334 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



of the individual fisherman. This system, or " lay," as it is called, is the result of 

 many years' experience and of some trials of strength between the fishermen and the 

 owners, and has proven the most satisfactory and fair method of dividing the proceeds 

 of the fishing voyage. 



The prices being uniform at all times to the shipper, it has been found expedient 

 to establish a scale, varying with the size of the fish and the shape in which they are 

 forwarded, as round, with entrails removed, or with all waste parts cut away. The 

 sparseness of our Southern population, the great distances which separate the sea 

 from the consumer, and the high price of telegraph tolls, have all tended to discourage' 

 any effort to vary prices with the supply, and to encourage the maintenance of 

 standard prices, with some concession to larger dealers. That the prices have been 

 fairly fixed, as a result of years of experiment and many bitter wars between the 

 rival Pensacola shippers, needs little confirmation, in view of the fact that only two 

 considerable shippers have survived the strain and stress of unrestricted competition, 

 although a half dozen other firms have entered the field, only to be absorbed by the 

 older houses after an unsuccessful attempt to realize their hopes of profit. The market 

 reached by the existing houses is one that covers most of the country, reaching from 

 Boston, Mass., to Denver, Colo., and from the shores of Texas to the borders of the 

 Great Lakes. In fact, as one dealer aptly remarked, " No man who is willing to buy 

 a red snapper has lacked the opportunity." 



The future of the fishery can not be readily foretold. That the cost of production 

 can be reduced seems unlikely. Climatic conditions compel the marketing of the 

 red snapper in a fresh and unfrozen state. It does not take kindly to freezing; its 

 color fades and its flesh, in the dry atmosphere of cold storage, shrivels and wastes. 

 In fact, it has come to be recognized that no fish can be thus preserved except with 

 considerable loss of flavor and of marketable value. It is almost impossible to dis- 

 tribute frozen stock in these latitudes. No market, either in North or South, has been 

 found that will consume such quantities as might be economically transported and 

 stored in a frozen state. The crude and wasteful methods of the retail dealer also 

 work to raise the cost to the consumer, so that it bears little relation to the price the 

 shipper receives, and the retailer's profit is so large that the consumer finds a mess of 

 fish a costly luxury, in which he indulges only at long intervals. Canning has been 

 tried and found wanting. Preservation with salt is unprofitable, owing to the great 

 loss of weight it entails and the high cost of the raw material, which makes profitable 

 sale out of the question. 



The dearth of skilled cooks is also an almost insurmountable obstacle in the way 

 of the introduction of our fish into such general use as is enjoyed by the products of 

 the pack ing- houses of the West. Another difficulty is that the larger red snappers, 

 which cost least by the pound, eaii not be conveniently used in a single household, 

 being excessive in both cost and quantity. (Jreat effort has been made, \\ith only 

 partial success, to introduce the custom of selling sliced fish. 



The supply afforded by the fishing grounds, while not threatening immediate 

 failure, seems to be comparatively less than twenty years ago. Before 1880 it was 

 common for smacks to make weekly trips, and they were seldom compelled to go far 

 for good fishing: now they go far and consume more time on every trip, although most 

 of this time is employed on the outward passage and in search of productive grounds 

 < >n the other hand, the men earn about the same wages, and the market is kept fully 



