew, 
  a 
  veteran 
  fish-dealer 
  of 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  but 
  

   the 
  date 
  is 
  not 
  exactly 
  known, 
  because 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  after 
  its 
  incep- 
  

  

  