EASTERN FLORIDA: PRINCIPAL FISHERY DISTRICTS. 529 



therefore, next to Mayport, the oldest shad fisheries in the State. The town has at present a pop- 

 ulation of about one hundred and fifty, all of whom are largely dependent on the fisheries during 

 a greater part of the year. Many of these are Northern fishermen, who spend their winters in 

 Florida and return to Connecticut in the spring to engage in the shad fisheries of that State. 



In I860 there were four nets at New Berlin; in 1876 the number had increased to fourteen, and 

 in 1878 to forty. In 1879 there were only thirty -five shad-nets, and at the present time (1880) there 

 are thirty shad, twelve mullet, and five trout-nets owned in the village. The total value of the 

 catch for 1880, at local prices, was about $10,770. Two-thirds of the shad and three-fourths of the 

 mullet go to Savannah, and the balance of the catch, including trout and mixed fish, goes to Jack- 

 sonville, or the larger cities of Georgia and South Carolina. 



JACKSONVILLE. Jacksonville, the largest city of Florida, was laid out as a village in honor 

 of Andrew Jackson in 1822. When half a century old it contained less than 1,500 inhabitants, but 

 within the last few years it has come to be the commercial center of the State, and has at present 

 a population of 12,000. It is situated on the right bank of the Saint John's River, about 25 miles 

 above its mouth, and has fair rail and water connections with all parts of the country. 



Prior to 1808, according to Messrs. Melton & Tait, the fishing at Jacksonville was chiefly with 

 hook and line for local use. Two or three drag-seines were also fished for mullet during the season, 

 and the catch was salted for exportation to the West Indies. At that time shad-nets were intro- 

 duced into the locality, and from that date the fisheries gradually increased, until, in 1879, 

 there were one hundred and twenty men either catching or handling fish during some portion of 

 the year. There were forty shad, thirty mullet, and three bass nets, with seven haul-seines and 

 a dozen or more shrimp-nets, owned in the city. The catch, according to the most reliable esti- 

 mates, amounted to 43,000 shad, 146,000 mullet, 6,300 bass, 37,000 strings of mixed fish, and 800- 

 bushels of shrimp, having a total value of $23,000. 



The shad fishing begins early in December and lasts till the following April, when about thirty- 

 fishermen leave for the North to engage in the fisheries of the Connecticut and other rivers. The 

 remainder, mostly colored, fish with hook and line or cast-net, or work on shore until June, when 

 the mullet arrive in sufficient numbers to warrant them in engaging in the fishery. This fishery 

 is prosecuted to a limited extent from this date, but the height of the season is between August 

 and December. Mullet are usually present in small numbers during the entire year. 



Bass-nets are fished from December to May, the favorite grounds being Doctor's Lake, about 

 20 miles above the city. The bass taken average about 10 pounds in weight. The haul-seines are 

 fished in all the little creeks and bays along the river, for 10 or 12 miles on either side of the city. 



The principal species of the Jacksonville market are mullet (Mugil albula and M. braziliensis). 

 shad (Clupea sapidissima), trout (Cynoscion maculatum), bass (Scicena ocellata), croakers (Micro- 

 pogon undulatus], sheepshead (Diplodus prolatocephalus), drum (Pogonias chromis), sailor's choice- 

 Applied to numerous species, but more particularly to Lagodon rkomloides), flounders (Pseudorhom- 

 Ijus dentatus), yellow-tails (Bairdiella chrusura), and whiting (Mentlcirrus albiirmut), together with 

 fresh-water trout (Micropterus pallidus), and bream and perch of various kinds. 



Three-fourths of the shad and half of the mullet and bass are shipped, and the remainder are 

 consumed locally. Of those shipped, a few shad and bass go to the Northern markets, but the 

 greater part are sent to the interior of Georgia and South Carolina. 



PALATKA. Palatka, the only village of any importance on the Saint John's above Jackson- 

 ville, is situated about 100 miles from the mouth of the river, in the midst of a large fruit-growing- 

 section. It is the center of steamboat navigation for the upper Saint John's and Ocklawaha 

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