﻿298 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [82] 
  

  

  try 
  at 
  large 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  loser 
  in 
  being 
  deprived 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  <»t 
  

   our 
  edible 
  fishes. 
  What 
  then 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  to 
  prevent 
  this 
  ? 
  Only 
  two 
  

   ways 
  of 
  preventing 
  it 
  occur 
  to 
  me 
  now 
  : 
  first, 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  new 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  grounds 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  worked 
  while 
  the 
  old 
  ones 
  are 
  recuperating; 
  

   and, 
  second, 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  such 
  aid 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  given 
  by 
  fish 
  culture. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  congratulation 
  that 
  the 
  recent 
  researches 
  of 
  the 
  Al- 
  

   batross 
  have 
  demonstrated 
  the 
  important 
  fact 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  

   of 
  ground 
  yet 
  un 
  worked 
  off 
  Tampa, 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  it, 
  where 
  the 
  snapper 
  

   is 
  seemingly 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  formerly 
  been 
  sought. 
  

   This 
  opens 
  up 
  a 
  new 
  field 
  for 
  work, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  entered 
  on 
  before 
  the 
  

   old 
  grounds 
  are 
  too 
  much 
  exhausted 
  the 
  latter 
  may 
  regain 
  their 
  former 
  

   richness; 
  but 
  if 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  done 
  in 
  time, 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  little 
  chance 
  for 
  

   them 
  to 
  recover. 
  Of 
  course, 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  these 
  more 
  distant 
  grounds 
  re- 
  

   quires 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  "change 
  of 
  base." 
  Either 
  the 
  fish 
  must 
  be 
  landed 
  

   at 
  Tampa, 
  or 
  else 
  swift-sailing 
  vessels, 
  of 
  45 
  to 
  50 
  tons, 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  

   employed, 
  if 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  Pensacola. 
  And 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  

   case 
  it 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  eviscerate 
  the 
  fish 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  ves- 
  

   sels 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  iced, 
  which 
  would 
  no 
  doubt 
  make 
  a 
  great 
  difference 
  

   in 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  kept 
  in 
  good 
  condition. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  possible 
  

   That 
  some 
  improvements 
  might 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  icehouses 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  

   smacks, 
  though 
  experience 
  has 
  proved 
  that 
  comparatively 
  little 
  can 
  be 
  

   done 
  here. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  snapper, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  con- 
  

   fessed 
  that 
  so 
  very 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  its 
  breeding 
  habits 
  at 
  present 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  say 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  this 
  direction. 
  We 
  

   do 
  not 
  yet 
  even 
  know 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  it 
  contains 
  or 
  whether 
  they 
  

   float 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  or 
  adhere 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  though 
  we 
  might 
  expect 
  

   that 
  the 
  former 
  is 
  the 
  more 
  probable. 
  

  

  It 
  docs 
  seem 
  highly 
  desirable, 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  existing 
  circumstances, 
  

   that 
  some 
  capable 
  person 
  should 
  have 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  studying 
  the 
  

   breeding 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  since 
  data 
  could 
  thus 
  be 
  obtained 
  that 
  

   would 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  importance 
  should 
  an 
  emergency 
  ever 
  arise 
  

   when 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  propagate 
  the 
  snapper 
  by 
  artificial 
  means. 
  

  

  B. 
  — 
  Pensacola 
  inshore 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  In 
  Pensacola 
  Bay, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  beaches 
  in 
  its 
  vicinity, 
  a 
  fishery 
  

  

  is 
  carried 
  on 
  with 
  open 
  boats 
  and 
  seines 
  for 
  the 
  species 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  

  

  taken 
  near 
  the 
  shores 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  bayous 
  and 
  lagoons, 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  

  

  oyster 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  bay, 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  marketed 
  at 
  the 
  city. 
  

  

  1. 
  THE 
  MARKET 
  SEINE 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  The 
  seine 
  fishery 
  of 
  Pensacola 
  supplies 
  the 
  chief 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  used 
  

   in 
  the 
  city 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  besides 
  producing 
  

   quantities 
  that 
  are 
  shipped 
  to 
  other 
  markets. 
  Ten 
  boats 
  and 
  fifty 
  men 
  

   find 
  employment 
  in 
  this 
  fishery 
  in 
  winter, 
  but 
  double 
  that 
  number 
  en- 
  

   gage 
  in 
  it 
  from 
  spring 
  to 
  fall.* 
  

  

  "Iain 
  indebted 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Rudolph 
  Hernandez, 
  who 
  has 
  followed 
  the 
  market 
  fishery 
  

   for 
  twenty 
  years, 
  lor 
  many 
  facts 
  concerning 
  this 
  industry. 
  

  

  