566 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



Tliere are now sonic twenty-five or thirty families near the bay, out of which juunber about 

 thirty -five men and boys fish during the season for a livelihood. None fish throughout the year. 

 Among these few people many nations are represented: There is a Dane, a German, an Irishman, 

 a Scotchman, a Spaniard, and there are also three Englishmen; the rest of them are Americans and 

 negroes. As a class, these fishermen are a hardy set. Socially, they are very hospitable in their 

 manner to a stranger, always entertaining him as well as their mode of living will permit. The 

 astonishing feature is that men who have traveled, and have, therefore, seen something of the 

 world, should set'le down to lead such a lazy, shiftless sort of life. Their homes, often containing 

 but two rooms, are the regular "Hoosier" log cabins; in these live the fishermen, their wives, and 

 children. Life in one of these houses must be truly miserable, suggesting naught but poverty and 

 laziness. The women, all of whom are natives and of the most ignorant class, are as intellectually 

 inferior as they are superior energetically to the men. Considering how few advantages these 

 women have, their conduct of the household affairs reflects great credit upon them. The children 

 seem to be smart and intelligent until they reach maturity, at which stage they either fall into the 

 careless habits of their fathers, or, if girls, take upon themselves the drudgeries of a mother and 

 wife. Near the bay there is no school, but those who can afford to do so send their children to the 

 county school at Marianna ; few being able to do this, the majority of them grow up in painful, 

 ignorance. The same is the case for the most pait with their religious instruction, as there are no 

 regular services held near the bay and none of the people there profess any religion. 



The fishing trade has gradually been improving since the war and has now regained its former 

 position. The same kinds of boats, seines, &c., are used as of old and the fish are cured in the 

 same way as they formerly were. The fresh fish trade, however, has not amounted to much, except 

 in 187G, when about two thousand poicpano were sold to smacks belonging to Pensacola and Mobile 

 for 8 cents apiece. 



Instead of the fishermen peddling their fish through the country, as was once the custom, the 

 planters now come to the bay and carry home a mixed load offish and oysters. 



In 1878, 555 barrels of fish valued at $3,470 were sold from the bay. In addition to this, 

 1,500 barrels of oysters were sold at CO cents a barrel, making the total value of fish and oysters 

 $4,220. 



The oyster beds are scattered all over the upper parts of East, North, and West bays, and are 

 most abundant in the deep and open water. These oysters are the favorites of the Georgia inland 

 towns, where they chiefly find their way. 



204. FISHERIES OF PENSACOLA. 



FISHERMEN AND APPARATUS. The only fishing town in Escambia County is Pensacola, the 

 fisheries of which are of great importance. The red-snapper fishery has been elsewhere detailed 

 and is here omitted. 



The professional fishermen of Pensacola number seventy-five, and are either Creoles or negroes. 

 With them fishing is an hereditary profession. But few vessels belong to Pensacola. The smacks 

 are of New England build and the two or three small vessels which carry ice were built at Pensa- 

 cola or Mobile. The boats used by the seine fishermen are of the open yawl pattern, 22 feet long 

 and 6 feet wide. They resemble the boats carried on large schooners and other merchant vessels. 

 They are propelled chiefly by oars, of which two or three pairs are used. In addition, they 

 carry small sprit-sails when long trips are to be made. 



There are ten seines in use at Pensacola for one-half the year and five during the other half. 

 Their average length is 75 fathoms, with a depth of 12 feet. The length of mesh ranges from 2 to 



