REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. LVII 
C. Adams commanding, was dispatched to the west coast of Florida, 
leaving Wood’s Holl, Mass., January 14, 1889, and reaching Key West 
on the 27th of the same month. Mr. W. 0. Kendall acted as naturalist 
on the schooner, while Dr. James A. Henshall, secretary of the Cincin- 
nati Society of Katural History, was detailed to make an Investigation 
of the adjacent shores, as explained farther on. The work was con- 
ducted in a thorough and systematic manner and upon a somewhat 
different plan from any previous survey. The examination was begun 
about 20 miles north of the Tortugas Islands, with instructions to carry 
it as far northward as the time would permit, between the depths of 
15 and 50 fathoms, or outside of the area now resorted to for lishing 
purposes. The bank in this region has practically a north and south 
trend and it was deemed most advantageous to run east and west lines 
of observations entirely across it, at regular intervals of 10 miles. 
Dredgings to determine the character of the bottom were to be made 
10 miles apart on each line, while the fishing trials with hand lines 
were to be continued with as few interruptions as possible both while 
under way and while at anchor. The first line was started February 14, 
and the work closed March 27. Unfortunately, stormy weather pre- 
vailed during most of the season and prevented the extension of the 
survey north of the latitude of Charlotte Harbor, a distance of 100 
miles from the starting-point. The instructions, however, were closely 
followed, and ten lines, averaging about 65 miles each in length, were 
run, the total area covered being, therefore, about 6,500 square miles. 
Had the time and weather permitted, the good fishing-jdaces could have 
been more accurately located and their limits better defined, but as it 
is the results are interesting and instructive, the relative abundance 
and distribution of the several species having been ascertained with 
sufficient accuracy for all immediate purposes. It would, however, be 
important to determine to what extent these conditions vary with the 
seasons. 
Three, times as many red snappers as groupers were secured over the 
entire area, indicating that the former species is the most abundant 
one during at least the season when the inquiry was conducted. Red 
snappers were found in all depths from 15 to 48 fathoms, but the lar- 
gest catches were made in depths of 15 to 25 fathoms, comparatively 
few being taken in over 30 fathoms. The red grouper ranged through 
depths of 15 to 37 fathoms, and the black grouper through depths of 
19J to 48 fathoms. On the more southern lines the red snappers and 
both species of groupers were found as far out as depths of 35 to 40 
fathoms, becoming less abundant but increasing in size as the water 
deex>ened. As the work progressed northward, the fish were chiefly 
obtained on the inner parts of the lines, the red groupers also taking 
the place of the red snappers, which were rarely seen. In the deeper 
waters the black groupers predominated over the red groupers, the 
latter becoming relatively more common as the water shoaled toward 
the coast. 
