130 REPORT OP COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Table showing by counties and species the yield of the fisheries of Alabama in 1897. 



Species. 



Angel-fish 



Black bass 



Hiue-flsh 



Catfish 



Channel bHSS or red-fish . 



Crevalle 



Croakers 



Drum 



Flounders 



Gronpei-8 



Mullet, fresh , 



Mullet, salted 



Perch 



Pickerel 



Pin-fish 



Pompano 



Red snapper 



Sheepshead 



Spanish mackerel 



Spots 



Sun-fishes 



Trout 



Whiting 



Crabs, hard 



Shrimp 



Terrapin , 



Oysters 



Total 1,857,951 58,225 



Baldwin. 



Lbs. 



3,300 

 25, 200 

 124, 480 

 109, 200 

 122, 200 



7,350 

 246, 800 



3,900 

 18,200 



9,000 

 297, 400 



3,000 



2,500 



2,500 



37, 500 



35, 000 



49, 000 



46, 600 



53, 300 



48, 681 



137,900 



2,000 



471, 940 



Value. 



$50 

 1,764 

 2,490 

 1,638 

 4,277 



110 



3,703 



59 



637 



135 

 4,388 



120 



38 



38 



2,625 



1,225 



1,715 



2, 3.TO 



811 



1,539 



4,573 



70 



Mobile. 



Lbs. I Value. 



23, 690 



2,700 1 

 15,800 ] 

 80,020 

 78,800 

 90,800 



4,650 ' 

 170, 200 



2,100 



28, 800 

 60, 000 



293, 90( 

 6,000 

 2,000 

 1,500 

 1,500 

 22, 800 



300, 000 



37, 800 



38, 900 

 33, 700 



29, 828 

 158, 200 



24, 400 



40, 600 



2,934 



1, 313, 498 



$65 



1,106 



1,604 



1,234 



3,148 



70 



2,453 



32 



965 



900 



4, 099 



195 



80 



23 



23 



1,587 



10, 500 



1, 234 



1,630 



1,132 



1,044 



5,138 



Total. 



Lbs. 



505 



320 

 36,517 



2, 841, 430 76, 213 



6,000 



41, 000 



204, 500 



188, 000 



213, 000 



12. 000 



417,000 



6,000 



47, 000 



69, 000 



591, 300 



6,000 



5,000 



4,000 



4,000 



60, 300 



335, 000 



86, 800 

 85. 500 



87, 000 

 79, 509 



296, 100 



2, 000 



a 24, 400 



40, 600 



6 2,934 



c 1, 785, 438 



Value. 



4, 699, 381 



$n.-. 



2, ,S70 

 4. (I'.i4 



2, 872 

 7,425 



180 



6, 156 



ill 



1, 6(12 



1, 035 



8,487 



195 



200 



61 



61 



4,212 



11, 725 



2,949 



3. 960 

 1,943 

 2.783 

 9,711 



70 



505 



{)09 



320 



60, 207 



134, 138 



a 73,200 in number. 



6 1,121 in number. 



c 255,063 bushels. 



The vessel and shore fisheries. — The principal fisheries prosecuted in 

 Alabama are the seine and trammel net fisheries, the red-snapper fish- 

 ery, and the oyster fishery. In addition to these, cat-fish and crabs are 

 taken with trot lines, and flounders are caught in small quantities with 

 spears. 



The oyster fishery is of much greater importance than any other 

 branch, and is engaged in by a large number of vessels and boats. 

 The season begins about the 1st of September and continues until the 

 latter part of April, although oyster.s are taken to a greater or less 

 extent in nearly every month of the year. Tongs are the only appa- 

 ratus of capture used. The oysters, as they are sold by the fishermen, 

 are divided into three principal grades. These are the plants, cullens, 

 and reefers. The plants and cullens are obtained chiefly from the 

 planted grounds in Bon Secours Bay, a small indentation of Mobile Bay 

 at the lower end of Baldwin County, and also from the planted grounds 

 in Heron Bay and vicinity, which is in the lower part of Mobile County, 

 on Mississippi Sound. The reefers are from the natural reefs in Mobile 

 Bay and Mississippi Sound. The prices received for the different 

 grades of oysters fluctuate more or less, but average from $1.25 to $1.50 

 a barrel for plants, $1 a barrel for cullens, and about 00 cents a barrel 

 for reefers. The greater part of the catch is sold to the dealers at Mobile. 



It was formerly customary for a number of the vessels to engage in 

 buying the oysters from the tongers and transporting them to Mobile. 

 The profits of this enterprise, never very large, finally became so small 



