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54th Congress, ) SENATE. ( Document
2d Session. \ \ No. 100.
3, Ur.
JUN 23 1924
THE FISH AND FISHEEIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF
FLORIDA.
January 28, 1897. — Referred to the Committee on Fisheries and ordered to be
printed.
The Vice-President presented the following
LETTER FROM THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES,
TRANSMITTING, IN RESPONSE TO SENATE RESOLUTION OF
FEBRUARY 15, 1895, A REPORT ON THE FISH AND FISHERIES
OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
United States Commission ov Fish and Fisheries,
Washington, JD. C, January 28, 1897.
Sir : I have the honor to transmit the accompanying report on the
fish and fisheries of the coastal waters of Florida, in accordance with
the following Senate resolution of February 15, 1895:
Resolved, That the Commissioner of Fisheries is hereby directed to make inquiry
in reference to the extent, methods, and present condition of the coast fisheries of
Florida — more particularly the sponge and oyster fisheries — and to report as to the
desirability of establishing a station for investigation, experiment, and fish-culture
at some suitable point on the coast.
Investigations pursuant to the resolution of the Senate were begun
in 1895 under the direction of the late Commissioner, but it was not
feasible to complete the inquiries until the present year, when a party
consisting of Dr. Hugh M. Smith, Prof. Barton W. Evermann, Mr.
John N". Cobb, and Dr. W. C. Kendall, of this Commission, visited the
southeastern and western coasts of the State, made observations, and
collected information on which this report is in part based. Previous
investigations had been conducted on the east coast of Florida in the
years 1895 and 189G, which put the Commission in possession of data
regarding the extent and condition of the fisheries of that region.
Eeference is made to the following recent reports on the Florida fish-
eries relating to the subject under consideration: "Notes on Biscayne
Bay, with reference to its adaptability as the site of a marine hatching
and experiment station," which appears in the report of this Commis-
sion for 1895, and "The fisheries of Indian Biver, Florida,"* being a
* Printed as S. Doc. 46, Fifty-fourth Congress, second session.
S
2 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
report of the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries transmitted to the
Senate on January 5, 1897, in accordance with the act approved March
2, 1S05, mak'ng appropriations for the sundry civil expenses of the
Government for 189G, a clause of which directs "the Commissioner of
Fisheries to make special investigation relative to the extermination
of migratory tishes of the Indian River, Florida."
The following report deals first with the natural-history features of
the Florida fisheries, and then considers the general importance of the
industry and the extent, leading aspects, and condition of the fisheries
in each of the prominent fishing regions or centers. The question of
establishing a Government hatching and experiment station on the
Florida coast is discussed.
This opportunity is taken to invite special attention to the value
of the fishery resources of Florida and the necessity for action on the
part of the State that will place the fisheries on a more substantial basis
and assist the development of the industry without depleting the
resources. To this end some suggestions are offered which seem war-
ranted by the investigations recently made.
Very respectfully, J. J. Brice,
Commissioner.
To the President of the Senate.
4
THE COAST FISHERIES OF FLORIDA.
GENERAL IMPORTANCE AND EXTENT.
Fishing is one of the most prominent industries of Florida, and in
some parts of the State is of greater importance than any other branch
of business. In comparison with other States the rank of Florida is
tenth. Massachusetts, Maryland, Xew York, Virginia, New Jersey,
California, Alaska, Maine, aud Connecticut are the only States which
surpass Florida in the value of their fishery products, and the margin
between some of these whose fisheries have about attained the height
of their development is so small that they will doubtless be outranked
by Florida within a comparatively few years.
No State has a greater variety of valuable food -fishes and other water
animals than Florida, and in few, if any, States do they exist in such
abundance and under such favorable conditions for capture. Besides
an immense assortment of food-fishes, there are valuable reptilian,
crustacean, molluscau, and other resources. The fisheries are, with few
exceptions, only imperfectly developed along most parts of the coast.
With a coast line exceeding 3,500 miles in length (following indentations
and including islands), the fishing is largely concentrated in a few places,
leaving unoccupied long stretches of coast with ample supplies of fish,
etc., awaiting the time when increase in population and extension of
transportation facilities will make new demands on the water resources.
Florida is the only State having a sponge fishery, which is one of the
most prominent branches of the fishing industry. Other fisheries in
which Florida leads are the mullet fishery, the red-snapper fishery, the
pompano fishery, the kingfish fishery, and the green-turtle fishery.
Besides these, there are important fisheries for squeteagne, grunts,
minor snappers, sheepshead, groupers, Spanish mackerel, red drum,
and oysters.
The principal coast fishing centers of Florida are Key West, Tampa,
St. Petersburg, Cedar Keys, Apalachicola, Pensacola, Jacksonville,
Fernaudina, the Indian Kiver region, and Lake Worth. By far the
most extensive fisheries are prosecuted from Key West and Pensacola.
The west coast maintains much more prominent fisheries than the east
coast, and takes precedence in the yield of every important product.
The approximate extent of the commercial fisheries of the coastal
waters of Florida at the present time is as follows :
Persons employed 6, 100
Capital invested $1, 300, 000
Annual value of catch $1, 200, 000
3
4 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
COMMERCIAL SPONGES OF FLORIDA.
SPONGE-GROUNDS.
The Florida sponge-grounds are in three principal localities : Vicinity
of Bock Island, Anclote Key, and the Florida Keys.
The Rock Island grounds extend along the coast from Cedar Keys to
Apalachee Bay, a distance of about 90 miles, and sponges are found in
greater or less abundance over the entire region. The best grounds are
said to lie off Biney Boint between latitude 29° 40' and 29° 50', or just
above Deadman Bay at the mouth of the Steinhatchee Biver. Other
good grounds are in Ocilla Bay off the mouth of the Ocilla Biver, and
above the mouth of the Suwanee Biver at a place called Bepperfish
Key. Sponges are reported to be abundant in Suwanee Bay, but the
water is seldom clear enough to permit their being seen.
The Anclote grounds extend from the vicinity of Johns Bass, just
below Clearwater Harbor, to Cedar Keys. The best ground at present
is St. Martin Beef, lying off Homosassa and Crystal Biver, between
latitude 28° 40' and 28° 50'. The center of this ground is crossed by
the 83d meridian. Southwest of St. Martin Beef is what is known as
the "New Ground," where excellent sponges are obtained in 42 to 45
feet of water. Another center of abundance is said to lie off Bayport.
Nearly the entire region between Johns Bass and Cedar Keys, how-
ever, is regarded as good sponging- ground if not too closely tished.
That portion off the Anclote Keys would be particularly productive if
allowed to recuperate. It is believed by many that sponges are abun-
dant off Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay, but the water is
rarely clear enough to permit the grounds to be worked. South of
Tampa Bay commercial sponges do not occur in sufficient numbers to
justify the working of this coast until after passing Cape Sable.
The Florida Keys grounds extend from Key West eastward and
northeastward at least as far as Cape Florida. On these grounds the
sponges are found in the shallow water among the keys and along the
reefs in all suitable places.
Good grounds are about the Matecumbe Keys, Stirrup Key, Bahia
Honda, and Horseshoe Cove. The greater part of Biscayne Bay is an
excellent sponging- ground.
SPECIES.
The commercial sponges of Florida are regarded as belonging to five
different species. They all belong to the genus iSponyia, and, named
in the order of their importance, are as follows:
1. The Sheepswool Sponge, Spongia equina (]los8iu>ina.
2. The Yellow Sponge, Spongia agaricina.
3. The Grass Sponge, Spongia graminea.
4. The Velvet Sponge, Spongia equina meandriniformis.
5. The Glove Sponge, Spongia officinalis tubulifera.
Several varieties of these sponges have been described and numerous
grades of each are recognized by the dealers.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 5
SHEEPSWOOL SPONGE.
The slieepswool sponge is found at various places along the Florida
coast from Apalachicola on the west to Cape Florida and the head of
Biscayne Bay on the east. The centers of greatest abundance are near
Cedar Keys and Anclote Keys, though the entire region from off St.
Marks to Charlotte Harbor produces this species. This is commonly
called "the bay," and sponges from here are known as "bay sponges.''
Below Charlotte Harbor the sheepswool is not found in any abun-
dance until beyond Key AVest among the Florida Keys. Important
grounds are about Knight Key, Bahia Honda, Matecumbe, and in
Biscayne Bay.
The best quality of sheepswool sponges comes from the Anclote and
Rock Island grounds. These are regarded by many as the best of
all sponges. According to some, the key sheepswool were formerly
regarded as the best, but now those obtained there seem to have dete-
riorated in quality. The best key sponges are said to come from the
vicinity of Matecumbe Keys.
The sheepswool sponge grows upon hard, rocky, or barry bottom; in
the shallower water, however, it is frequently found on grassy bottom.
It is rarely found on soft mud or sandy bottom, and appears not to thrive
under such conditions. The hard, rocky bottom is usually, perhaps
always, of coral growth or origin.
The majority of the sheepswool sponges nosv obtained are secured in
water ranging in depth from 30 to 50 feet. Some are found in water as
shallow as 10 or 12 feet, but they are kept pretty closely fished out in
these shallow depths. Formerly the principal and best grounds were in
shallow water, but it is now found necessary to resort to deeper and
deeper water year after year.
Whether the sheepswool sponge grows in any abundance at greater
depths than about 50 feet is not definitely known. The method by
which the sponges are secured is such as can not be applied in a depth
greater than 50'feet. The majority of the spongers believe, however,
that sponges grow in abundance beyond a depth of 50 feet. On the
other hand, some think that, on the Florida coast, the commercial
sponges do not occur in any numbers at greater depths than 50 or 00
feet. It is held by these that in depths greater than this the bottom is
chietly of sand and consequently uusuited to the growth of sponges.
This opinion is based upon the observed fact that the better kinds of
sponges, while doing well in shallow water if upon rock bottom, do not
thrive upon sand bottom at the same depths, and the further fact that
such investigations as have been made along the Florida coast show
that the rock bottom upon which the sponges thrive does not ordinarily
reach greater depths than 60 feet, but that beyond that depth a sand or
mud bottom is found. Sufficient experiments in securing sponges by
diving have not been made to throw much light upon this question.
According to Mr. E. J. Arapian, who possesses a wide and intimate
acquaintance with all the important sponging-grounds of the world,
b FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
the commercial sponges of the east coast of Africa are obtained in
depths as great as 110 feet, but tliere the bottom is of rock; the bars
are much larger and more uniformly solid, while our bars are limited in
area and surrounded by sand. The African bars are said to be of
solid, Hint-like rock, while those of Florida are broken and discontinuous.
The sheepswool is not only the most important commercially of all
the Florida sponges, but is by some regarded as the most abundant
species ; others say that the grass and the yellow are really more numer-
ous, though, owing to their less commercial value, fewer are marketed.
The sheepswool sponge attains quite a large size. Some have been
found weighing as much as 3 to li pounds. However frequently this
may have occurred formerly, sponges of that size are rarely, if ever,
seen now. Those obtained now run from 4 to 12 inches, or occasionally
15 inches, in diameter. The average size probably does not exceed 8
to 10 inches in diameter and 8 inches in height. One of the Key West
buyers estimates that those being brought in now average about 12 to
16 to the pound.
The form of the individual sponge is said not to change much as the
sponge gets older, but to remain essentially the same, however long
the sponge may be permitted to remain unmolested. Any important
irregularities in form or departure from the typical shape are due to
interference with its growth through crowding or contact with other
objects. On the whole, the sheepswool is probably the most regular
and uniform in shape of any of the sponges. It is said to grow pretty
well scattered, rather than in colonies, interspersed among gorgonians,
corals, and other sponges.
Accurate information regarding the rate of growth of the sheepswool
sponge is not as complete as might be desired. It is believed by many
observers to grow the most rapidly of any of the sponges. Some ex-
periments performed and observations made by Mr. J. T. Sawyer and
others lead them to believe that this species may, under favorable
conditions, grow from the beginning to one-tenth of a pound weight in
six months.
As illustrating the short-sighted policy of the spongers in pulling the
sponges just so soon as they have attained the minimum lawful size?
and even sooner, a case may be cited in which 1,250 sheepswool sponges
were sold for $5. It these 1,250 small sponges could have been allowed
to grow for six months longer it is estimated that they would have sold
for at least $390.
The opinion that this sponge will grow from the spat to good com-
mercial size in one year is practically unanimous. The spongers all
testify that grounds which were thoroughly fished out one year are
found to yield large numbers of commercial sponges twelve months
thereafter.
It does not appear that sponges have many natural enemies. Many
persons more or less conversant with the business think that crabs do
some damage. The spongers say that in many instances, when the
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 7
sponge is brought up on the hook, a crab is found occupying a cavity
in the base of the sponge, and it is generally believed that the crus-
tacean has eaten the sponge tissue away, thus forming the cavity which
it may afterwards occupy; others think that the crab finds the cavity
already existing and simply uses it as a place of retreat, and this would
seem to be the more reasonable view.
The greatest injury to the sponges, according to the spongers, is that
caused by the so-called "black water" or "poison water." Just what
this is does not seem to be definitely known, although knowledge of
the occurrence of the phenomenon dates back many years. The more
prevalent opinion is that heavy rains cause a strong flow of fresh
water from off the land into the sea, and this water, being heavily
impregnated with decaying vegetable matter and spreading out over
the sponge-grounds, poisons the sea water and kills the sponges. It is
claimed that the poison water always follows immediately after unusu-
ally heavy and continued rains. Au objection urged against this belief
is that this water, being fresh, merely spreads out over the surface and
does not reach the sponges except in very shallow water. Those who
hold this view maintain that the failure of the sponging vessels to
bring in good fares at the time of the prevalence of the black water is
not because tlie sponges have been killed, but because the spongers are
unable to see them through the colored water. Attempts have even
beenmade to devise a water glass which would enable the sponger to
see the sponges below the black water. Some are inclined to the
belief that the poison water comes not from the land, but rather from
subterranean eruptions. It is claimed that sponges have been really
killed in this way only once in the last twenty-five years.
A peculiar malady among the sponges between Knight Key and
Cape Sable occurred in 1895. It is said that the sponges appeared all
right until brought to the surface of the water, when the whole inside
would drop out, leaving nothing but a mere shell. What could have
caused the decay of the inside no one has yet been able to explain.
According to one witness, these sponges were hollowed out when
brought up, and usually a crab was found occupying the cavity.
Whatever the black water may be and whatever may be its effect, it
is certain that the sheepswool sponge is decreasing in numbers very
rapidly. All are agreed upon this point, and the cause of the decrease
is not difficult to understand. While 500 bunches are now considered
a good cargo, a few years ago 1,000 to 1,500 or even 1,800 bunches were
often brought in at a single trip. The decrease continues from year
to year, the bulk of the fishing is done in deeper and deeper water,
and the sponges are harder to get each succeeding year. Grounds
which are fished out one year are visited and raked over again the next
year, without giving them sufficient time to recuperate.
The present law of the State of Florida governing the matter makes
it unlawful to take any sponge under 1 inches in diameter. It is
8 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
admitted, however, that this provision is not enforced. According to
this law the size of a sponge is determined by taking its diameter,
measuring across the top of the sponge, no attention being given to
the height. Some dealers think that the minimum size should be
increased to 5 inches, and all are in favor of enforcing the law.
