586 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHEEIES. 



are colonies of red-snappers living by themselves in the southern region, which yield most excellent 

 fishing on account of their having been but little disturbed by man. They are, however, small, and 

 lying, as they do, far from land in broad areas of unproductive bottom, they are difficult to find. 



The fishing grounds south of Mobile Bar in 37, 39, and 40 fathoms are called "The Southwest 

 Ground" or "Gampeche;" southeast from the same point in 19 fathoms, is the "Trysail Ground;" 

 a small spot in-shore of that is known as the "Dutch Bank." Then from Pensacola Bar, is the 

 " Old Southwest Ground," a small shoal-water spot but a few miles from land; the "Middle Ground" 

 is another small bank, situated 5 or 6 miles from the bar ; the " Old Deep-water," a 40-fathom 

 ground S. and S. by E. off-shore; and the "Charles Henry Ground," and the "Henry Holes," at 

 the edge of deep-water southeasterly from the bar. Between Peusacola and (Jape San Bias there 

 are numerous small spots for fishing which have each several names given according to the fancy 

 of the fishermen, and often referring to some object on land that may be used as a range or bear- 

 ing; as for instance the "Eoger's Hill Bank," the "First Yellow Bluff," and the "Second Yellow 

 Bluff" banks, the "Fifteen off Bald Hill," &c. Off-shore there are other grounds, designated by 

 the depth of water on them, and some conspicuous land-marks that the fishermen use to lay 

 their course from, as "The Twenty-one Off The Pass," "The Second Seventeen Off The Inlet," 

 the "Saint Andrews Ground," the "Old Cape Ground," and the "New Cape Ground." South of 

 Cape San Bias the grounds are not so well known, and also being mostly far from land are not so 

 easily distinguished from each other. There are a few names applied to large areas of ground, as 

 the "Dog Island Grounds," and the "Middle Ground," one including at least 25 miles square and 

 the other being twice as large. 



The fishing grounds are found by sounding, the sudden change in the depth of water showing 

 that a gulch is reached, whereupon the vessel is hove to until the lines are tried for a bite. If the 

 fish bite freely, a buoy is placed to mark the spot and the vessel is allowed to drift, with sails slacked 

 off sidewise from the wind, until the fish cease to bite, when the sails are trimmed in to work the 

 vessel up to the buoy again. 



In smooth water, when a first-rate "bank" is found, the vessel is anchored near the buoy, but 

 on small and thinly populated "banks" anchoring is unnecessary, for two or three drifts suffice to 

 catch up all the fish that will bite. Some "banks" are so infested with foul fish, sharks, large 

 jew-fish, leather-jackets (Balistes capriscus), and porgies (Sparus pagrus) that they give the snappers 

 but little chance to bite, and the fishermen are obliged to leave them for others. 



The gear used in this fishery consists of cotton lines 60 fathoms long, arranged with two cod- 

 fish hooks at the end, on different sno6ds, and a piece of lead for sinker, weighing 2 pounds or 

 more, fastened to the line 5 or 6 feet above the hooks. Eed-snappers, and in fact all the large 

 bottom fish caught on these grounds have their swimming-bladders very much distended with air 

 by being relieved of the great pressure to which they are accustomed, and unless the air is removed 

 at once the fish will not live in the vessel's well, nor will it keep so fresh in ice. To provide for this, 

 when the fish are to be kept alive, the fishermen have little metal tubes, called "prickers," fitted 

 in wooden handles and sharpened at the end, which they thrust through the side of the fish into 

 the bladder, when the air escapes, and the fish is thrown into the well as lively as ever. The 

 coarse scales of the side seem to cover the opening made by the pricker, keeping water from 

 filling the cavity of the stomach. When fish are to be stored in ice, the air is let out by means 

 of an old file or a one tined fork that the fishermen sometimes use for handling fish. The deeper 

 the water is that fish are taken from, the more distended they are with air. Those caught in 35 or 

 40 fathoms are puffed out in an almost round form, and the scales along the sides are started and 

 turned up on end, giving the fish a peculiarly distressed appearance. 



