100 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



FLORIDA. 



During the last three decades the fisheries of Florida 

 have grown steadily in the value of their products, 

 and in 1908 the state held fifth rank in this respect. 

 It has a natural monopoly of the sponge fisheries of 

 the United States, contributed two-thirds, in value, 

 of the mullet product, and was surpassed in the value 

 of its shad product only by Virginia and North Carolina. 



Florida has the longest coast line.of any state in the 

 Union, measuring about 450 miles on the Atlantic 

 Ocean and 675 miles on the Gulf of Mexico. The 

 Atlantic coast is remarkably free from indentation, 

 but is bordered throughout almost its entire length 

 by sand reefs that inclose long lagoons, sounds, and 

 bays (often misnamed rivers), in which fish abound. 

 The principal fishing grounds on this coast are the 

 following waters, in geographical order: St. Marys, 

 St. Johns, and Matanzas Rivers, Lake George, Mos- 

 quito Lagoon, Indian River, Biscayne Bay, St. Lucie 

 River, and Lake Worth. 



The Gulf coast, like the Atlantic coast, is low, but it 

 is much less regular and is intersected by the estuaries 

 of a number of rivers and by numerous bays, sounds, 

 and lagoons. Following the indentations, the western 

 coast line of Florida measures approximately 2,810 

 miles. Nearly all of the shore fishing on this coast, 

 as along the eastern coast, is pursued in the shallow 

 waters shut in from the open sea by keys and lowland 

 spits. The principal indentations along the Gulf coast 

 where commercial fishing is carried on are the follow- 

 ing: The bays known as Pensacola, Escambia, Choo- 

 tawhatchee, St. Andrews, and St. Joseph, St. Vincent 

 Sound, Apalachicola Bay, St. George's Sound, Wac- 

 cassassee, Clearwater, Tampa, Hillsboro, and Sarasota 

 Bays, Charlotte Harbor, and Gasparilla and San 

 Carlos Bays. Among the rivers the Apalachicola, 

 Withlacoochee, Homosassa, Anclote, and Manatee are 

 the principal fishing grounds. 



The following table presents a general summary of 



the statistics of the fishing industry of the state for 

 1908: 



Number of persons employed 9, 212 



Capital: 



Vessels and boats, including outfit $1, 421, 000 



Apparatus of capture 326, 000 



Shore and accessory property and cash 668, 000 



Value of products 3, 389, 000 



Comparison with previous canvasses. If the figures 

 are compared with those reported for former years, 

 a steady increase in the importance of the fishing 

 industry of the state is observed. A comparison with 

 such preceding years for which figures are available 

 is given below, the number of shoresmen and the invest- 

 ment in shore and accessory property and cash capital 

 being excluded : 



i Alligator hunters not included. 



Persons employed. The total number of persons 

 employed in the fisheries of the state in 1908 was 

 9,212, or, exclusive of shoresmen, 9,006. 



The following tabular statement shows the distri- 

 bution of the persons employed, as reported at the 

 census of 1908.' 



PERSONS EMPLOYED: 1908. 



'Exclusive of 273 proprietors not fishing. 



1 Includes provisions furnished to the value of $270,000. 