VELVET SPOXGE.
This species is more limited in its distribution than the sheepswool,
is more rare than any of the other commercial sponges, and seems to be
decreasing more rapidly than any other. It is found rarely, if at all,
on the Book Island or Anclote grounds, but seems to be confined to the
vicinity of the reef and the keys between Key West and Biscayne Bay.
The best beds are said to lie about the Matecumbe Keys and between
the reef and the chain of keys in what is known as the Hawks Chan-
nel. It usually grows on live coral bottom, in rather shallow water.
The depths given by different persons vary from 3 to 25 feet, with 15 to
18 feet as the usual depth. It is said to grow in all sorts of shapes,
and is consequently less regular or uniform than other species. In
size it runs from 3 to 12 inches in diameter, the average being about 8
inches. It probably grows less rapidly than the sheepswool, though
some of the spongers say that it will reach a commercial size in a year-
VELLOW SPONGE.
The distribution of the yellow sponge seems to be nearly the same as
that of the sheepswool. It grows on the same bottom with the sheeps-
wool and grass sponges on the Bock Island and Anclote grounds and
among the keys. It is probably most abundant among the keys. All
agree, however, that those from the keys are of much better quality
than those from "down the bay," as they are much softer and tougher.
It is found usually on rock bottom, interspersed among the sheepswool,
though it often grows on grassy bottom with the grass sponge.
Among the keys it is found in 3 to 10 feet of water, while elsewhere it
usually occurs at greater depths. In size those gathered range from
about 4 to 8 inches in diameter. It is a very common species, ranking
next in abundance to the grass sponge.
Among the keys it is said to be decreasing very rapidly, but, owing
to the poorer quality of those found down the bay, it is not much sought
after there, and is probably not decreasing so rapidly.
GRASS SPONGE.
This is the most abundant of all the Florida sponges, and is found on
each of the three important sponging-grounds. Large numbers come
from Bock Island and the Anclote grounds, as well as from among the
keys and Biscayne Bay. The best beds on the Anclote grounds are said
to be off Bayport and Big Bank, about 25 or 30 miles north of Tarpon
Springs. The sponges from these grounds are of superior quality,
though many claim that the best grass sponges come from the keys.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. \J
Amoug the keys aud in Biscayne Bay the grass sponge is obtained in
3 to 10 feet of water, while on the west coast it is found in water some-
what deeper. It grows on either rock or sand bottom, but usually upon
the former. It is more easily obtained than the sheepswool. chiefly, no
doubt, because it is more abundant in shallow water.
There seems to be more variation in the form of this sponge than in
the other species. It is usually more or less cup-shaped and can readily
be distinguished. It seems to attain a very large size, perhaps larger
than any other species. The small grass sponges, 1 or 5 inches in
diameter, are of little or no commercial value.
A decrease in abundance is reported for this as for the other species.
GLOVE SPONGE.
The glove sponge is the most circumscribed in its distribution of any
of the Florida commercial sponges. It is abundant among the keys
from Key West to Biscayne Bay, but probably does not occur on the
Anclote or Hock Island grounds. It is common about Key West in
rather shallow water. The usual depth at which it is obtained is 3 to
10 feet, though it occurs in deeper water. It grows on rock or barry
bottom, mixed with the yellow and the sheepswool sponges. Its rate
of growth is about the same as that of the sheepswool. Commercially
the glove is the least important of any of the species, and for that reason
it probably has not suffered so greatly from overfishing.
SPONGE-CULTURE.
The artificial propagation of sponges lias never received much atten-
tion in Florida. A number of years ago Mr. J. Fogarty, of Key West,
carried on a series of experiments in propagating sponges from clippings.
An account of these experiments has been given* as follows:
The sponges were all raised from cuttings; the localities in 'which they were
planted were not the most favorable for sponge development, and their growth was,
therefore, less rapid and perfect than might otherwise have been the case. They
■were fastened to the bottom, in a depth of about 2i feet of water, by means of wires
or sticks running through them. The four specimens sent to Washington were
allowed to remain down a period of about six months before they were removed.
Fully four months elapsed before they recovered from the injury done them in the
cutting, which removes the outer "skin" along the edges of the section, aud the
actual growth exhibited was for about two months ouly. The original height of
each of the cuttings was about 2i inches. One was planted in a cove or bight, where
there was little or no current, and its increase in size was very slight. The other
specimens were placed in tideways, and have grown to from four to six times their
former bulk. Two hundred and sixteen specimens in all were planted at the same
date, and at the last accounts those that remained were doing finely. The chief
obstacle to the artificial cultivation of sponges at Key West arises from the fact that
the sponge fishermen infest every part of the region where sponges are likely to
grow, and there is no legal protection for the would-be culturist against intruders.
The enactment of judicious laws bearing upon this subject by the State of Florida,
or the granting of special privileges conferring the right to occupy certain prescribed
areas for sponge propagation, would undoubtedly tend to increase the annual pro-
duction of this important fishery.
* Fishery Industries of the United States, sec. v, vol. 2, p. 832.
10 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
In the same volume of the Fishery Industries report is given a full
account of the very extended experiments which were carried on by Mr.
Buccich at the island of Lesina, in the Adriatic Sea, on the coast of
Dalmatia. This report contains so much important information that it
is proper to give a summary of it here.
After Prof. O. Schmidt, in an article in the Wiener Zeitung, and in his work on the
sponges of the Adriatic, * had expressed the opinion " that if a perfectly fresh sponge
is cnt into suitable pieces, and if these pieces, properly protected, are again placed in
the sea, they will grow, and finally develop into complete sponges," the government
and a number of prominent merchants of Trieste had some experiments made during
1863-1872, and established a station on the bay of Socolizza, at the northeastern
poiut of the island of Lesina, which in May, 1867, was placed under the direction of
Mr. Buccich. This establishment was closed in November, 1872, as its continuance
became impossible, because, in spite of Mr. Buccich's oral and written remonstrances,
it was continually disturbed by the fishing nets and was actually robbed several
times. A species of worm which destroyed the woodwork appeared harmless com-
pared to the hostile attitude of the population, which showed an utter want of respect
for the property of other persons, and manifested deep-rooted prejudices against any
innovations, as well as a reluctance to break with old habits.
The most favorable season for raising sponges from cuttings is winter. It is true
that the growth of the sponge and the new formations on the cut sides goes on slower
in winter than in summer, but a high temperature of the air often endangers the
entire crop, on account of the tendency of the sponges to rot. In winter a sponge
may remain on the dry land for several hours, while in summer it will perisb in a few
minutes, especially if it has been injured and if it is not constantly moistened with
sea water. Mr. Buccich exposed sponge cuttings to the air in a shady place for eight
hours during February, when the temperature of the air was 48° F., and still they
all took root.
The best localities are bays, where the waves are not too strong, but where the
surface is not entirely smooth either, with a rocky bottom covered with green alga3
and exposed to a gentle current. It is a well-established principle that the mouths
of streams and rivers and of subterranean springs should be avoided. The fresh
color of the algse is a sure indication that the choice of locality has been fortunate.
The worst enemy of sponge-culture is mud. Under certain circumstances it would
be well to close the entrance to the bay to vessels by a chain.
The sponges which are to be cut should be very carefully gathered by experienced
persons. * * * The sponges are brought up either with their base — and this is
the most favorable way — or they must be torn from the base, which operation fre-
quently tends to injure them. * * In gathering sponges for cutting, it is
entirely unnecessary to select nice looking specimens, for misshaped pieces which
would be worthless in trade are just as good for this purpose as beautifully rounded
ones. These latter should not be cut, but should be reserved for the trade.
Mr. Buccich found that it was not expedient to place the sponges, as they were
gradually gathered, into a vessel, to keep them there until they were to be cut,
because they were injured by pressing against each other or by being shaken too
violently. He therefore provisionally fastens them with wooden pegs to the inner
side of a sort of lish box, which is held in tow by the fishing boat. If the sponges
are injured, the injured portions should be immediately removed; the remainder
is likewise fastened with wooden pegs, either as it is, or subdivided into large
pieces.
When the temperature is low during the cold season, the sponges can be prepared
for raising as soon as the place is reached where the process is to be carried on,
*"Die Spongien des adriatischen Meeres," Leipzig, 1862, p. 22. See also O. Schmidt,
" Supplement der Spongien des adriatischen Meeres," Leipzig. 1864, p. 24; and especially
Brehm, " Thierh hen," 2d edition, vol. 10, Lower Animals, by O. Schmidt, 1878, p. 534.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 11
while during the warm season it will lie found profitable to wait a little in order to
see whether there are any indications of putrefaction. This can be recognized by
the darker color and the softening of the respective portions. If anything of the
kind is noticed, the sponge should be watched to see to what extent the process of
disintegration has progressed. Small sponges will almost entirely fall a prey to it,
while in large ones the evil may be confined within certain limits. The cutting
should be done rapidly, either with a common knife or — as Mr. Buccich found more
advantageous — with a blade resembling a fine saw, which is less liable to be injured
by the many foreign bodies inclosed in sponges. In cutting, the sponge had best be
laid on a small board moistened with sea water. The size of the cuttings is gener-
ally about 26 square millimeters. It is well if every piece has as large a surface as
possible of intact outer skin. The cuttings should be fastened immediately to those
objects where they are expected to grow.
A healthy piece of spouge soon grows firmly on any object with which it is brought
in close contact. The sponges which have been cut will again grow together.
Those cuttings which have only a single cut surface will soon grow fast to their new
base, stone, wood, etc. Mr. Buccich thinks that during a calm lasting twenty-four
consecutive hours, cuttings should simply be sowed on a rocky bottom and would soon
grow. He has seen pieces laid on gently slanting rocks grow fast to them during
a perfect calm. Induced thereby, and also by the natural occurrence of sponges,
Mr. Buccich tried flagstones, about 53 millimeters thick, as a basis. He bored holes
in them and fastened the cuttings by means of wooden pegs, which were driven into
the holes; but it soon became apparent that the mud and sand at the bottom, per-
haps also the excess of light, were injurious to the further growth of the sponges.
Experience has shown that light and mud are among the worst enemies of the
sponge, and their iniiueuce must be avoided or limited by every possible means.
Stones form the natural basis of sponges. They are cheap, and are not attacked by
the Teredo.
Originally, Prof. O. Schmidt used wooden boxes, closed on all sides but perforated,
to whose inner sides the pieces of sponge were fastened with metal or wooden pegs.
This exceedingly simple arrangement did not prove efficient, because the boxes when
let down into the deep water became full of mud, and the holes being stopped up no
light whatever could enter. The sponges began to look pale and sickly. It is not
good to fasten them with metal pegs, for it seemed to retard their growth. The rust
which forms very soon causes the pieces of sponge to become loose, and will ulti-
mately destroy them. Laths or boards placed obliquely, on whose upper side there
were floating contrivances in the shape of tables, to the lower side of which the
sponges were fastened, were likewise used. With the former the want of covering
was keenly felt, and with the latter the rays of the sun proved injurious, as well as
ill the different little objects floating on the surface of the water which may be
grouped together under the collective name of •'dirt." Mr. Buccich at first prepared
an apparatus consisting of two boards crossing each other at right angles, with a
third hoard serving as a sort of lid, and after this had proved unsatisfactory he
adopted the apparatus which I shall now describe, and which he preferred to all
others because the cuttings were exposed on all sides to the sea water and assumed
the favorite round form. This apparatus consisted of two boards, 63 centimeters long
and 40 centimeters broad, one forming the bottom ami the other the lid. Both were
kept in a parallel positiou, one above the other, at a distance of about 42 centi-
meters, by two props about 11 centimeters distant from each other, between which
stones may be placed as ballast. On the outer side of the lid there was a handle.
Both boards had holes at a distance of 12 centimeters from each other, the total
number of holes in each board, therefore, being 24. Mr. Buccich did not fasten the
pieces of sponge singly to the apparatus, but he placed several of them on one peg
and then stuck the pegs in the holes. For these pegs he used bamboo, whose hard,
smooth bark defies all attacks of worms. These pegs were 42 centimeters long, and
perforated horizontally, the holes being at the distance of 12 centimeters from each
12 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
other, and the lower end was split. Three pieces of sponge were put on each peg
and pushed up high enough to be above the horizontal holes, through which a
wooden pen was pushed, thus fully securing the sponges.
If the pieces of sponge are simply to be fastened with wooden pegs, a three-
cornered stiletto will suffice for making the holes in sponges; but when they are to be
strung upon pegs this or any similar instrument can not be used, because too great
a pressure would have to be exercised to make a sufficiently large opening for the
passage of the pegs. Any pressure will injure the sponges to some degree, and to
limit its extent or force as much as possible should be the first object. Mr. Buccich
bored the holes with a trepan 6 millimeters wide, fastened to a vertical turning
table, which was kept in rapid motion by a fly wheel. One hand pressed the sponge
lightly against the trepan, the other turned the wheel, and the operation was fin-
ished in a few seconds. The hole in this manner is perfectly smooth, none of the
fibers have been pulled out, and none of the sarcode has flowed out. As soon as a
peg has been furnished with sponge cuttings, its split end is stuck in one of the
holes of the apparatus and a wedge is driven through the crack. As lid and
bottom hold 24 pegs, each with 3 cuttings apiece, such an apparatus can hold
144 cuttiugs. During this whole process the sponges should be continually
moistened with sea water, especially during summer. As soon as an apparatus has
been filled it should immediately be let down into the water if the temperature is
high, while in winter a delay will not prove injurious. The letting down and rais-
ing of the apparatus had best be done by means of a small anchor, and it should be
let down to a depth of 5 to 7 meters. Mr. Buccich does not consider it necessary to
have the apparatus suspended from a sort of scaffolding. All the woodwork should
be well tarred, as this will prove the only, though by no means always efficient,
protection against worms. The Teredo does not only cause an increase in the capital
to be employed, because it makes new apparatus necessary from time to time, but
it also diminishes the results, because the pegs will gradually get loose and fall oft".
It would, therefore, be best to dispense with wood altogether, and either construct
the apparatus of stone, taking the necessary precautions against mud aud excess of
light, or construct Mr. Buccich's exceedingly practical apparatus of iron.
If, after three or four weeks, the sponges have grown firmly to their base, they
are sure to develop successfully. Their most characteristic tendency is the desire
to grow round. In order to facilitate this in all directions, Mr. Buccich strung the
sponges on pegs. As regards the development of the sponge cuttings within certain
given periods, we have only very imperfect information, as it was impossible to
make continued undisturbed observations. Mr. Buccich says that the cuttings
grow two or three times their original size during the first year. He also mentions
that the cuttiugs grew better during the first and fourth year than during the
second and third. It is his opinion that, although some pieces Avill grow to a con-
siderable size in five years, it will require seven years to raise completely matured
sponges which arc fit to become an article of merchandise. I can not pass by the
fact that besides well-developed and growing sponges there were some which
outwardly looked perfectly healthy, but had ceased growing.
In conclusion, Mr. Buccich discusses the question whether the enterprise can, on
the whole, be called profitable, and says that he must answer it in the affirmative.
