﻿302 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [86] 
  

  

  ing 
  the 
  " 
  run" 
  of 
  fish 
  in 
  spring 
  and 
  fall 
  have 
  one 
  boat 
  and 
  a 
  seine 
  gang 
  

   employed 
  here. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  is 
  done 
  wholly 
  with 
  drag-seines, 
  in 
  tin; 
  manner 
  already 
  de- 
  

   scribed, 
  with 
  the 
  single 
  exception 
  that 
  a 
  man 
  goes 
  along 
  the 
  beach 
  to 
  

   watch 
  for 
  approaching 
  schools 
  of 
  fish, 
  whose 
  presence 
  he 
  signals 
  to 
  his 
  

   companions 
  in 
  the 
  boat. 
  This 
  enables 
  the 
  lishermen 
  to 
  be 
  prepared 
  in 
  

   time, 
  and, 
  if 
  desirable, 
  they 
  can 
  lay 
  out 
  the 
  shore-end 
  of 
  their 
  seine 
  so 
  

   that 
  they 
  have 
  only 
  about 
  one-half 
  of 
  it 
  to 
  shoot 
  after 
  the 
  fish 
  come 
  

   witliiu 
  its 
  radius. 
  

  

  The 
  fall 
  fishing 
  continues 
  from 
  October 
  1 
  to 
  January 
  1, 
  and 
  the 
  spring- 
  

   fishery 
  from 
  March 
  1 
  to 
  June 
  1. 
  At 
  the 
  latter 
  date 
  the 
  weather 
  gets 
  

   too 
  warm 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  Years 
  ago 
  the 
  fishery 
  for 
  

   poinpano 
  was 
  discontinued 
  in 
  April, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  had 
  spawned, 
  

   but 
  now 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  high 
  demand 
  at 
  a 
  much 
  later 
  date, 
  and, 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  

   of 
  fact, 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  bring 
  higher 
  prices 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  fall. 
  The 
  fish 
  caught 
  

   at 
  the 
  East 
  Pass 
  that 
  are 
  most 
  valued 
  for 
  (bod 
  are 
  the 
  pompano, 
  Span- 
  

   ish 
  mackerel, 
  bluetish 
  and 
  sheepshead. 
  Many 
  other 
  kinds, 
  of 
  less 
  value, 
  

   are 
  also 
  taken. 
  

  

  3. 
  POUND 
  FISHING. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  attempts 
  to 
  use 
  fish 
  pounds 
  at 
  Pensacola 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  

   resulted 
  only 
  in 
  failure, 
  it 
  is 
  worthy 
  of 
  note 
  that 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  apparatus 
  

   has 
  been 
  tried 
  in 
  these 
  waters. 
  

  

  In 
  L881 
  Mr. 
  Stearns 
  built 
  a 
  pound 
  at 
  Pensacola 
  Bay, 
  but 
  it 
  proved 
  

   unsuccessful, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  numbers 
  of 
  large 
  predaceous 
  fish 
  which 
  

   destroyed 
  the 
  netting. 
  Another 
  pound 
  was 
  tried 
  in 
  1884, 
  at 
  Grassy 
  

   Cove, 
  Santa 
  Rosa 
  Island, 
  but 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  similar 
  fate, 
  being 
  torn 
  to 
  

   pieces 
  by 
  tarpum. 
  

  

  4. 
  OYSTER 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  The 
  Pensacola 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  is 
  not 
  a, 
  specially 
  important 
  industry. 
  

   A 
  tew 
  boats 
  find 
  employment 
  in 
  tonging 
  oysters 
  in 
  winter, 
  and 
  in 
  sum 
  

   mer 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  engage 
  in 
  the 
  red-snapper 
  fishery, 
  taking 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  

   tons 
  of 
  ice 
  and 
  going 
  to 
  the 
  grounds 
  nearest 
  the 
  land. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  boats, 
  Mr. 
  Warren 
  tells 
  me, 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  nondescript 
  form, 
  

   having 
  been 
  improvised 
  from 
  ship's 
  yawls, 
  while 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  small 
  decked 
  

   sloops 
  ami 
  schooners 
  ranging 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  tons. 
  Both 
  of 
  

   these 
  types, 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  mentioned, 
  are 
  round 
  bottomed, 
  square 
  

   sterned, 
  keel 
  craft, 
  but 
  they 
  vary 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  general 
  ap- 
  

   pearance. 
  

  

  The 
  typical 
  oyster-boat 
  is, 
  however, 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  kind. 
  It 
  is 
  

   made 
  on 
  the 
  sharpie 
  pattern, 
  is 
  flat 
  bottomed, 
  wide 
  and 
  shallow, 
  carvel 
  

   built, 
  with 
  sharp 
  bow, 
  wide, 
  square 
  stern, 
  and 
  carries 
  a 
  center-board. 
  

   It 
  is 
  roughly 
  built, 
  has 
  considerable 
  camber 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  especially 
  

   aft, 
  ami 
  is 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  skag 
  and 
  stern-post. 
  It 
  has 
  a 
  half 
  deck 
  for- 
  

   ward, 
  and 
  a 
  deck 
  3 
  to 
  1 
  feet 
  long 
  at 
  the 
  stem, 
  while 
  wash-boards 
  extend 
  

   along 
  the 
  sides. 
  It 
  is 
  generally 
  built 
  wholly 
  of 
  yellow 
  pine, 
  but 
  red- 
  

  

  