206 SPINY-FINNED FISHES 



catcli, indicating that the supply is maintaining itself, as 

 follows : 



Middle Atlantic states (1904), 324,935 pounds, worth $10,183 . 

 South Atlantic states (1902), 14,310,808 " " 256,348 



Gulf states (1902), 27,098,435 " " 442,536 



41,734,178 " " $709,067 



THE SNAPPER FAMILY 



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The Red Snapper^ brilliantly represents a large and 

 important Family of valuable food fishes, which in our waters 

 contains about 35 species. Many of these fishes are hand- 

 somely and showily colored, red being the commonest and 

 most conspicuous tint, with yellow tints of frequent occur- 

 rence. A typical Red Snapper is recognizable a hundred 

 feet distant by the clear and beautiful crimson color which 

 completely suffuses it. 



The average market specimen is about 16 inches long, 

 but it is stated that this species attains sometimes a length 

 of 3 feet, and a maximum weight of 40 pounds. In the Gulf 

 of Mexico, says Mr. Silas Stearns, they very seldom exceed 

 30 pounds in weight, and the average is 8 or 9 pounds. It 

 happens, however, that one can spend months on the coast 

 of Florida, and around Key West, without even once seeing 

 a Red Snapper reaching 25 pounds in weight. 



This fish prefers to live on a rocky bottom, in holes and 

 gullies where all kinds of marine animals and fish are abun- 

 dant. These gullies occur at a depth of from twelve to forty- 

 five fathoms, and are most numerous in the northern border 



^ Lu-ti-an'us ay'a. 