He thinks that if all the lessons taught by experience are carefully observed, the
cuttings will always develop successfully, and that the loss would at most be 10 per
cent, taking into account unexpected accidents and the stationary character of some
of the sponges. Calculating the expense of an establishment for 5,000 sponges at
300 florins and the loss at 10 per cent, the price realized by 4,500 sponges would indi-
cate the profits. Mr. Buccich calculates the value of 4,500 sponges at 900 florins.
Tins sum is, in my opinion, much too high, as the wholesale sponge-dealers in Trieste
receive an average price of 8 and a maximum price of 10 florins per kilogram of
Dalmatian sponges.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 13
Sponges fetching the price given by Mr. Buccich ought to have a very consider-
able size, and their slow growth justifies the supposition that even after seven years
they will not yet have reached that size. It must also be taken into account that
the market value of sponges which have been raised on pegs is one-third less than
that of naturally grown ones, on account of the hole in the center. The profitable-
ness of sponge-culture would be far more evident if there was not such a long inter-
val between planting and harvesting — in other words, if the sponges would grow
more rapidly. This was certainly looked for when the enterprise was started; but
it is dispiriting to have to wait for your crop for seven long years. And, in order
that when that period has been reached there may be crops every year, it will be
necessary to invest the same annual amount of capital for a period of seven years.
The apparatus, moreover, is not so simple that every fisherman could easily con-
struct it himself, for experience has shown that wood, which would be the easiest
material for working, can not be used on account of the ravages of the Teredo.
As far as our present knowledge goes, it is certain that sponge-culture will not be
profitable for poor men, but that it can only be carried on successfully on a very
large scale, either by wealthy individuals or by joint-stock companies. It would
be very encouraging to know more concerning the progressive development of the
sponge in its natural condition, and especially to know that this development was
just as slow as that of the cuttings. Prof. O. Schmidt inclined to this opinion.
But if it should prove erroneous, it would be more than questionable whether it is
profitable to cut to pieces a sponge which uncut would have quicker reached the
samesize and weight than all the cuttings together in seven years. Under such cir-
cumstances sponge-culture had better be confined to the transformation of fiat, and
therefore worthless, sponges into round ones, which, though small, would find a
ready market. Possibly several especially misshaped pieces of sponge mi^ht be
made to grow together and form larger and better-shaped ones. The experiments
made by Cavoliui and those of Mr. Buccich, above mentioned, show that there is no
difficulty in doing this.
Eeceutly Mr.Ealph M. Munroe, of Cocoanut Grove, Fla., carried on an
extended series of experiments in Biscayne Bay, an interesting account
of which is given in the report on that region already alluded to.
These experiments by Mr. Fogarty and Mr. Munroe seem to demon-
strate conclusively that the Florida sheepswool sponges grow very
much more rapidly than did those experimented with by Mr. Buccich.
Their cuttings grew to good commercial size in six months' time, and
this agrees with the observations of all the dealers and spongers who
were consulted about the matter.
This rapid growth of the sheepswool sponge and the high degree of
success attained in the experiments which have been tried show very
clearly that the artificial propagation of sponges in Florida by means
of clippings is entirely practicable. That the adoption of methods
of artificial sponge-culture would inure greatly to the benefit of the
Florida sponge industry scarcely admits of question. Not only would
it permit an expansion of the trade and fishery in the interests of the
dealers, vessel-owners, and fishermeu, but it would furnish employment
to many other people, put the sponge business on a more substantial and
permanent basis, and invite new capital. It should not be difficult
to secure proper legislation on the part of the State by means of which
the industry would be advanced and the interests of all concerned
properly guarded.
14 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
MR. ARAPIAN ON THE FLORIDA SPONGES.
Iii compliance with a request, Mr. E. J. Arapian, the well-known
sponge-dealer of Key West, furnished the following interesting and
valuable information concerning the commercial Florida sponges. Mr.
Arapiau has been in the sponge business for many years, and is familiar
not only with the sponge-grounds of Florida, but with those of other
parts of the world :
Distribution. — Spcmges on the coasts of Florida are to be found starting from Bis-
cayne Bay and vicinity, on the southeast of Florida, and around all the keys in south
Florida, more or less in places; then, proceeding toward the west coast of Florida,
they are found at Gasparilla Island, Osprey, New Pass, Sarasota Key, Mullet Key,
Sand Key, Clearwater Key, Long Island, Anclote Keys, up to Cedar Keys, and from
Cedar Keys up to Apalachicola Bay.
The fiber of sponges of the same species found on the above-mentioned sponge bars
differs somewhat, according to the location of these bars. Those from a place called
Fishbone Key sponge-grounds are of much thicker fiber, and thereby stronger and
much heavier in weight than sponges gathered at other places. Fishbone Key is about
25 miles from Cedar Keys. At Pepperfish Key, about 12 miles from Fishbone Key,
the sponges are also of thick tissue or fiber and of heavy weight, but not quite as
much so as those from Fishbone Key. At another place, called Ocilla Bay, in contrast
to the two above-mentioned places, sponges are of very thin fiber; therefore of light
weight. Ocilla Bay is about 40 miles northwest of Pepperfish Key.
Character of the bottom. — The bottom on which sponges grow is of a ridgy or undu-
lating rock, which looks alive to the eye, so to say, and is invariably covered with a
species of short moss and tall sea feathers. The rocky bottoms on which there is no
growth of moss and sea feathers have always been found to be bare of sponges also.
This moss is of several colors, viz, either red, brown, or white.
It is my impression that the root of a sponge is of the same color as the rock on
which the said sponge has been growing. It has certainly been noticed that every
species of sponge, in its natural condition, and before being artificially bleached,
has either a red or a brown or a white colored root, which corresponds with the
color of the rock on which the sponges have been growing. It is also my belief that
the color of the sea moss and the sea feathers is the same as that of the rock on
which such moss and sea feathers are growing. If the bottom is of red rock, the
sponges growing on it will also have red roots, and the sea moss growing on the
same rock will be of red color. If the bottom is of brown or white rock, the roots of
the spouges growing on it, as well as the sea moss, will have the same colors.
Depth of water. — Sponges are to be found at present at a depth of from 12 feet to
about 50 feet. In deeper waters the bed rocks are generally scattered, few in
number, anil of short extent. The bed rocks in deeper waters than 56 feet seem to
be of a different nature, and barren. The bottom on the west coast of Florida is
generally sandy at greater depths than 56 feet, according to the general reports of
the oldest of the sponge fishermen here.
Abundance. — Sponges are still abundant on the coast of Florida, but the almost
continual bad weather at sea during the last three years has prevented the securing
of as large quantities as formerly.
Relative size. — The different species of sponges in Florida waters attain sometimes
quite large proportions. The species called sheepswool, yellow, and grass sponges
attain the largest sizes. There are frequently seen sheepswool sponges measuring
15 inches in diametor by 20 inches in depth. The heaviest sheepswool sponge that
I have come across weighed 17 pounds. It was secured in the Northwest Channel
near Key West. Other species, as the glove sponge and the hardhead sponge, do
not usually j^row to larger sizes than 8 inches in diameter and 4 to 5 inches in depth.
Some few larger specimens have been secured at times, however.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 15
Enemies. — I do not know of any, but it is the prevailing opinion here, among sponge
fishermen, that during some years poisonous water conies out of the Suwanee River
near Cedar Keys, and that this water runs iuto the sponge-grounds near by and then
kills the sponges. The fishermen state that some years they have found many sponges
floating loose on the surface at the sponge-grounds in the vicinity of Cedar Keys.
This opinion may perhaps be correct, but personally I do not share it, because I do
not think that even if poisonous water was actually flowing out of the Suwanee
River it could reach the sponge-grounds at sea, nearly 50 miles from the mouth of
that river, and that the said poisonous water could then sink to a depth of at least 30
feet to reach and injure the sponge bottom. 1 am inclined to believe that some sub-
marine convulsions, perhaps, are the cause of these uprootings of the sponges which
have been found floating loose on the surface of the water at times.
As one of the causes injurious to the growth and propagation of the sponges, I
would mention submarine diving apparatus. This is the greatest enemy to the growth
of the sponges, as has been proved by its continual use on the grounds of the Archi-
pelago Islands in Europe and on the east coast of Africa, in both of which places the
submarine diving has left the grounds almost entirely bare. The iron shoes of the
divers walking on the sponge beds in the bottom are said to have killed the sponges.
Up to a few years ago the sponge gathering in the Archipelago Islands in Europe had
been performed by the means of iron hooks attached to long poles, in the same method
as it is used in Florida at present, and also by means of naked divers. Some few
years back, however, someone has introduced the use of the submarine diving appa-
ratus for sponge gathering in the Archipelago Islands.
Soon after the extensive sponge-grounds on the east coast of Africa were discov-
ered, and the submarine diving apparatus' was put to use there at a lively rate by
the Greek sponge fishermen of the Archipelago Islands. The consequence was that
inside of a few years the submarine diving fleet, which had started gathering the
sponges first on the east coast of Africa, at the depth of only 8 to 10 feet, were obliged
to dive at greater depths gradually in order to find the sponges, and inside of a few
years they had cleaned out almost the whole extent of the newly discovered and
extensive sponge-grounds to the depths of 70 to 80 feet. I understand that lately they
are obliged to dive to the depth of 100 feet and more in order to find the sponges.
These experiments and solid facts are sufficient to convince one that submarine diving
for the sponge with diving apparatus is extremely injurious to the life and growth
of sponges, and I believe it is its greatest enemy. Sponges do not grow any more on
the grounds on which the submarine diver's shoes have walked.
Decrease or increase in recent years. — Since 1892 there has been a gradual and marked
decrease in the quantity of sponges gathered yearly in Florida waters, owing princi-
pally to the almost continual bad weather at sea, and secondly to the careless and
continual gathering of very young and small-sized sponges by the fishermen, which
naturally tends to hurt the growing crops.
Sponcje cultivation. — Regarding the artificial culture of the sponges, I would say
that experiments, some of which have been on a large and very costly scale, have
been tried unsuccessfully by some merchants of Trieste, and others in Europe. These
experiments have been made on the sponge-grounds of the Archqielago Islands, in
the Mediterranean Sea, and in every instance they have proved a failure. The meth-
ods employed have been to use the small cuttings from a live sponge and to fasten
these cuttings to the rocks by the means of a wire. Submarine divers have been
necessary to perform the work of this so-called planting of the sponges; the cutting
of the sponge and the planting of same were performed by these divers while under
water, and without bringing the cuttings to the surface.
The only practical and successful method I can think of regarding the cultivation
of sponges is to let nature do its work by allowing it sufficient time. This can be
done by dividing the area of the sponge-grounds at sea into squares each of 100
miles, more or less, and then allowing the fishermen to gather sjwnges only in certain
squares each season of the year.
16 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
According to all reports, on some grounds sponges grow much faster than on others.
They have been noticed to grow to full size inside of four mouths in certain locali-
ties along this coast, while at other localities it takes young sponges at least six
months to grow to full size. This fact can be put to advantage by restricting sponge
gathering during several months on certain grounds, during which time the sponge
fishermen can gather the sponges on the other parts of this coast. However, as it is
necessary to the sponge fishermen to have not only good weather but also clear water,
so as to enable them to see the bottom and to locate the sponges, it may happen that
when they are out on their expeditions they may meet with muddy water on the unre-
stricted sponge-grounds of the season, while on the restricted grounds during that
season the water may be clear and just in condition to allow them to locate and to
gather the sponges. However, as the benefit that sponge fishermen could derive
from the above restriction of certain grounds during certain seasons of the year
would soon be important and lasting, it seems to me that no proper objections could
be offered to the method.
Legislation needed. — The legislation needed for the protection of the sponge beds on
the coasts of Florida would be to reach the three following essential points :
1. To divide the sponge-grounds on the coast of Florida into sections or squares of
100 miles, more or less, each, and to allow the gathering of the sponges on each sec-
tion at certain intervals of time only, thus leaving the sponges which are on the other
sections or squares at rest during that time, to grow and to reach the seeding sizes.
2. To prevent the gathering of small or undersized sponges.
3. To forbid the use of the submarine diving apparatus on the sponge beds, so as
to prevent parties who at any time may perhaps undertake the use of some to the
injury of the spouge beds.
OYSTERS.
The oyster does not occur on the coast of southern Florida in any
abundance, but on both coasts in the northern part of the State im-
portant beds are found. At various places on the east coast, between
Fernandina and Biscayne Bay, are grounds which are worked to some
extent, those in Nassau County being the most extensive and produc-
tive. The beds in Indian River are sufficiently important to supply
the local demand and furnish a considerable surplus for shipment.
The best beds are apparently in the southern end of the river.
Oysters are not known to occur in any numbers in Lake Worth, but
in Biscayne Bay there are beds which can probably be made to produce
a fair yield. Below Biscayne Bay no oysters of commercial value are
known until Charlotte Harbor is reached, on the west coast. It should
be stated, however, that this portion of the coast has never been sys-
tematically examined for the purpose of locating any oyster beds that
may exist. It is not at all improbable that such an examination would
show the existence in that region of oyster-grounds of some value.
The most southern beds of importance on the west coast are located
at the mouth of Manatee Kiver, in Sarasota Bay, and at Cape Haze,
in Charlotte Harbor. Besides these, there are other small beds at
various places along this coast which are worked to some extent. The
supply from all these beds is said to be steadily decreasing, and it is
the general opinion that unless something is done to protect the beds
they will soon become entirely depleted. Some years ago Tampa drew
its supply principally from Old Tampa Bay, but the beds at that place
became entirely depleted and have not been worked at'all for the last
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 17
few years. Some attempts have been made at planting oysters about
the month of the Manatee Eiver, but, owing to the absence of any
protection from the State, the matter was not gone into very extensively.
There are some native oysters about the mouth of Anclote Eiver, and
Mr. H. A. Sineltz, of Tarpon Springs, has done something toward
improving and increasing the supply. Mr. Smeltz's experiments were
carried on between the Pithlachascootie and Anclote rivers, whose
mouths are about 5 miles apart. In 1892 he planted several bushels of
Chesapeake Bay oysters, scattering them among the native oysters.
To facilitate the fixation of spat, he drove a number of stakes at differ-
ent places on and about the beds. These stakes were of yellow pine,
cedar, and palmetto, one inch thick and of various widths, and were
placed upright, generally on mud bottom. About 400 stakes were set
at various times from April to July, 1S03. Those set in May and June
collected the largest number of spat: about equal numbers were col-
lected by those put down in April and July, but considerably less than
by those set out in May and June. Spat collected upon these stakes in
April grew to good-sized edible oysters by the February following.
Besides making the small plant of Chesapeake Bay oysters, Mr.
Smeltz transplanted to his grounds the native oyster from several
different places along the Florida coast, and was surprised to find that
the seed oysters from the Chesapeake proved the more hardy. The
topography of the beds with which Mr. Smeltz has been experimenting,
as well as the salinity of the water, seem quite favorable, and with
proper protection these grounds would be very productive. Stealing
oysters from the beds has been of such frequent occurrence that Mr.
Smeltz has practically discontinued his attempts to improve the beds.
Small beds of native oysters are found at various places on this part
of the coast. They were at one time very extensive beds, but are now
practically depleted. The oysters are said to have been of good shape
and excellent quality.
