334 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
of the individual fisherman. This system, or “lay,” as it is called, is the result of 
many years’ experience and of some trials of strength between the fishermen and the 
owners, and has proven the most satisfactory and fair method of dividing the proceeds 
of the fishing voyage. 
The prices being uniform at all times to the shipper, it has been found expedient 
to establish a scale, varying with the size of the fish and the shape in which they are 
forwarded, as round, with entrails removed, or with all waste parts cut away. The 
sparseness of our Southern population, the great distances which separate the sea 
from the consumer, and the high price of telegraph tolls, have all tended to discourage 
any effort to vary prices with the supply, and to encourage the maintenance of 
standard prices, with some concession to larger dealers. That the prices have been 
fairly fixed, as a result of years of experiment and many bitter wars between the 
rival Pensacola shippers, needs little confirmation, in view of the fact that only two 
considerable shippers have survived the strain and stress of unrestricted competition, 
although a half dozen other firms have entered the field, only to be absorbed by the 
older houses after an unsuccessful attempt to realize their hopes of profit. The market 
reached by the existing houses is one that covers most of the country, reaching from 
Boston, Mass., to Denver, Colo., and from the shores of Texas to the borders of the 
Great Lakes. In fact, as one dealer aptly remarked, “ Ho man who is willing to buy 
a red snapper has lacked the opportunity.” 
The future of the fishery can not be readily foretold. That the cost of production 
can be reduced seems unlikely. Climatic conditions compel the marketing of the 
red snapper in a fresh and unfrozen state. It does not take kindly to freezing; its 
color fades and its flesh, in the dry atmosphere of cold storage, shrivels and wastes. 
In fact, it has come to be recogDized that no fish can be thus preserved except with 
considerable loss of flavor and of marketable value. It is almost impossible to dis- 
tribute frozen stock in these latitudes. Ho market, either in Horth or South, has been 
found that will consume such quantities as might be economically transported and 
stored in a frozen state. The crude and wasteful methods of the retail dealer also 
work to raise the cost to the consumer, so that it bears little relation to the price the 
shipper receives, and the retailer’s profit is so large that the consumer finds a mess of 
fish a costly luxury, in which he indulges only at long intervals. Canning has been 
tried and found wanting. Preservation with salt is unprofitable, owing to the great 
loss of weight it entails and the high cost of the raw material, which makes profitable 
sale out of the question. 
The dearth of skilled cooks is also an almost insurmountable obstacle in the way 
of the introduction of our fish into such general use as is enjoyed by the products of 
the packing houses of the West. Another difficulty is that the larger red snappers, 
which cost least by the pound, can not be conveniently used in a single household, 
being excessive in both cost and quantity. Great effort has been made, with only 
partial success, to introduce the custom of selling sliced fish. 
The supply afforded by the fishing-grounds, while not threatening immediate 
failure, seems to be comparatively less than twenty years ago. Before 1880 it was 
common for smacks to make weekly trips, and they were seldom compelled to go far 
for good fishing; now they go far and consume more time on every trip, although most 
of this time is employed on the outward passage and in search of productive grounds. 
On the other hand, the men earn about the same wages, and the market is kept fully 
