THE RED-SNAPPER FISHERY. 589 



Other methods of fishing such as are nsed in other waters, as for instance, trawl-lines and the 

 cod gill-nets, have been tried by the fishing firms at a considerable outlay of money and time, but 

 without success. One of the schooners the same year had a full crew of Gloucester or Portland 

 trawlers, and a good outfit of trawls and dories, but it was soon decided that more fish could be 

 caught with hand-lines than on trawls. A fishing steamer of about 85 tons was thoroughly tried 

 in the business, and while she was quite successful and at times had great advantage over sailing 

 vessels, the running expenses were too heavy to make it a profitable investment. The value of 

 the steamer, invested in schooners, would give-much larger returns of money, as well as of fish. 



The necessity for going so much farther from Pensacola to catch red-snappers in winter has 

 brought a larger and better class of vessels into the business than was formerly required. The 

 most of them have been brought from the north, where they were engaged in the cod, mackerel, 

 or New York market fisheries. 



During the winter the larger vessels go 210 to 250 miles eastward from Pensacola to the 

 ' Middle Ground," consuming 10 to 15 days on a trip, and bringing home on an average 1,500 fish, 

 and as many as 4,000 fish. 



Such vessels carry from 6 to 10 tons of ice and about three weeks' outfit of stores, wood, and 

 water. The smaller vessels fish between Pensacola and Cape San Bias, mainly southerly from 

 Pensacola Bar, and make weekly trips. For this fishing-ground 1,000 fish is considered a good 

 fare. During the spring, summer, and early fall, the whole fleet is fishing westward of Cape San 

 Bias, and is quite successful on grounds that are barren in winter. Some of the vessels are 

 either laid up at Pensacola or are engaged in northern fisheries during the months of June, July, 

 August, and September, when it is too warm to send large quantities of fish to the interior. The 

 fishermen are of all nationalities, and are taken largely from the merchant ships that visit Pensa- 

 fola. The captains are paid by a one-fifth share of the net proceeds of the catch and 8 per cent, 

 for skipperage; the mate receives $40 per month as wages, the cook $30 per month; and each of 

 (.he crew $25 per month. The vessel pays the mate and cook from her share. The other bills are 

 all put in together and deducted from the gross stock before there is any division between captain 

 and owners. Some vessels still sail on the old share plan, which gives the vessel 40 per cent, of 

 the gross earnings, less 40 per cent, of the ice bill, and the crew the remainder, less their share of 

 the ice bill and all of the store, wood, and bait bills, which is divided equally among them. The 

 captain receives, in addition to his share, 15 per cent, of the vessel's share. 



In winter this red-snapper fishery is very rough, and even those accustomed to George's and 

 Xantucket Shoals complain of the hardships to be endured in it. The large fishing schooners 

 from Portland and Boston always meet with more accidents to spars and sails in one season of the 

 choppy seas and sharp squalls of the Gulf than they do in a long time at home. 



The buying price of red-snappers has remained nearly stationary for several years. At the 

 beginning of the business at Pensacola all sizes were bought at the rate of 4 cents per pound. 

 Then for several years there was very little demand for large size fish, during which time the 

 prices were 4 cents per pound for small sizes under 7 pounds, and 37 cents apiece for all fish over 

 that weight. About 1879 the prices became 3J cents per pound for small and 25 cents apiece for 

 large, or "counts," at which point it has remained the most of the time, with occasional fluctua- 

 tions to outside vessels of 3 cents per pound for small and 20 cents apiece for counts. Groupers 

 have never been readily salable, and are a nuisance to the trade, as they are becoming more 

 abundant every year, and seem to be in less demand. The fishermen bring in but a small propor- 

 tion of the number caught. The grouper is a good food fish, but cannot be sold at all as long as 

 a snapper can be had, even though the price of it is but one-half that of the other. Formerly 