The next beds above Anclote Keys are about the mouth of Crystal
Eiver, some 40 miles up the coast. These beds are not of great extent,
but have long been noted for the good quality of their oysters. They
have been worked so assiduously during the last few years that they
are said to be showing signs of depletion. They are worked chiefly
by people living at the towns of Crystal Eiver and Homosassa.
On the coast of Levy County oyster beds of considerable importance
are found. The best are said to be in Xo. 4 Channel, between Cedar
and Derrick keys, connecting Wacassassee and Suwanee bays; on
Pelican Beef Bar, which runs from just above No. 4 Bar up Suwanee
Bay about 2i miles; on Fishbone Bar, which extends from the north
side of Suwanee Eiver up the coast several miles; on Corrigan Beef,
which runs for 4 miles south of Cedar Key, and on the Wacassassee
Bar, near the mouth of the river of the same name. The best of all of
these are the beds in No. 4 Channel.
S. Doc. 100 2
18 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
These beds have been very productive, but all agree that the demand
made upon them has been too great and that it is now much more diffi-
cult to obtain a boat load than formerly. Attempts have been made at
transplanting by Mr. William H. Anderson, of Cedar Keys, and the
results were very satisfactory until stealing the oysters from his bar
became too frequent. The laws of the State do not afford adequate
protection to those who strive to increase the natural output of the
beds, and all who have experimented in that line have become discour-
aged and given up the matter. The recent severe freezes and the great
storm of September, 1896, also did much toward destroying the oyster
beds of this region.
There are a few small beds in what is known as Spring Creek Bay,
near Shell Point, in Wakulla County, but they have not as yet been much
worked. Small beds near Carrabelle are fished to some extent.
Perhaps the most important, as well as the most extensive, oyster-
grounds on the Florida coast are those in Apalachicola Pay and vicinity.
These grounds have recently been carefully surveyed by the U. S. Fish
Commission steamer Fish HawTc, and are the subject of a special report.*
The most important beds are said to be on Sneeds, Peters, Bulkhead,
Fast Hole, Porter, North Lump, Greenpoint, and Lilly bars.
The general opinion among those consulted is that the supply of
oysters in this region is steadily decreasing, yet there are those who
deny that any considerable decrease has occurred. The causes of the
decrease are several, among which may be mentioned freezes, severe
storms, and the method of fishing. Many of the oyster beds are said
to be out of water at extreme low tide, and a severe freeze occurring at
that time kills the oysters. Recent storms swept many oysters off the
beds on to mud bottom, where they smothered.
It was found that most of the dealers, as well as the oystermen, are
in favor of the State leasing the beds to those who desire them. By
this means they believe that the yield can be greatly increased.
Valuable oyster- grounds exist along the coast west of Apalachicola,
the most extensive being in St. Andrews, Escambia, East, and Perdido
bays. Considerable quantities of oysters are taken in St. Andrews
Bay, but owing to their very thin shells they can not be shipped to
distant points, and most of them are consequently used locally or at
Pensacola. No particular change in the condition of these beds has
occurred. The important oyster-grounds in the vicinity of Pensacola
have suffered greatly from natural causes. The principal beds were
almost wholly destroyed in July, 181)0, by a storm which swept some
of the reefs clean and flooded others with mud; an accompanying
freshet did further damage to the surviving oysters. The demand in
this section is in excess of the natural supply, and the planting of
oysters has been carried on, although to only a limited extent. This
business would doubtless develop much more rapidly i f th e planters
1 ,Yi>ort of a survey of the oyster regions of St. Vincent Sound, Apalachicola Bay,
and St. George Sound, Florida: By Lieut. Franklin Swift, U. S. N. (Report United
States Fish Commission, 1896.)
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 19
were protected in their rights. The depredations of poachers, com-
bined with losses incurred from storms, have greatly hampered the
plan of increasing the supply by cultivation, and the tendency is to
abandon the business unless ample protection is afforded.
FISHES.
During the conduct of the investigations covered by this report the
food-fishes of the principal fishing centers of Florida were studied,
with the object of determining the food-fishes of the different sec-
tions, the relative abundance, distribution, spawning habits, food, and
enemies of each. Information was sought regarding the present abun-
dance, size, and condition of the various species as compared with
former years. The chief inquiries were made in Indian River, Lake
Worth, Biscayne Bay, at Key West, Tampa, and Tarpon Springs.
As regards the number of species of fishes handled by the fishermen,
Key West is by far the most important fishing center in Florida. This
is due to the fact that in the waters about Key West are found more
species of fishes which are used for food than can be found at any other
single locality in the United States. If to the food-fishes of Key West
are added all the other species found there, a list of more than 225
species known from that region is obtained. The species which are
used as food are not fewer than 100 in number.
The investigations indicate that there has been no serious decrease
in the abundance of any of the food-fishes of this region. The methods
are calculated to conserve the fisheries to the fullest extent. Few fishes
are lost for want of a market. Only such as are thought salable are
brought into market, and there they are kept alive until they are sold.
So long as these methods continue, no serious diminution is likely to
occur with any of the numerous food-fishes of Key West.
The more important food-fishes of Key West are briefly discussed in
the following pages. The different species are considered by groups
approximately in the order of their commercial value. The common
names given are those in use among the Key West fishermen. The
Spanish names in use among the Cuban fishermen of Key West are
given in many cases.
1. Grunt. Common Grunt. "White Grunt, cr P.onco, Hwmulon phmieri (Lace"pide).
The most abundant of all the Key West food-fishes, aud caught all the year
round, the best season being during the fall. Their spawning season is
during August aud September, at which time they gather up into schools
on shoal, feathery, rock bottom, where they spawn. Each roe is from 1 to 2
inches in length. The eggs are said to be "gritty" to the touch and about
the size of a Xo. 10 shot. When ripe they separate and r!ow freely from
the fish. When done spawning the schools break up and the fish scatter.
They are so abundant, however, that they can usually be found in large
numbers anywhere on suitable bottom. The best fishing is always on rock
bottom, Crawfish Bar being one of the best grounds.
These fish grow to about 18 inches in length and a maximum weight
of 4 pounds. They are not often seen, however, weighing more than 2
pounds, and the average weight does not exceed one-third of a pound.
20 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
2. Yellow Grunt or Ronco Amarillo, Hcemulon seierua (Shaw). Less common than
the preceding species, hut very plentiful. Found in schools on rock hottom.
One fisherman reports tbat he has often caught 500 to 600 in a .single day.
It is most common in summer: cold is said to affect it seriously. The best
fishing for this species is in August. The best bait is a long worm which
the fishermen get from the stem of a tall grass which grows on the bars.
The yellow grunt reaches a weight of 1 pound or less. Nothing could be
learned concerning its spawning habits, except that it probably spawns in
August.
3. Margate-fish, HasmuXon album Cuvier & Valenciennes. The origin of the common
name of this fish is not generally understood. It appears, however, to have
been derived from Margate, a seaport and watering-place in Kent, England,
situated on the Isle of Thanet, 64 miles east by south of London. Some of
the fishermen of the Bahamas came originally from Margate and applied the
name to one of the fishes which they found in the Bahamas. Many of the
Bahama fishermen (Conchs) have come to Key West and brought the name
with them. The name Margate is, at Key West, sometimes corrupted into
"Margat" and "Margaret," while in Biscayne Bay it is "Margat," "Mar-
ket,"' or "Margarite." The Margate-fish is a common and important species
at Key West. It reaches a weight of 8 or 10 pounds, the average being
about 4 to 6 pounds. It is found in deeper water than the preceding species,
and is said to be most abundant on the reef. It spawns early in the sunnner,
probably in July, on rock bottom, at which time it is said to school. One
intelligent fisherman says, however, that it does not school at Key West,
though it does at the Bahamas. It is generally found on rock or harry bot-
tom, around shoals. At night it conies into more shallow water to feed, crabs,
crawfish, worms, etc., constituting the bulk of its food. The bait used for it
is crawfish or crabs. Cold is said not to affect this fish to any great extent.
4. Sailor's Choice, Hcemulon parra (Desmarest). This species, which is not the
sailor's choice {Lagodon rhomboides) of the south Atlantic coast, is abundant
about Key West. It collects into schools in July and August, at which time
it spawns on rocky bottom. It reaches a weight of 2 pounds, the average
being about half a pound. The best fishing for this species is in summer.
5. French Grunt, Hcemulon flavolineatum (Desmarest). Not uncommon, but nothing
of importance was learned regarding it.
6. Tom-tate, Bathyatoma rimator (Jordan &, Swain). Said to be common. Only a
few examples noticed, and nothing was learned of its habits.
7. Porkfish, Anisotremua virginicus (Linnaeus). Common about Key West. It
schools from .June to August, which is the sjjawniug season; found then
about the shoals, but soon retires to deeper water. It spawns all through
the channel about the shoals, and is then caught in greatest numbers. About
a month after the spawning season immense numbers of young are seen on
the shoals. This fish reaches a length of about a foot and a weight of 2
pounds. The average weight of those brought to market probably does not
exceed one-third of a pound.
8. Saucer-eyed Porgy, Columns calamus (Cuvier & Valenciennes). Common. The
average weight is about half a pound, the maximum being about a pound.
The principal fishing season for this species is in the winter, but it is taken
throughout the year. Nothing was learned of its spawning habits.
9. Little-head Porgy, Calamus proridena Jordan & Cilbert. This species is found
with the saucer-eye and is equally common. It reaches a weight of 2 pounds,
the average being about half a pound.
10. Sheepshead Porgy, Calamus penna (Cuvier & Valenciennes). Common with
the preceding, reaching a weight of 4 pounds, the averago being about a
pound. It is most abundant in winter.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 21
11. Grass Porgy, Calamus arctifrons Goode & Bean. This species is also common
about Key West. While all the other species of this genus are usually
found on rock bottom, this is most abundant on grassy bottom, as its common
name indicates. It seldom exceeds 2 pounds in weight, averaging not over
half a pound.
12. Jolt-head Porgy, or Bajonado, Calamus bajonado (Bloch & Schneider). This is
the most important of all the species of Key West porgies. It reaches a
weight of 8 or 10 pounds, and an average of 5 or 6 pounds on the reef, but
smaller in the ••bay. - ' Its maximum length is about 2 feet. It frequents
smooth, rock bottom, upon which it spawns in July and August. It is found
throughout the year. At Miami the name of this fish is by some corrupted
to "juffle-head porgy."
13. Bream, Lagodon rhomhoides (Linnaeus). A common, small pan-fish.
14. Bream, Archosargus unimacul (Bloch). Less common than the preceding.
15. Chub, Eypho8us sectatrix (Linnaeus). Not widely distributed about Key West,
but very abundant in certain places. It is found all the year round about
the shoals in the channels, and is said to school in the summer. It attains a
weight of 9 pounds, with an average of 3 or 4 pounds. It is one of the
gamiest fishes of Key West and is well worth the angler's attention.
16. Rock Hind, Epinephelus adscensionis (Osbeck). Said to be very common on rocky
elevations in deep water. It reaches a maximum weight of 15 or 16 pounds,
but the average of those brought in does not exceed 2 or 3 pounds. It will
take any kind of bait, and probably spawns in the fall.
17. Nassau Grouper, Epinephelus striatua (Bloch). Common; reaches a weight of 50
pounds or more, but those brought to the market seldom exceed 10 pounds.
They are found all the year round and are said not to school.
18. Red Grouper, Epinephelus morio I ( uviir & Valenciennes). One of the important
food-hshes of Key West. Found at all times, chiefly on rock bottom and
about the reef. They are said not to school. The maximum weight is 20 to
25 pounds, the average from 8 to 15 pounds. They spawn in March among
the rocks. They are voracious and will take any kind id' bait.
19. Black Grouper, Garrupa nigrita (llolbrook). This large grouper is not uncom-
mon about Key West. It reaches a weight of 400 or 500 pounds.
20. Jewfish, Promicrops guttatus (Linnaeus). This is one of the largest fishes of
this region. The weight of those caught usually runs from 100 to 250
pounds, though the maximum is as threat as 400 or 500 pounds. Those
weighing more than 250 pounds do not sell well, as they are said to be too
coarse and dry. without much fat. These fish are common in summer in rather
shallow water about rocky shoals, old wrecks, and the like. Cold weather
seems to drive them away into deeper water. They probably spawn in
August, when they collect into schools and go to some place with rough,
rocky bottom. One spawning-ground is said to be located in the channel
about 1 mile from the fort. They feed upon crabs, crawfish, and fish. One
example, weighing about 250 pounds, was seen.
21. Yellow-fin Grouper, Mycteropei'ca venenosa (Linnaeus). 'Ibis grouper is not
uncommon and is a good food-fish. Its maximum weight is about 20 pounds,
the average about 6 pounds. It is present throughout the year.
22. Scamp, Mucteroperea falcat a phenax Jordan A- Swain. Common throughout the
year; most abundant on the reef. It reaches a weight of 10 or 12 pounds,
averaging about 2 or 3 pounds. Nothing was learned of its spawning habits.
23. Gag, Mycteroperca microlepis (Goode & Bean). Common; reaches a weight of 10
pounds or more, the average being about 2 pounds. It is found at all times,
and is a good food-fish.
* At Key West the fishing-grounds of that portion of the Gulf of Mexico adjacent
to the Florida coast are called "the bay."
22 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
24. Gray Snapper, Neomcenis griseua (Linnaeus). This is the most abundant species
of snapper found at Key West. A warm-water fish, found most abundantly
in shallow water during the summer, retiring to deeper water during the
winter. They always run in schools. They reach a length of 3 feet and a
weight of 18 pounds, though the usual weight is 5 pounds or less. They
spawn in July and August, usually on the shoals. The eggs are not adhesive,
but separate from each other at spawning. Sardines and pilchards are the
bait used for catching this fish. One of the best fishing-grounds is in Jack
Channel, northwest from Key West.
25. Dog Snapper, Neoma nisjocu (Bloch & Schneider). Not very common. Reaches
a weight of 20 pounds, the average being very much less. It is found most
frequently in the fall and winter.
26. Schoolmaster, Neomcenis apoda (Walbaum). This fish is rather scarce at Key
West. The maximum size is said to be 7 or 8 pounds, the average 3 pounds
for those, caught on the reef, or oue-third of a pound for those from the "hay."
27. Mutton-fish or Pargo, Neomcenis analis (Cuvier & Valenciennes). One of the
abundant and most valued food-fishes of Key West. They occasionally
reach a weight of 25 pounds, but 15 to 18 pounds is as large as they usually
get ; the average is probably not over 5 pounds. They are found ou rock
bottom in 3 to 9 fathoms and are very gamy, taking the hook promptly and
and fighting well. Found throughout the year, but scarcest in July and
August, which is the spawning season. They school at spawning time. The
eggs are nonadhesive and are about the size of a rice grain.
28. Lane Snapper, Neomcenis synagHs (Linnams). Ahundant about Key West,
reaching a weight of 4 pounds, the average being about half a pound. The
best season for catching this species is during the winter. The spawning
time is said to he in October, at which time they gather in schools.
29. Yellow-tail or Rabirubia, (lei/urns chrysurus (Bloch). Even more abundant
than the lane snapper, and the principal fish served at the Key West hotels
and boarding houses in the fall. Plentiful throughout the year, except during
winter, when the cold drives them away. During the warmer weather they
are found at depths of 2 fathoms and over; the best depth is 5 fathoms.
