FISHERIES OF THE SOUTH ATLANTIC STATES. 219 



a loss of 1,580,809 pounds and $83,793. Tliis is mainly attributable to 

 the falling off in the shad and oyster fisheries. 



The most prominent fisheries are those for shad and mullet. Con- 

 siderably over half of the total catch and almost half of the total value 

 are represented in these two fisheries. The other leading fisheries are 

 those for squeteague, sheepshead, channel bass, pompano, and oysters. 



Gill nets, seines, and tongs are the principal apparatus of capture. 

 Cast nets, lines, and other minor forms of apparatus are also in use. 

 The absence of the pound net in this section is noticeable. During the 

 latter part of 1897 a pound net was located in the ocean near Cajje 

 Canaveral, but was put in operation too late in the year to be included 

 in the present canvass. Pound nets have been tried before in different 

 sections of the State, but without success, the nets being destroyed 

 by sharks and other predatory species. 



The absence of a vessel fishery is also noticeable. There are numer- 

 ous snapper banks a short distance off the Florida coast, which are 

 resorted to by New England fishing smacks, which land their catch at 

 Savannah. Such a fishery could be carried on more easily and econom- 

 ically by Florida fishermen, as they are closer to the banks. Several 

 vessels from Punta Gorda, on the western coast of the State, have made 

 trips to Biscayne Bay for the purpose of catching Spanish mackerel. 



Very little ocean fishing is done by the fishermen of this region, a 

 few seines only being hauled on the beaches. Although the waters 

 adjacent to the coast teem with marine food-fishes, the fishermen have 

 generally confined their attention to the rivers and lagoons. 



From 1880 to 1890 there was an increase in the fisheries of eastern 

 Florida, but since that time there has been a decline in the fisheries 

 as a whole. The decline is especially noticeable in the sun-fish, shad, 

 shrimp, oyster, and turtle fisheries. The sturgeon fishery, which was 

 at one time quite important, is now extinct. The species in the catch 

 of which noticeable increases are shown are alewives, blue-fish, chan- 

 nel bass, mullet, pompano, sheepshead, and squeteaguc. A part of 

 the general decline is attributable to the laws governing certain of the 

 rivers. No nets are now allowed in any of the fresh-water rivers or 

 bayous, except for shad, and only cast nets and lines are allowed in 

 Mosquito Lagoon or Hillsboro Eiver and Halifax Iliver. These latter 

 formerly had quite extensive fisheries. Another law, put into force in 

 the State in 1897, prohibited the use of nets (except cast nets) in all 

 the waters of the State, from June 15 to August 16, and the catching 

 of mullets between November 15 and December 31. These restrictions 

 account for a considerable part of the decrease in the total catch. 



In 1897 there were 1,132 persons employed in the fisheries, of which 

 number 986 were engaged in the shore and boat fisheries. The capital 

 invested amounted to $151,155. The shore and accessory property was 

 valued at $64,715. The apparatus of capture was valued at $32,210, 

 and the boats employed at $19,800. The item of cash capital is placed 



