﻿[83] 
  THE 
  GULF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  299 
  

  

  The 
  fishing 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Pensacola 
  Bay, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  shor^ 
  bordering 
  the 
  Gulf 
  in 
  its 
  vicinity, 
  

   is 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  sand 
  beaches 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  utilized 
  for 
  

   .seine 
  hauls. 
  It 
  would 
  be 
  useless 
  to 
  attempt 
  to 
  particularize 
  concerning 
  

   these, 
  since 
  there 
  are 
  such 
  long 
  stretches 
  of 
  good 
  ground, 
  that, 
  perhaps, 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  comparatively 
  few 
  places 
  when; 
  fishing 
  

   may 
  not 
  be 
  prosecuted. 
  Besides 
  the 
  beaches 
  that 
  border 
  on 
  the 
  bay 
  

   and 
  face 
  the 
  sea, 
  there 
  are 
  good 
  grounds 
  for 
  seining 
  in 
  the 
  lagoons 
  or 
  

   bayous, 
  several 
  of 
  which 
  extend 
  inland 
  from 
  the 
  bay. 
  The 
  largest 
  of 
  

   these 
  is 
  the 
  bayou 
  that 
  has 
  its 
  entrance 
  near 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  Fort 
  McRae, 
  

   on 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  harbor's 
  mouth, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  considered 
  a 
  

   favorite 
  fishing 
  ground. 
  As 
  a 
  rule 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  shallow 
  tor 
  a 
  consider 
  

   aide 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  beaches, 
  and, 
  therefore, 
  the 
  seines 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  

   correspond, 
  and 
  are 
  never 
  deep 
  r 
  since 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  hauled 
  on 
  the 
  shore. 
  

   From 
  April 
  to 
  October 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  season 
  on 
  the 
  sea 
  beach, 
  where 
  pom- 
  

   pano, 
  blueiish, 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  sheep's-head, 
  sea 
  trout, 
  lady 
  fish 
  (the 
  

   latter 
  for 
  bait 
  for 
  the 
  red-snapper 
  fishermen) 
  are 
  caught, 
  besides 
  

   several 
  other 
  kiuds 
  that 
  are 
  not 
  marketable. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  arc 
  

   edible, 
  though 
  not 
  in 
  demand. 
  During 
  the 
  same 
  season 
  fishing 
  is 
  car- 
  

   ried 
  on 
  in 
  the 
  bay, 
  chiefly 
  for 
  mullet, 
  trout, 
  croakers, 
  chopers 
  or 
  spot, 
  

   and 
  pigfish, 
  which 
  are 
  taken 
  with 
  several 
  other 
  varieties. 
  hi 
  the 
  

   spring 
  and 
  fall, 
  when 
  the 
  lish 
  are 
  migrating 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  the 
  best 
  

   fishing 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Gulf 
  shore. 
  In 
  winter, 
  seining 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  

   the 
  lagoons, 
  where 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  fish 
  are 
  found 
  at 
  this 
  season, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  the 
  bay. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  caught 
  in 
  summer, 
  in 
  the 
  bay, 
  

   are 
  also 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  winter, 
  though 
  many 
  kinds 
  ale 
  less 
  plentiful. 
  

  

  Apparatus. 
  

  

  Boats. 
  — 
  The 
  seine-boats 
  of 
  Pensacola 
  average 
  about 
  20 
  feet 
  long, 
  7 
  

   feet 
  beam, 
  and 
  2 
  to 
  2. 
  T 
  feet 
  deep. 
  They 
  are 
  carvel 
  built, 
  open 
  boats, 
  

   with 
  shallow 
  keel, 
  center-board, 
  sharp 
  bow, 
  round 
  bilge, 
  long, 
  low, 
  

   rather 
  flat 
  floor, 
  short 
  run 
  (with 
  skag), 
  and 
  deep, 
  heart-shaped, 
  vertical, 
  

   square 
  stern, 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  stern 
  of 
  an 
  ordinary 
  ship's 
  yawl. 
  At 
  the 
  

   bow, 
  some 
  5 
  or 
  C 
  inches 
  below 
  the 
  gunwale, 
  is 
  a 
  sort 
  of. 
  half 
  deck 
  or 
  

   platform, 
  3 
  feet 
  long, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  another 
  crossing 
  the 
  stern 
  about 
  18 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  fore 
  and 
  aft. 
  On 
  the 
  latter 
  the 
  skipper 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  stands 
  

   to 
  throw 
  out 
  the 
  seine, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  " 
  pole 
  the 
  boat," 
  as 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  

   guiding 
  her 
  with 
  a 
  pole 
  is 
  called. 
  This 
  method 
  of 
  controlling 
  the 
  move- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  is 
  preferable 
  to 
  any 
  other 
  in 
  the 
  shallow^ 
  waters 
  where 
  

   seining 
  is 
  done. 
  

  

  The 
  frame 
  is 
  usually 
  oak, 
  the 
  plank 
  of 
  juniper 
  or 
  cypress, 
  and 
  gal 
  

   vanized 
  iron 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  fastening. 
  

  

  The 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  boats 
  are 
  cat-rigged, 
  carrying 
  a- 
  single 
  large 
  sprit- 
  

   sail, 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  have 
  two 
  sprit 
  -sails. 
  A 
  boat 
  costs 
  abou'j 
  $125. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  boats, 
  more 
  particularly 
  those 
  used 
  in 
  winter', 
  are 
  ship's 
  

  

  