Generally found around shoals where there is some mud bottom. July is
the principal spawning season, when they are found about the reef all the
way from Miami to the Tortugas. The yellow-tails are quite gamy. They
are caught with sardine bait. They reach a length of 2 feet and a weight
of 3 or 4 pounds or more. The average weight of those seen in the Key West
market is not over a pound.
30. Hogfish, Lachnolaimus maximus (Walbaum). One of the common food-fishes,
reaching a weight of 10 pounds, or an average of about 3 pounds. Found
all the year round.
31. Kingnsh or Cero, Scomberomorus cavalla (Cuvier). This is, next to the grunt,
the most important of the Key West food-fishes. Its Mesh is firm and of
excellent flavor. It usually appears in large numbers from November until
April, when it is caught by trolling. The usual weight is about 10 pounds,
sometimes reaching 50 pounds. The largest of which there is any record
dressed 52 pounds. Examples weighing 40 pounds are not unusual. Said
to school at spawning time, which is believed to be late in the winter.
According to Mr. William H. Abbott, who studied the fisheries in 1891,
the average weight of kingiish, as caught by the fishermen of Key West, is
about ti pounds. The larger fish, weighing from 15 pounds upward, are never
as abundant as those weighing under 15. When the fisherman desires to
catch large kingiish, he directs his course to the inshore grounds, lying in
about 3 fathoms of water and from U to 3 miles from shore, where the
water is muddy; and when small ones are desired, the fishing is done farther
offshore along the edge of the Gulf Stream, where the water is much clearer.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 23
They are almost invariably found in two separate schools. The spawning
grounds of the kingfish are " down the hay." The first of the winter a great
many of the fish have large roes, but it is very seldom that one is taken that
has a roe fully matured. If the weather has been very cold in the bay early
in the fall, the kingfish will leave before they have spawned, and it is during
such seasons that fish containing ripe spawn are most frequently taken.
32. Spanish Mackerel, Scomberomorus regalia (Block) and Scomberomorus mnculatus
(Mitchill). Both of these species occur at Key West, but are not distin-
guished by the fishermen. The former is probably the more abundant.
They are both taken by trolling in the winter. The maximum size is said
to be 12 pounds, the average about 3 pounds.
33. Amber Jack or Amberfish, Seriola lalandi Cuvier & Valenciennes. Not uncom-
mon in the winter and an important fish. Maximum size 80pounds or more,
average about 3."> pounds. Caught chiefly by trolling.
34. Almicore or "Almaco,'' Seriola dumerili (Risso). Perhaps scarcely as common
as the preceding. Maximum size 25 pounds, average 8 pounds. Taken in
the winter by trolling.
35. Jack, Caranx hippos (Linnaeus). Common in winter. Reaches a weight of 3 or
4 pounds. It is taken either by trolling or bottom fishing.
36. Runner, Caranx cryaoa (Mitchill). Common in winter with the preceding and
caught in same way.
37. Horse-eye Jack. Caranx In Ins Agassiz. Perhaps more common than either of
the two preceding species. Goes in schools and is taken by trolling.
38. Moonfish, Selene vomer (LinnsdUB). Not uncommon in winter. Reaches a weight
of 2 pounds and is regarded as an excellent fish. The average weight is a
half pound or less.
39. Pompano, Tracltinotua carolinua (Linmeus). The pompano is taken about Key
AVest only in winter, when the cold weather drives it south. It reaches a
weight here of about 5 pounds, the average being about 1 pounds. It is
taken by hook and line and is. of course, regarded as an excellent food-fish.
40. Permit, Tracltinotua goodei Jordan & Evermann. This species is not very
common at Key West. It readies a weight of 40 pounds, the average being
about 8 pounds. It is taken in the winter both by hook and line anil seine.
The ''permit" of Indian River is Trachinotus falcatua, a different species.
41. Bluefish, Pomatomua aaltatrix (Linnaeus). The bluefish is not common at Key
West. It is taken by trolling. The maximum size is 6 pounds, the average
about 3 pounds.
42. Black Angel, Pom acanthus arcuatus (Linnaeus). Xot uncommon. Reaches a
weight of 6 pounds, or an average of 2 pounds. Found throughout the
year.
43. Yellow Angel. Angelichihys ciliaris (Linnaeus). Perhaps more common than the
preceding. Reaches about the same size.
44. Tang, TeutMa hepatus Linnaeus. Not uncommon. Reaches a weight of 2 pounds.
This and two other species of tang (blue tang. TeutMa ca ruleus, and the ocean
tang, TeutMa bohianua) are ofteu taken with the "gram" or in traps.
45. Common Mullet or Callifavor Mullet, Mugil cephalua Linnaeus. This is the
most abundant and most important mullet found at Key West. Others are
the blueback or white mullet (Mugil curema) and the fantail mullet (Mugil
triehodon). A fourth species, known as the red-eye mullet (Mugil gaimardi-
nnus), also occurs there, but not in abundance. The mullets are most common
at Key West in the winter, when considerable quantities are taken. They
are far less abundant here, however, than on either coast of the mainland.
There are many other species of fishes found at Key West which are
used to a greater or less extent as food. Auioug them are the boneflsh
(Albula vulpes), tenpounder (Elops saurus), barracuda (Sphyrcena barra-
24 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
<■)((]((), wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), bonito (Gymnosarda aUeierata),
whiting ( Orthopristis chrysopterus), and many others of less importance.
The fishes of Biscayne Bay are not very different from those of Key
West. The chief difference lies in the fewer species at Biscayne Bay;
many of the species used as food at Key West are either entirely absent
or quite rare at Biscayne Bay. Commercial fishing in Biscayne Bay
and vicinity has only recently begun, and it is improbable that overfish-
ing will occur for some years yet. The fishes of the bay are considered
in a report recently published by the Commission. The development
of the fisheries of Lake Worth has only recently begun. The species
there are essentially the same as those of Indian River, which have
been discussed in the special report to the Senate already referred to.
The most prominent fish on the Florida coast between Key West and
Pensacola is the mullet, which exists in incredible numbers and is taken
in enormous quantities. Tampa is the principal receiving center for
mullet on the west coast, and a large part of the mullet taken in the
counties of Lee, De Soto, Manatee, and Hillsboro pass through the hands
of Tampa dealers, together with large catches of other species.
The results of the methods here are far from satisfactory. During
one day in November, 1890, several thousand mullet were seen thrown
away at Tampa, because they were too badly spoiled for shipping.
From the most reliable data that could be obtained, it is estimated that
the annual loss of mullet on the west coast of Florida amounts to about
500,000 pounds. This loss is due to two principal causes, (1) adverse
winds, preventing collecting vessels from returning promptly from the
fishing-camps, and (li) the failure to supply the vessels with sufficient
ice. Such waste is unfortunate and in large part unnecessary. Other
species suffer in the same way to some extent, but the great loss is
with the mullet.
Other prominent shallow-water fishes of the west coast are sheeps-
head, redfish, squeteague, Spanish mackerel, pompano, bluefish, lady-
fish, and crevalle. These are generally distributed and abundant, and
are represented in the catch at most of the fishing centers. The offshore
fishing-grounds yield red snappers (Xeomanis aya) and groupers {Epi-
nephelus morio) in largest quantities. The fishery, which is centered at
Pensacola, is prosecuted chiefly on the ''snapper banks'" in the Gulf of
Mexico, although some fishing is done near shore and about the keys.
The abundance of groupers is far in excess of the present demands,
but the red snappers seem to be decreasing in numbers and fishing has
to be done at greater distances from the land than formerly in order to
produce satisfactory results. The abundance of the species is specially
referred to in the chapter on the Pensacola fisheries. The red snapper
is one of the most highly prized of the Florida fishes and ranks next
to mullet in commercial value. It attains a weight of 40 pounds, but
the average weight is not over 10 pounds.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 25
REPTILES.
The most valuable reptiles of the United States are represented in
the waters of Florida, and some of these occur there in greater abun-
dance and are commercially more important than in any other State.
The most prominent resources of this class are the alligator, diamond-
back and other terrapins, and three species of very large turtles. The
last named are the only important reptiles in the coastal waters and
their annual value exceeds that of all the other products of this group.
The green turtle [Chelonia mydas), the most highly esteemed of the
marine turtles, is found on the Atlantic seaboard from Long Island to
Brazil, and hence along the entire length of the Florida coast, where it
is especially common among the Florida keys. Overfishing and the
destruction of its eggs have greatly reduced its abundance in this State,
and the annual catch is now much less than formerly.
The green turtle breeds on the coast of Florida from April to July,
during which time the female seeks the sandy shores of keys or the
mainland in remote situations. She arrives at night, and with her dip-
pers digs a hole 1 or 2 feet deep in the sand, above high-water mark, in
which she proceeds to lay her eggs, numbering between 100 and 200.
The turtle then scoops the sand back over the eggs, smoothes the sur-
face to effect concealment, and rapidly retreats to the water, leaving
the eggs to hatch without further attention. The hatching occurs in a
few weeks, and the young make their way to the water; many, how-
ever, fall a prey to carnivorous birds and perhaps other animals. The
turtle returns two or three times to the same spot during the season,
each time depositing the number of eggs stated, so that the total num-
ber of eggs laid by a full-grown turtle in a year is from 300 to 000. The
green turtle attains an immense size. Examples weighing 600, 800, and
even 1,000 pounds have been taken in Florida waters, although such
large individuals are very rare, and the average weight in recent years
is probably under 150 pounds. In some parts of the State, where fish-
ing has been excessive, the average weight is much less than formerly;
for example, on the east coast it is under 50 pounds.
The loggerhead turtle (Thalassochcli/s caretta) occurs along the
Atlantic coast from Virginia to Brazil, and is common on both the
east and west coasts of Florida, although much less numerous than
formerly. It is the least valuable of the marine turtles, and there is
little demand for its ilesh as food, although more eggs of this species
are taken than any other. It reaches an immense weight, surpassing
the green turtle in this respect. The maximum weight is 1,500 or 1,600
pounds, but the average weight in Florida is not much more than 200
pounds, although occasional examples weighing 600 pounds are taken.
Accordiug to Mr. II. A. Smeltz, of Tarpon Springs, loggerhead turtles
were very abundant some years ago in the vicinity of Stump Pass,
De Soto County, where he made some interesting observations of their
habits when they came ashore to lay their eggs at night during the
26 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
full moon in June. The female turtle proceeds some distance from
the water, and without turning around scoops out a hole in the sand,
using first one dipper and then another. Then, with the posterior
part of the body over the excavation, the turtle begins laying the
eggs. The latter are extruded in lots of 3, 4, or 5 at a time, with a
short intermissions between the lots until the process is completed.
The total number of eggs in each of 7 nests examiued ranged from 80 to
115. When the full complement has been laid the turtle returns to the
water, after carefully covering the eggs with sand. While engaged
in laying, nothing can disturb the turtle or drive her away. Striking
her with a stick or jumping up and down on her back apparently
produced no effect on her.
It has been supposed by some that the turtle returns to the nest at
the time the eggs are hatching in order to head the young to the water,
but it seems probable that this view is not correct. It is true that the
turtle returns in about three weeks, but this is for the purpose of laying
more eggs, and this is repeated from four to six times during the sea-
son, so that as many as 700 eggs may be deposited by one animal. The
eggs are thought to hatch in about three weeks, and the young would
therefore appear at about the time the turtle returned for the next
laying.
The hawksbill or tortoise-shell turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is found
on the southern coasts of Florida, and thence to the West Indies, the
Bermudas, and South America. The flesh is eaten to a slight extent,
although it is not highly regarded, and the eggs are also gathered for
food and for the manufacture of oil; but the great value of this turtle is
in its horny covering, which is the tortoise shell of commerce.
The hawksbill turtle attains a smaller size than either the green
or the loggerhead turtle, but large individuals are sometimes taken,
and the maximum weight is probably over 400 pounds; on the Florida
coast those with a greater weight than 100 pounds are not common.
The shell of the smaller turtles is thin and of little use, but it increases
in thickness and value with the size of the turtle.
CRUSTACEANS.
The crustacean resources of Florida include shrinip, crabs, and the
spiny lobster or crawtish.
At least two species of shrimps (Penceus setiferus and P. brasiliensis)
are taken in the Florida fisheries, but the fishery is not important and
the abundance and distribution of these animals are not known. In the
coastal States, both to the north and west of Florida, shrimps are com-
mercially valuable.
The stone crab ( Menippe niereenarius) is found along the southern coast
from Charleston to Key West and along the entire west coast of Florida.
It lives in holes in the mud in estuaries and also in crevices in rocks.
On the west coast of Florida it is found in cavities in rocks and in deep
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 27
holes which it excavates in the sand. It attains a large size, adults
often measuring 7 or 8 inches across the shell. People living along the
coast esteem it highly as an article of food, and considerable quantities
are taken for sale and local consumption.
The common blue crab (Gallinectes hastatus) is distributed along the
entire coast of Florida in the bays and estuaries, and often in fresh-
water rivers and lakes having close connection with the salt water. It
lives in the shoal waters during the warmer months, but retires to deep
water on the approach of cold weather. The period of spawning and
shedding extends over several months, possibly the entire summer, for
some individuals are found carrying spawn and others in a soft state
during the whole season. While shedding its shell and until the new
shell has become sufficiently hard to protect it, the crab remains hidden
in the mud or among the seaweeds. The average size of the bine crab
is about (3 inches across the shell. It is so generally abundant that
people can, in most places, obtain all they desire without much trouble,
and it has therefore given rise to no special fishery.
The spiny lobster (Panulirus americanus) is very abundant at Key
West and generally among the Florida keys, where it lives on the bot-
tom, concealed among the coral. It attains a length of more than a
foot and has excellent food qualities, resembling in flavor the common
lobster. It is at this time of commercial importance only at Key West,
where large quantities are taken annually for food and for bait in the
line fisheries.
FISHERIES OF THE NORTHEAST COAST.
That sectiou of tbe Florida coast north of Indian Kiver, comprising
parts of the counties of Volusia, St. .Johns. Duval, and Nassau, and
containing the important cities of St. Augustine. Jacksonville, and
Fernandina, has valuable saltwater fishery resources and interests. It
was not feasible to canvass this section in the recent investigations of
the Florida coast fisheries, but it is possible to make a statement of the
nature and general extent of the fisheries based on inquiries conducted
in 1891.
The most important fishery product of this section is the oyster, which
is taken in all the counties named, but is most valuable in Nassau County,
in which there is a large oyster fishery and canning business centering
at Fernandina. The mullet is the most prominent of the fishes, the
catch in Duval County being larger than in the other three counties
combined. Other tishes of this region of noteworthy commercial
importance are squeteague, channel bass, and sheepshead. Turtles,
terrapins, shrimps, crabs, and clams are taken in small quantities. The
principal part of the fish caught are taken in gill nets and seines?
although cast nets, lines, and pound nets are also used.
