FISHERIES OF THE GULF STATES. 131 



that it was practically abandoned, and the vessels and boats now carry 

 tbeir own catcb to market. Aside from the grades of oysters above 

 referred to, considerable (luantities are obtained from the natural reefs 

 for canning- purposes. These are sold at Biloxi, ]Miss., and also to a 

 cannery which has recently been built at Bayou Labatre, the price 

 received being from 25 to .'50 cents a barrel. Oysters are also taken in 

 the spring, after the market season is over, for planting purposes, for 

 which the tongers receive 10 cents a barrel deliv'ered on the planting'- 

 grounds. They consist of oysters and shells together. The quantity 

 of oysters taken by vessels was 891,915 pounds, or 51,138 barrels, 

 valued at $40,881; the quantity taken by boats was 890,253 pounds, or 

 50,887 barrels, valued at 819,326; a total, exclusive of oysters for 

 j)lanting ])urposes, of 102,025 barrels, having a value of $00,207, or 

 nearly one-half the entire value of the fishery products of the State. 

 The oysters taken by vessels included a much larger projiortion of the 

 better grades than those taken by boats; hence their value was pro- 

 portionately greater. 



Seines are used to a limited extent on vessels, but are chiefly 

 operated by small boats. The greater number of these are fish seines, 

 and vary in length from GO to 100 fathoms each, having a depth in the 

 center of 10 to 15 feet and narrowing at the ends to 5 or G feet. They 

 are made of cotton twine and cost, according to their size and quality, 

 from $40 to $100 each. The size of the mesh, stretched, is about 2 

 inches in the center and 3 inches in the remainder of the net. A few 

 shrimp seines are also used. These are made of lighter twine and are 

 usually a little longer than the fish seines, and cost from $G0 to $125 

 each. The catch taken by vessels in seines consisted of 22,200 pounds 

 of fish, valued at $873, and 20,000 pounds of shrimp, valued at $300; 

 the catch by boats was 117,026 iwunds of fish, valued at $2,477, and 

 20,600 pounds of shrimp, valued at $30!); a total of 179,826 jiounds of 

 fish and shrimp, having a value of $3,959. 



The most irai)ortant apparatus used in the capture of inshore species, 

 locally termed ''beach fish," are the trammel nets. These are used to 

 a considerable extent on both vessels and boats. The nets are made 

 of cotton twine, and are divided in two sections, each section being 40 

 fathoms long and costing about $25 or $50 for the entire net. The 

 size of the mesh in the outside webs is from 10 to 12 inches, and in the 

 inside web about 2^ inches stretched. The {]uantity of fish taken in 

 trammel nets by vessels was 221,700 pounds, valued at $4,405, and by 

 boats 2,052,508 pounds, valued at $51,538; a total of 2,274,208 pounds, 

 having a value of $55,943. 



The red-snapper fishery, which has heretofore been carried on in an 

 irregular manner in this State, was recently established at Mobile, and 

 may grow to much larger proportions in the course of a few years. It 

 is exclusively a vessel fishery, with hand lines as the apparatus of 

 capture. There were five vessels engaged in it, four of which ox)erated 