In 1890 the fishing industry of this section gave employment to 193
fishermen and 150 shoresmen. The vessels and boats used numbered
329, with a value of $11,655. The apparatus of capture was valued at
28 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
$9,250, and the shore property and cash capital at $34,340, making a
total investment of $55,245. The quantity of products taken was over
2,000,000 pounds, valued at $49,585, the species being represented as
follows: Channel bass, 120,955 pounds, $4,201; mullet, 790,507 pounds,
$12,473; sheepshead, 87,500 pounds, $2,761; squeteague, 180,049
pounds, $6,235; other fish, 183,701 pounds, $5,543; oysters, 93,350
bushels, $13,300; turtles and terrapins, 19,350 pounds, $2,150; shrimp,
62,025 pounds, $2,397; and. other products having a value of *o~o.
FISHERIES OF INDIAN RIVER.
Previous report on this river. — The resources and fisheries of the
Indian River have been considered in a special report submitted to the
Senate on January 5, 1897, pursuant to a clause of the act making
appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for 1896,
requiring " the Commissioner of Fisheries to make special investiga-
tion as to the extermination of migratory fishes of the Indian River of
Florida." This report appears to render unnecessary at this time an
extended account of the fisheries of this region. The examination of
the river was made in January and February, 1896, by a party from
this Commission, and the following information is abstracted from the
report based on that inquiry.
Development of the fisheries. — The fisheries of this region have attained
considerable prominence withiu a comparatively few years, and in 1895
contributed several million pounds of food-fish to the public markets.
The business of taking green turtles antedates the civil war, but the
fisheries proper did not begin until 1878, when a Connecticut vessel
visited one of the inlets and caught fish for the Savannah market. It
was not until 1880, however, after the river had been brought into
railroad communication with Jacksonville, that the fisheries became
regularly established. Prior to that time the river was almost inac-
cessible except by water: the surrounding country was very sparsely
settled, and the very valuable fishery resources remained latent.
In 1885 an oyster business was started at Titusville at the head of
the river, and in the following year a fishery was inaugurated at that
place. The building of a second railroad to Titusville and its extension
along the entire length of the river in 1893-1895, resulted in the estab-
lishment of new fishing stations farther and farther south, and led to a
great increase in the industry. In 1895 tli ere were 19 firms engaged in
the lisheries of the river. These were located at Titusville, Cocoa, Fan
Gallic, Melbourne, Sebastian, Fort Pierce, Eden, Jansen, and Stuart.
The places at which the most extensive fishing centered are Fort Pierce,
Titusville, Cocoa, and Eden.
As to the further increase of the fisheries of this body of water, the
report cited states:
While the l'esources are great, the area of fishing-ground is comparatively limited,
and the fishing firms realize that the present tendency to over-fishing will result in
the ultimate destruction of their business, unless counteracted by the enforcement
of certain restrictive laws or adequate artificial propagation.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 29
Fishery resources. — The water animals of this region which are the
object of special fisheries are the pompano, mullet, turtle, and oyster.
Besides the fishes named, a number of others are caught incidentally
and in the aggregate amount to a large quantity. Compared with more
southern parts of Florida, the resources of Indian Eiver are not
remarkably varied, although a number of fishes, etc., having recognized
food qualities, which are now regarded as of little value, will doubtless
be utilized in time. Only about 20 species of marketable fishes are
prominently represented in the catch of the Indian Eiver fishermen;
among these are the bluefish, sheepshead, trout or squeteague, redfish
or red drum, black drum, whiting, crevalle. sergeant-fish, mangrove
snapper, permit, croaker, and Spanish mackerel.
More than half of the quantity of fish taken for market consists of
mullet, which is very abundant, but less so than on the west coast of the
State. The fish abounds throughout the river, but the principal catch
is taken in the upper part. The poor price commanded by the fish has
deterred the fisherman of the lower river from taking as many as the
conditions warrant.
The pompano is the most highly esteemed fish of the river. It is
taken at all seasons, although most plentiful during the fall and winter.
After the excessively cold weather of February. L895, the pompano
became very scarce, and up to the end of January, 1896, had not
appeared in its former abundance. The eatch in L895 was much less
than for a number of years. In the opinion of some of the fishermen,
overfishing lias led to a decrease in the abundance of pompano, while
others regard the present scarcity as largely t he result of natural causes.
Such fishes as sheepshead. sea trout, channel bass, snappers, crevalle,
black drum, etc.. which are locally known as bottom fish, are generally
plentiful in all parts of the river and have apparently undergone no
diminution in numbers in recent years. The most highly esteemed of
the bottom fishes is the sheepshead. In quantity of catch it ranks
next to the mullet, and in value it is exceeded only by the mullet and
the pompano. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are ordinarily scarce;
at times, however, these fish enter the river in considerable numbers.
The only reptilian product of the Indian River fisheries is the green
turtle. It is not common, and in the past two or three years has under-
gone a noticeable decrease in abundance, while the average weight has
also diminished. The turtle is found in the river at all times, but the
principal fishing season is between November and March.
Oysters of good size and flavor occur in various parts of Indian Biver
and are one of the principal fishery resources, although they have had
comparatively little attention. Their further utilization appears to be
one of the chief lines along which the development of the Indian Biver
fisheries will take place.
Crabs are abundant, but are not utilized. These and other crusta-
ceans — such as shrimp — will no doubt in time receive the attention of
commercial fishermen.
30 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
Indian River originally abounded in alligators, but owing to very
active hunting operations during the past ten years they have become
very source and do not now support an industry.
Fishing apparatus and methods. — Most of the fishing is done with gill
nets, which are of two kinds, according to whether they are set for mullet
or pompano. A few seines are hauled for bottom fish, large-meshed
nets are employed for turtles, and tongs are used for oysters.
Mullet fishing is carried on along the entire length of the river, and
is the most important branch of the industry. It is most extensively
prosecuted from Titusville, Cocoa, and Fort Pierce. Mullet gill nets
are about 250 yards long and 12 to 14 feet deep. The 58 nets used in
1895 had a combined length of 40,800 feet, or about 9 miles. These
nets are thrown around the schools of mullet seen jumping at the sur-
face, and the fish become meshed by being frightened after the ends of
the net are brought together. The catch consisted of over 1,600,000
pounds, with a market value of about $12,000.
Pompano fishing in 1895 was most extensive at Titusville, Fort
Pierce, and Eden. The nets used are 200 or 250 yards long, but a
number of nets are often fastened together, forming pieces from 000 to
2,000 yards long. The 163 pompano nets employed in 1895 were
115,500 feet, or nearly 22 miles, long. The mesh is relatively large (5£
to G inches), and owing to this fact and the peculiar shape of the pom-
pano the fish are not gilled but are caught by the pectoral and ventral
fins, and also by a short spine in front of the dorsal fin. Pompano
fishing is done only at night, and preferably when there is no moon.
If the fish can see the netting, they will avoid it. The nets are left to
drift several hours before being visited. Besides pompano, bluefish,
sheepshead, sea trout, redfish, snappers, and crevalle are incidentally
taken. The pompano catch in 1895 was only 149,000 pounds, but the
value, $9,475, was nearly as much as that of the mullet, which was
taken in ten times the quantity.
Turtle fishing is not extensively carried on. It is regularly followed
only from Sebastian, Fort Pierce, and Eden, but turtles are incidentally
caught in nets at a number of other points on the river. Turtle nets
are like gill nets, but have a very large mesh and are constructed of
coarse thread. They are from So to 115 yards long. Turtles are caught
by being entangled in the meshes, some of the nets being fastened to
stakes, while others are left to drift freely. In 1895 the number of
turtles taken on the river was 519, having a weight of about 18,900
pounds; their value was $1,320. It is apparent from the comparative
statistics available that turtle fishing on the Indian Eiver is much less
productive than in previous years.
The oyster industry, while not of great importance, is more extensive
than any other branch of the fisheries with the exception of the gill net
fishery. It is followed from Titusville, Cocoa, Eau Gallie, and Fort
Pierce, ^the oysters being taken with tongs froin^natural beds in the
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
31
vicinity of the places named. The yield in 1895 was a little over 6,000
bushels, with a value of $2,115. Twenty-nine persons were engaged
in the business. The conditions seem very favorable for the expansion
of the oyster industry, provided cognizance is taken of the methods
which in other States have proved satisfactory, namely, the allotment
of land for oyster cultivation, the spreading of oysters on prepared
grounds, the planting of seed and cultch, etc.
statistics of the fisheries. — In 1895 the fisheries of Indian River gave
employment to 251 persons. These were distributed as follows among
the different branches :
How ■ ii'_a<:< tl.
Number.
General fisheries . .
Oyster fishery
Turtle fishery
Preparing products
Total
172
29
12
41
25-t
The capital invested in the Indian Kiver fisheries in 1895 was $11,512,
representing vessels, boats, apparatus, and shore property, as follows:
Item.
Number.
Vessels
Boats .....*..
Gill nets....
Turtle nets .
Semes
Tongs
2
106
221
66
2
26
Shore and accessory property.
Cash capital
Total
Value.
$1, 400
5,390
7,400
660
265
182
16, 115
10, 100
41,512
The aggregate quantity of fishery products of the Indian Eiver in
1895 was 2,659,815 pounds, having a value of $37,657. The catch was
made up as follows:
Species.
Pounds.
Black drum
Bluefish
Channel bass or red drum
( 'revalle
Flounders
Mangrove snapper.
Mullet, fresh
Mullet, salted
Pompano
Sailor's choice
Sheepshead
Spanish mackerel.
Trout
Whiting
Other fish
Turtles
Oysters (meats) . .
10, 900
33, 086
142, 400
It. 700
9,000
76, 900
, 585, 809
25, 000
149, 111
11,560
301, 141
1,100
200, 735
25, 300
11, 516
* 18, 909
t 42, 588
Total 2,059,815
Value.
11
$140
703
2,115
184
136
1.137
501
750
9,475
157
4,445
66
2,872
375
166
1,320
2,115
37, 657
* 519 in number.
1 6,084 bushels.
32 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
FISHERIES OF LAKE WORTH.
Origin and development. — Although turtle fishing has been prose-
cuted in this so-called lake for a number of years, the fisheries owe
their origin to the extension of the railroad to this section from the
Indian Eiver in 1891 and the opening of large hotels in the winter of
189-1-95. Lake Worth is a shallow arm of the sea, 22 miles long and
from \ to \\ miles wide; 4i miles from its northern end it is connected
with the ocean by a narrow inlet. The lake has been a somewhat
important fishing-ground for net and seine fishermen, and the adjacent
ocean has also been resorted to byline fishermen. Fish are very abun-
dant throughout the lake at times, but it is not yet known whether the
supply in such a shallow and narrow body of water will permit the
expansion of the industry or even continue to support the fisheries in
their present extent.
Fishery resources. — Among the principal fish which enter Lake
Worth and which are taken by the fishermen are sheepshead, bluefish,
pompano, Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, groupers, red fish,
spotted squeteague, sailors choice, and croaker. The tarpon and
many species having no commercial value at present also frequent the
lake. The pompano, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel are the most
highly prized of the fishes. These come in from the ocean in December
and remain three or four mouths; by April most of them have returned
to the ocean. Since the building of a railroad bridge across Lake
Worth at West Palmbeach (at about the middle of the length of the
lake), it is reported that the pompano is not found in the southern
part, which formerly had some of the best fishing-grounds. The other
fishes are in the lake in more or less abundance at all seasons. The
green turtle is found in limited numbers and of small size, 25 pounds
being the average weight.
The principal fishes obtained in ocean fishing off Lake Worth are
sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, red fish, groupers, bluefish, red
snapper, and mutton-fish, all of which are comparatively abundant.
"Fishing apparatus, methods, and season. — Within the lake the appa-
ratus used consists of gill nets and haul seines for fish and nets for
turtles; in the ocean only hand lines are employed. A small vessel
belonging in this section fished for turtles off the Biscayne Bay region
in 1895.
The gill-net fishing is mostly done at the northern end of the lake.
The nets are about 400 yards long and 30 meshes deep, the size of the
mesh being o} to 6 inches. The 4 nets used in 1894 took 24,900 pounds
of fish, valued at $857, and the 7 nets in 1895 secured 45,173 pounds,
valued at $1,423. The fish taken in largest quantities is the sheeps-
head, but the most valuable species is the pompano.
The principal seining is done near the ends of the lake and in the
small coves that exist along the lake shores, the same fishermen who
use seines also operating gill nets. The seines are about 500 yards
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
33
long, 10 feet deep, and have a 2-inch- stretch mesh. Two seines were
used in 1894 and 3 in 1895, chiefly in winter. The most prominent
species taken are pompano, sheepshead, and bluefish, in the order
named, but a great many others are caught in small quantities. The
yield in 1891 was 37,600 pounds, worth $1,036, and in 1895 was 53,680
pounds, valued at $1,604.
The local turtle fishing is not important. Only 126 turtles were taken
in 1891 and 153 in 1895. The fishing each year was done by 6 fishermen,
who employed 21 nets. The latter are similar to those in the Indian
River. They are set at all seasons, being fastened to stakes and visited
night and morning. This branch yielded $238 in 1891 and $269 in 1895.
The line fishing in the ocean from Palmbeach is mostly of a semi-
professional character, being done chiefly by boatmen engaged in taking
out pleasure parties of sportsmen and tourists during the winter months.
The catch is largely sheepshead, although bluefish, snappers, mutton-
fish, kingfish, groupers, Spanish mackerel, and other species are also
taken in considerable quantities. In 1891 this fishery yielded 15,500
pounds, valued at $1,208, and in 1895, 90,852 pounds, worth 62,422.
About two-thirds of the catch is shipped by rail to northern markets,
and the remainder is sold locally to hotels, etc. In 1895 about 165 tons
of ice were consumed in the preservation of fish prior to and during
shipment; this quantity of ice cost the fishermen and dealers $990.
Extent of the fisheries. — The following tables show the extent of the
fisheries of the Lake Worth region in 1894 and 1895. In the latter
year 70 persons are shown to have been engaged in the industry,
$3,965 was invested, and 193,518 pounds of products were taken, having
a value of $5,718.
Persons employed.
How engaged.
1894.
1895.
Gill-net and seine fishing
8
6
30
14
6
Line fishing - -- -- - -
50
Total
44
70
Vessels, boats, apparatus, etc.
Items.
1894.
1895.
No.
Value.
No.
Value.
Boats
24
4
2
24
60
$800
200
200
240
15
1,300
38
7
3
24
100
$1, 250
350
Gill net s
Seines
300
Turtle nets
240
25
Shore property
1,800
Total
2,755
3,965
S. Doc. 100-
34
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
Products.
Apparatus.
Gill nets.
Seines
Lines .
Species.
Turtle nets
Sheepshead
Pompano
Blueflsh
Spanish mackerel .
Mangrove snapper
Redflsh
Sheepshead
Pompano
Bluefish
Spanish mackerel .
Mangrove snapper
Squeteague
Redflsh
( irouper
< 'maker
Sailor's choice
Flounders
Sheepshead
Bluefish
Spanish mackerel .
Grouper
Kingnsh
Red snapper
Mutton-fish
Angel-fish
Others
Green turtle
Grand total. .
1894.
1895.
Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value
11,700
8,300
4, 400
100
300
100
24, 900
20, 400
8,100
5,100
300
400
500
200
1,100
600
500
400
$176
581
88
5
5
2
22, 800
12, 500
7, 873
500
900
600
857
29, 800
4,100
1,600
1,700
2,700
1,200
2,500
900
1,000
45, 500
3,407
111,407
306
567
102
15
6
7
3
17
9
45, 173
25, 200
13, 500
6,200
700
1,300
980
400
1,900
1,100
1,200
1,200
37, 600 1, 046 ; 53, 680
447
205
80
85
135
60
125
45
26
1,208
59, 300
8,400
3,100
3,252
5,500
2,200
5,300
2,000
1,800
90, 852
238
3,843
3,349 193,548
$342
875
158
25
14
9
1,423
378
945
124
35
20
15
6
29
16
18
18
1,604
889
420
155
163
275
110
265
100
45
2,422
269
5,718
FISHERIES OF BISCAYNE BAY.
The remoteness from the markets and the absence of shipping facilities
for perishable products like fish have retarded the development of the
fisheries of this section. The extension of the East Coast Eailroad from
Lake Worth to Biscayne Bay and the establishment of steamer con-
nections with Key West, which occurred in 1896, will, however, undoubt-
edly give an. impetus to the fishing industry of this region, and it has
already led to some expansion of the fish trade. There are a number
of reasons why this part of Florida should greatly extend its fisheries
in the next few years, now that it is in closer communication with other
points of the State.
1. The general food-fish fisheries should increase in order to supply
the new demands coming from a larger resident population and from
the numerous winter visitors attracted by the salubrious climate of the
Biscayne region. The inauguration of a fish trade with northern mar-
kets is also to be expected when satisfactory express rates are arranged.
2. Attention will doubtless soon be given to oyster planting and the
utilization of the beds already in the bay. The oysters now used are
brought from Indian Bvier.
3. The bay should become the regular headquarters of many sponge
and turtle vessels operating in the vicinity that now go to Key West
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 35
to land, sell, and ship their catch. For many years the bay has been
temporarily resorted to by some vessels of this class. Cheaper supplies
and more ready communication ought to produce quite an exodus of
fishermen from Key West and other remote keys.
The commercial fisheries of this bay have never been important.
When this region was visited by a representative of the Fish Commis-
sion in 189."), the only economic fishing ascertained to exist during the
previous years was a limited business in turtles and line-caught fish, in
addition to the sponging done by Key West vessels. By October, 1896,
when the region was again visited by employees of the Commission, but
few changes had taken place, although there had been a slight increase
in the amount of local fishing and in the extent of the retail trade.
The principal fishing in the Biscayue Bay region is for sponges, which
are practically all taken by Key West fishermen. Pens for the clean-
ing and bleaching of sponges have been located at various points around
the bay. It is thought that sponge fishing in this section might be
profitably undertaken by local fishermen.
The capture of green turtles is the most important fishery in which
the people of the bay are engaged. In 1894, when the business was
less extensive than formerly and the season very poor, a few boats
belonging at Lemon City, Miami, and Cocoanut Grove spent a short
time in turtle fishing in Biscayue Bay and on the adjacent reefs. The
turtles are taken by means of nets and pegs. About 205 turtles, with
an aggregate weight of 6,175 pounds, and with a value of about $708,
were caught in the year named, about 175 of these being secured in
the bay. Turtles are sent in sailing vessels to Key West, whence they
are shipped north. According to the fishermen's testimony, this fishery
is much less remunerative than formerly, because of the increasing
scarcity of the turtles. The green turtle, which is one of the most val-
uable of the water resources of Florida, has undergone a noteworthy
diminution in abundance iu this region within a comparatively few
years, and it is generally thought that some protective legislation is
necessary in order to preserve it from practical extinction. Mr. Ralph
M. Munroe, of Cocoanut Grove, one of the best-informed persons on the
bay, states that green turtles are now very scarce, and if their extermi-
nation is to be prevented they will have to be artificially propagated if
the present indiscriminate methods are coutinued. Formerly they bred
in large numbers in the bights of the keys forming the eastern boundary
of the bay and young could frequently be seen. Now but few resort to
this place to breed and the supply is practically exhausted.
Loggerhead turtles are comparatively abundant, but there is no reg-
ular fishery for them, and they are taken principally for family use.
Several hundred, with an average weight of 300 pounds, are taken each
year in the spring by people living around the bay. In 1894, however,
this species was less plentiful than usual, and only about 100 were
secured, against 300 or 400 in previous years. The eggs of this turtle
are utilized in large quantities.
36
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
No fish are shipped from Biscayne Bay, those caught being sold to
meet the local demand. All fishing is done with hand lines at the
inlets or on the ocean reefs. Groupers and grunts constitute fully
three-fourths of the catch, besides which there are taken porgies,
yellow-tails, redfish, kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and numerous other
varieties. In 1894 only four men made a business of taking fish for
sale, and these caught only 11,000 pounds, valued at $400.
In 1895 some impetus was given to the local fishing by the opening
of a canal route between Lake Worth and Biscayne Bay. Eight per-
sons were engaged during a part of the year in taking fish with hand
lines and trap nets, and twenty-two others were employed in the turtle
fishery. The investment in the fishing industry amounted to $4,798, of
which $3,970 represented 2 vessels and 11 boats and $828 the apparatus
and accessories. The two vessels referred to were owned on Indian
River and Lake Worth, and engaged in turtle fishing off Biscayne
Bay in 1895. The aggregate yield of the fish was 86,282 pounds,
valued at $2,603. The turtle fishery yielded 425 green and hawksbill
turtles and 436 pounds of tortoise shell, the whole having a value of
$3,076. The following table shows the quantity and value of each of
the principal species :
Species.
Pounds.
Value.
14, 100
16, 600
11, 500
1.500
3.500
9, 900
1,600
4,300
1,287
8,500
1.100
1,115
1,280
30, 000
25, 000
436
$744
272
Snappers
733
Mutton-fish
65
Yellow-tail
162
Porgies
217
Porkfish
14
Sailor's choice
61
Margate-fish
92
Kingfish
119
Hogfish
45
Turbot
36
Other fish
43
Green turtle
1,505
Hawksbill turtle
276
Tortoise shell ..
1,295
Total
131,718
5,679
For a detailed description of Biscayne Bay and an extended account
of its fishery resources, fisheries, etc., reference is made to an article in
the report of the Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries for 1895.
FISHERIES OF KEY WEST.
Importance and principal features. — The commercial fisheries center-
ing at Key West are not only much more important and extensive than
those of any other locality in Florida, but are also more valuable than
the salt-water fisheries of all the rest of the State. This preeminence,
which has been enjoyed for many years, is chiefly due to the rendez-
vousing of the numerous sponge fleet at this place and the discharging
of the cargoes there, although the principal part of the catch is taken
far from Key West. The local fisheries are, however, important, and
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 37
in some features surpass those of auy other part of the State; the
turtle fishery, the kingfish fishery, and the grunt fishery, for instance,
are more extensive than at all other centers combined.
THE SPONGE FISHERY.
Importance. — The sponge fishery is of more importance to the citizens
of Key West than any other branch of business. While less extensive
than the manufacturing of cigars, it is in most respects more beneficial
to the people who have property interests or are regular residents of
the city. The outlay for supplies and utensils required by the numer-
ous sponge fleet, amounting to $100 or $200 per vessel each trip, is no
inconsiderable factor in the industrial condition of the place, while the
large cash sums put in circulation by the sponge-buyers constitute the
principal source of ready money for a large proportion of the population.
Apparatus and methods of the sponge fishery. — The sponge fishery at
this time presents few new features that need be referred to at length.
With one or two exceptions the methods and apparatus are the same
that have been employed for many years and have been fully described
in reports of the Commission.
The sponge fishery is carried on with vessels of a schooner or sloop
rig ranging from 5 to 47 tons (averaging about 13 tons), which resort
chiefly to the grounds in the Gulf of Mexico, and with smaller vessels,
mostly sloops of less than 5 tons' burden, which make most of the catch
on the grounds about the keys of the southern and eastern Florida coasts.
The larger vessels carry from 5 to 13 men and the smaller ones from 3
to 5, the number almost always being odd. Two men go in each of the
dingies or small boats from which the sponging is done, the odd man of
the crew being left in charge of the vessel. The larger vessels have a
market value of $500 to $4,500, exclusive of their outfit. The latter
consists of boats, fuel, food, cooking utensils, and the sponge apparatus,
and is valued at $1,000 to $1,500. The average value of the smaller
vessels is about §430, including outfit.
Sponges are all taken by means of a 3-toothed hook attached to a long
pole. Poles of various lengths are used, to correspond with the different
depths of water in which the sponging is done. Before the depletion
of the shoaler grounds comparatively short poles were employed, but
as the spongers have extended their operations into deeper and deeper
water longer poles have been required, until at the present time the
limit seems to have been reached in a length of 50 or 52 feet. On the
larger vessels four or five different lengths of poles may be used, but on
the small craft that frequent the shore grounds poles of one or two
lengths (18 to 25 feet) are usually sufficient. A vessel with a crew of
11 men will have 15 or 18 poles and hooks, while a small shore- sponger
will require only 2 or 3 poles.
About 1888 a slight change was made in the construction of the
sponge-hook. This change was found to be necessary when, owing to
38 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
the depletion of the sponge-beds lying at a depth of 3 to 5 fathoms, the
spongers were obliged to seek grounds farther from shore and in
deeper water. In hooking the sponges in deep water it is not an easy
matter to bring the light pole (one-half to 2 inches in diameter) to bear
on the sponge, owing to the buoyant action of the water, the presence
of strong currents, and the movements of the boat. In the efforts to
overcome these difficulties it was found that by attaching weights to
the pole near its lower end the work of the spongers was facilitated,
and the use of weights in this way suggested the further improvement
which has since been generally adopted, namely, the making of a
sponge hook with a longer and much heavier shank than had been
previously used. The so-called "long shanked hook" enables the
sponger to more readily sink and keep in position the end of the pole,
and is now used in allot the deep-water fishing, although in the fishing
around the keys and in shallow water generally the shorter and lighter
hook continues to be employed. Instead of having the shank only 6
inches in length, as is the case with the smaller hooks, the improved
hook measures over 2 feet in the shank and weighs about 5 pounds
against H to 2 pounds.
The only other apparatus required in taking sponges is the very
simple but effective water-glass. This is an ordinary water-bucket, the
bottom of which has been replaced with glass. By means of it the
sponger is able to distinguish objects on the bottom with great clear-
ness, even in comparatively deep water, and he finds it is an essential
article in all of the sponging now carried on, except in shallow water.
One glass is the complement of each boat. While one man is steadying
or propelling the boat with an oar, the other member of the crew leans
over the side of the boat and manipulates the water-glass and the pole,
and as the sponges are brought into view by the aid of the glass, he
detaches them by inserting the hook beneath them and pulls them to
the surface, When a sponge that has been loosened from the bottom
becomes separated from the hook great difficulty is experienced in
securing it, and it may become what the spongers call a "roller" or
"rolling John."
When first taken from the water the sponges are black and slimy.
The essential treatment they subsequently receive before being sold
consists (1) in exposing them to the action of the sun and air on the
vessel's deck until they are killed, which usually requires several days;
(2) in placing them for about a week in the crawls or pens where the
decay of the gurry or animal matter that began on the vessel is con-
tinued; (3) in beating the sponges while wet with a wooden paddle to
drive out the decomposed animal matter and in scraping with a knife
those sponges to which the black scum still adheres; (4) in squeezing
them to force out the remaining gurry and water and placing them on
shore; (5) in stringing them by means of a large needle threaded with
coarse twine and tying them in bunches about 5 feet in circumference.
Some attention is given to the selection of sponges of similar size and
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 39
quality in making up the different bunches, but the main point in view-
is to put on just enough damp sponges to fill the string.
The use of the Mediterranean diving system in the Florida sponge
fishery has been experimentally tried. This was suggested by the neces-
sity for extending the operations into comparatively deep water and
by the possibility of finding sponges in abundance in water too deep to
be reached with poles. In 1884, Mr. E. J. Arapian, of Key West,
engaged three Greek sponge-divers to come to Florida and try the same
methods employed in the Grecian Archipelago and elsewhere in the
Mediterranean Sea in taking sponges. An experienced diver from New
York was also employed in conjunction with the Greeks. It is reported
that a thorough test of the feasibility of this method was made and
that it it was fouud impracticable, although the evident disloyalty of
the foreign divers to their employer may have had considerable effect
on the outcome of the experiment. The principal reasons for abandon-
ing this attempt to introduce improved methods into the fishery are said
to have been as follows: (1) The expense of maintaining a crew of
divers (the salary of each being $150 per month) was out of proportion
to the value of the sponges taken. (2) It is stated that sponges were
not found anywhere in very dense beds, and that a hooker could secure
more sponges than a diver on the same grounds and in the same time.
(3) The uneven character of the bottom is reported to be unfavorable
for divers. (1) The heavy and cumbrous diving apparatus had the
effect of destroying the growth of young sponges, a result that had
been observed in Europe and in Turkey, and had led to the passage of
a law prohibiting the use of the diving method on the sponge-grounds.
In 1889, a law was enacted by the Florida legislature, which is still in
force, forbidding the taking of sponges by diving either with or without
diving suits.
The discovery of a method of utilizing the sponge-grounds now beyond
the reach of the hookers in water, say, from 50 to 75 feet deep, would
prove a great boon to the sponge industry. Not the least important
outcome of such a discovery would be the opportunity afforded the
shallower grounds to recuperate by the diversion of the spongers 1 opera-
tions. In this connection, attention may be drawn to the advisability
of experimenting with an apparatus constructed on the principle of the
so-called "deep-water oyster tongs," by means of which oyster-beds
beyond the reach of the ordinary tongs become readily accessible.
The tongs in question, of which there are several types, consist essen-
tially of two curved iron bars riveted together near the middle, to permit
free motion. These are attached on one extremity to the teeth and
cradles, and on the other to the ropes by means of which the apparatus
is lowered and raised. Beneath the crossing point of the two arms a
weight is suspended. To the upper bar of one side an iron link or loop
is attached by means of a staple, and on the lower bar, just below the
link, is a small iron peg or stud, over which the link fits when the teeth
are separated to their widest extent. When oystering begins, the arms
40 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
are locked by means of the loop and peg and the tongs lowered to the
bottom. By suddenly dropping the tongs from the height of a few feet
from the bottom the loop slips off the pin by virtue of the weight
referred to, and the teeth will theu approach each other when the ropes
are hauled taut. The weight and the loop and peg may however, if
desired, be dispensed with by attaching a line to the crossing point of
the two arms and placing weights at the upper ends of the latter, the
tongs being lowered by means of the middle line and kept open by the
weights mentioned.
The great simplicity of this apparatus is an argument in favor of its
use in the oyster fishery and suggests its employment in the sponge
fishery. It is open to the objection of being somewhat heavier than the
ordinary oyster tongs and in deep water requires the use of a small
windlass attached to the mast or elsewhere on the boat, by means of
which it can be raised and lowered. The cost complete is about $15.
If the principle embodied in this apparatus is found to be adapted to
the sponge fishery, a modification in the line of lightness and cheap-
ness could doubtless be made. The number of teeth and the carrying
capacity of the tongs required in the oyster fishery might be reduced
and the apparatus made to consist practically of two opposing hooks,
such as are now used in the sponge fishery.
The sponge-grounds and their condition. — The principal grounds re-
sorted to by the larger sponge vessels are known as the " bay grounds,"
and are located off the west coast of Florida, between Anclote Keys
and Apalachee Bay. The region around Auclote Keys is known as the
"Anclote grounds," north of which are the " Bock Island grounds.'
The small vessels usually frequent the waters around the keys, between
Key West and Cape Florida.
The chief feature regarding the sponge-grounds to be noted at this
time is the continued extension of operations into deeper water conse-
quent on the depletion of the more shallow grounds. In the vicinity of
Anclote Keys the grounds in 10 to 12 feet of water were exhausted
before the civil war, but during the war the sponge beds had a chance
to recuperate and later afforded some good fishing. They were very
soon depleted, however, and have not since borne sponges in any note-
worthy quantities. This is the general history of the "bay grounds."
Deeper and deeper bottom has to be resorted to in order to make the
fishery profitable, until now some fishing is done in water as deep as 15
feet, which seems to be about the maximum depth in which it will be
possible to employ the present methods. The usual depth at which
sheeps wool sponges are now taken is about 30 feet.
Occasionally good fares are taken on the inshore and key grounds.
The latter, in depths of 10 to 20 feet, seem to recuperate more rapidly
than the bay grounds and produce excellent crops some seasons, but
they have in general shown the same depletion as the other grounds,
and the spongers have to work over a larger area and more assiduously
than was necessary a few years ago.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 41
Even the deepest grounds now frequented are showing- the effects
of overfishing, and would doubtless soon prove nonproductive of mar-
ketable sponges if the weather and water were always favorable to the
spongers, the preservation of the beds depending on the prevalence of
storms or muddy water during some seasons or parts of seasons.
The most valuable of the Florida sponges— the sheepswool — has natu-
rally had its abundance on the bay and key grounds most markedly
affected by unrestricted fishing, but all of the other species of market-
able sponges have also been gathered beyond the recuperative powers
of the grounds. The valuable velvet sponge, which is obtained on the
Florida reef, has become comparatively scarce. The yellow sponge,
which is taken in considerable quantity on the Kock Island grounds, but
is of best quality on the key grounds, is decreasing like the sheeps wool.
Even the cheap grass and glove sponges, which come principally from
the keys, are not so abundant as formerly.
Good sheepswool grounds are reported to exist between Key West
and Cape Romano. The sponges are said to be abundant and (if very
good quality. This region is not extensively fished on, however, as the
water is usually muddy, and it is only one year in five that the water is
clear enough to permit of fishing.
Condition and extent of the fishery. — The Key West sponge fishery
during the year 189") presented about the average condition in recent
years. The excessive fishing on the beds of the best grades of sponges
has necessitated the seeking of the deeper grounds, where the addi-
tional labor required, supplemented by rather unfavorable weather,
has resulted in a somewhat short cateh.
During the winter season of 1895-96 the prevalence of bad weather
at sea for several months compelled spongers to work on the inshore
grounds, where sponges are chiefly small. The result was that the
cargoes contained a large proportion of sponges of a proscribed size —
less than 4 inches across the top — and this led the State authorities to
warn the fishermen against further violation of the law. The short crop,
combined with the active demand for sponges on the part of imrchasing
agents of New York firms, raised the price of sponges to a very high
figure, notwithstanding the small size of a great many of the sponges.
The hurricane of September 29, 189(>, did considerable injury to the
sponge fishery. A number of sponge vessels engaged in the bay
fishery were lost, with their crews; some were driven a number of miles
into the woods, and others were sunk and otherwise damaged while at
anchor. A Key West sponge dealer, writing under date of October
10, 1896, to the Oil, Paint, and Drug Reporter, of New York, made the
following references to the effects of the storm and the outlook for the
fishery during the winter of 1896-97:
During the past fortnight events that are bound to leave their mark in the history
of the Florida sponge fishery have happened. You have learned of the hurricane
that struck the west coast of Florida, during which the damages to the sponge fleet
have been very great. Several of the vessels have been thrown into the woods in the
42 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
vicinity of Cedar Keys, while 17 vessels of the fleet are not heard from np to the pres-
ent writing. It is supposed that these vessels and their crews have been lost at sea,
40 bodies ha viug been washed ashore at Cedar Keys. Under the above ( : ircumstances
the owners of vessels and the ship chandlers are feeling very much discouraged, as
from their past experience of hurricanes and severe storms they all know that since
this last hurricane the undertow of the sea will make the water very muddy at the
sponge-grounds of Rock Island and Anclote for a long time to come; and thus it
will add to the general difficulties and risks of the business.
The Rock Island sponge fleet, that had returned to Key West just before the hur-
ricane, has again made a broken trip. Only half a dozen vessels brought in from 140
to 300 bunches of wool sponges each. The balance of the vessels have not succeeded
in securing more than from 40 to 80 bunches of sponges each, which quantity is, as
you understand, next to nothing. The trouble is actually that the sponge-grounds
on the west coast of Florida are getting bare of sponges in most places, as the fisher"
men for several years past have kept pulling up the small-size sponges, and naturally
this action has killed the growth and the seeds of the sponges. Besides this, some
submarine convulsions are said to have taken place from time to time which uproot
the sponges.- Many sponges have been found at times floating loose on the surface,
of fairly good sizes, and all rotten. Some of the old sponge fishermen here attribute
this to some poisonous waters coming out of some rivers on the west coast. I think
the first theory is the more likely cause, but be it as it may sponges are not to be
found now on most of the sponge bars on which five or six years ago the vessels could
secure a load of fine sponges inside of two or three weeks of good weather and clear
water at sea. At present, although the vessels meet very often with good weather
and clear water, they can not find sponges in most places where they used to secure
rapid and successful crops.
The December crop is generally the most successful crop of the year, but vessel
owners now feel discouraged, and while some of them are preparing their vessels
to send them out to the Rock Island sponge-grounds, a large majority of them are
not willing to risk the expenses necessary to send out their vessels. They think it
is a hopeless case for a successful crop of sponges, and they say that they will save
money by leaving their vessels at their anchorage. The situation, therefore, is very
gloomy for a good supply of Florida sponges until the month of June, 1897, at which
time the vessels may succeed in securing a supply of Rock Island sponges.
It has rarely happened in recent years that two successful seasons
have come together. This was last the case in the winters of 1889-90
and 1890-91. According to Mr. E. J. Arapian, one of the principal Key
West sponge-dealers, the season from October, 1890, to March, 1891,
was the best in the history of the industry, and the crop was the largest
ever obtained. Up to 1890 a crop of sheepswool sponges worth $70,000
to $100,000 was considered large. In December, 1890, the Key West
sponge dealers bought sponges to the value of about $160,000 from ves-
sels that had been on the grounds in October, November, and December,
and within six weeks the vessels were back at Key West with another
trip of sponges, which sold for about $135,000. These sponges were
chiefly from the same grounds off Cedar Keys and Apalachicola that had
been resorted to the previous season, when the weather was good and
the water was clear, and the catch was said to have been larger than for
ten years or more. They were of fine quality and were mostly from
water 35 to 40 feet deep. This noteworthy catch evidently depended
on a growth of sponges in one season and strikingly illustrates their
rapid growth under favorable conditions.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 43
The Key West sponge fleet in 1895 consisted of 99 vessels of 5 tons
and over, and about 183 vessels of under 5 tons' measurement. The
vessels sufficiently large to take out customs papers had a combined
tonnage of 1,204, carried 825 men. and were worth, with their boats?
apparatus, and outfit, $210,751. Eighty-six of these vessels were
schooners and 13 were sloops. The smaller vessels carried 594 men
and had an aggregate value of $36,330, including boats, apparatus, etc.
It is thus seen that 1,419 fishermen were employed in the Key West
sponge fishery in 1895, and the capital invested was $253,081.
From information furnished by the dealers who bought the catch of
the Key West sponge vessels, it appears that in 1895 the yield of all
kinds of sponges was 280,372 pounds, having a first value of $344,015,
this being an average price of $1.23 per pound. The quantity and
value of the different kinds of sponges were as follows:
Species.
Pounds.
Value.
207.717
28, -T.4
20, 249
14,857
7,825
1,270
$320, 785
11, 566
5,162
2,882
2,990
630
280, 372
344, 015
The Bock Islaud fishing in the fall and winter of 1890 was very poor,
the season being almost a total failure. The vessels that arrived at
Key West from the bay grounds in December had exceedingly limited
cargoes, and the fishing, as a whole, did not pay expenses.
THE SPONGE TRADE.
Nearly the entire catch of the Key West spongers is sold locally to
regular dealers, the only exception being a small quantity of sponges
sometimes sold at points on the west coast of Florida nearer the sponge
grounds than Key West.
The method adopted by the spongers for disposing of their cargoes
is the one that has prevailed since the beginning of the business. The
sponges from a given vessel are unloaded on a wharf and, after being
inspected by the buyers, are bid on, as in regular auctions. The buyers
however, have only one bid on each cargo, and make a written tender
to the crier, who announces the different bids after all are submitted.
No opportunity is afforded the buyers to weigh the sponges, and the
calculation of the quantity of each species and grade of sponge and
the probable value of the cargo has to be made rapidly from a mere
glance at each bunch.
It can be readily understood that when a vessel load of sponges con-
sists of half a dozeu or more qualities, each with a different market
price, great discretion is required to gauge its value even approxi-
mately. The most experienced buyers sometimes make costly mistakes,
44 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
as there is usually great demand for the sponges, and in order to secure
them the aim is to bid as high as practicable. It is possible to make
or lose hundreds of dollars on a single cargo. The bids of well-informed
buyers often vary greatly on the same lot of sponges. As an example of
this, reference may be made to a cargo sold in January, 1896. This
consisted of 402 bunches of liock Island sheepswool sponges of inferior
quality and small size, and the bids of six buyers were 8411, $427, 8469,
$512, $540, and $857. The next lot sold on the same day contained 206
bunches of sponges of good size and quality from the same ground; the
highest bid on this was $277. The owner and crew of the vessel of
which these sponges were the cargo were naturally dissatisfied with
this bid and refused to sell for less than $500.
From many points of view this anomalous method is so unsatisfactory
to both seller and buyer that it is strange it has not long since been
discarded. The wide fluctuations in prices make the business uncer-
tain, and, in the language of the dealers, the present buying of sponges
is little different from gambling or a lottery.
In 1895, the number of regular dealers or buyers at Key West was nine.
These employed 65 laborers and teamsters in clipping, packing, and
hauling sponges. The buildings occupied by the dealers were valued
with their fixtures at $16,825, and the land on which they rested had
an estimated value of $42,300. The teams and drays more or less
regularly required by the business had a value of $2,150. The amount
of cash capital required to conduct the trade was $135,000. The total
investment in this branch was therefore $196,275. The quantity of
sponges bought by dealers corresponds very closely with the quantity
caught by the fleet. The quantity and cost of the sponges purchased
in 1895 amounted to 267,810 pounds and $321,020, the different species
being represented to the following extent:
Species. Pounds.
Cost.
Sheepswool 195, 569 $297, 895
Yellow 28, 084
Grass 20,205
Velvet 7.825
11,473
5,150
2,990
Others 16,127 3,512
Total 267,810 321,020
The loss in weight occasioned by the cleaning and trimming of
sponges is generally reported as about 8 per cent, considering all kinds
of sponges. Some lots will lose only 3 per cent, but such a low figure
is rarely attained. This waste is no unimportant item, since in 1895
it amounted to about 20,000 pounds, worth, at $1.20 per pound, $24,000.
A part of this loss, however, is recovered. Some of the dealers make
no account of the clippings, but the softer parts of the sheepswool
clippings are now being generally saved and utilized for various pur-
poses, the wholesale value being about 5 cents a pound.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 45
THE MARKET FISHERIES.
Importance. — Next in importance to the sponge fishery are the various
branches of the industry comprehended under the general name of
market fisheries, and consisting in the taking of food-fishes chietiy for
local sale in a fresh condition. The number of persons who thus find
employment, the number of boats and the quantity of apparatus used,
and the amount and value of the catch make this branch not only of
great consequence to Key West, but one of the most extensive in the
State. This fishing is done from small welled- vessels, known as
smackees, and carrying on an average two men. Hand lines of various
kinds, adapted to the nature of the various species sought, are the
apparatus principally employed; a number of other means of capture
are used incidentally. The prominent branches of the market fisheries
are the fishery for the smaller bottom fishes, the red-snapper fishery,
and the kingfish fishery.
The bottom fishery. — The most extensive of the market fisheries is
that for bottom fishes, carried on by a numerous fleet of well smacks.
A few schooners (5 in 1895) barely large enough to take out custom-
house papers, engage in this fishery, and some of the sponge vessels
are at times so employed, but most of the vessels are of only 2 or 3
tons register. The fishing is carried on throughout the year, but is
more assiduously followed in winter than in summer.
The fish par excellence of this fishery are the grunts (Hcemulon), which
constitute fully one-third of the yield. The two principal species are
the white grunt and the yellow grunt. These are found in extraordinary
abundance at all seasons and on numerous grounds, and their size,
cheapness (1 or 5 for 10 cents), and food qualities make them very pop-
ular. Numerous other desirable fishes are taken more or less through-
out the year. In fact, a greater variety of food-fish are caught by
the Key West line fishermen than are obtained in any other similar
fishery in the United States. Those which deserve mention are the red
grouper, black grouper, Nassau grouper, rock hind, jewfish, muttonfish,
gray snapper, lane snapper, margate-fish, angelfishes, yellow-tail, por-
gies, chub, hogfish, porkfish, sailor's choice, and bream.
Notwithstanding the very large annual catch, amounting to about
1,500,000 pounds, the resources appear to have undergone no note-
worthy depletion, and the vastness of the grounds and the abundance
of the ground fishes will certainly permit a very much more extensive
fishery than is now prosecuted. The principal grounds frequented by
the smaller boats are in the Northwest Channel, but there are numerous
other grounds in the vicinity where good fishing for the smaller fishes
may be had. The best fishing for groupers, mutton-fish, snappers, and
porgies is on the reef extending from Marquesas Eock to Eebecca
Shoals ; as this region is a considerable distance from Key West, it is
only visited by the larger boats.
46 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
The question of bait, which in the line fisheries of many places is
a very serious one, seldom causes any concern to the Key West fisher-
men. Suitable bait in almost limitless abundance is easily and con-
veniently obtained. The principal bait products are the rock lobster
or crawfish and small fishes known locally as " sardines," '• shad," and
" pilchards." The meat of the conch is also used to some extent. The
crawfish are taken by spearing, seining, and trapping, and the small
fish are caught by means of improvised seines made of guuny sacks.
In 1895 the small fish used for bait had an approximate weight of
121,000 pounds, with a market value of $3,025; the crawfish employed
for the same purpose amounted to 120,000 pounds (equivalent to about
the same number of these crustaceans), worth $2,720.
The most interesting feature of the Key West market line fisheries
is that the fish are kept alive in wells while the boats are on the fishing-
grounds and are transferred to live-cars or live-boxes after reaching
market. The consumer is thus enabled to select his fish and have
them killed on the spot, thus being sure that the fish is fresh. This
method prevents the waste that too often characterizes the fisheries, as
the fishermen do not take more fish than they can readily sell and do
not start on a trip until the catch of the previous trip is disposed of.
The bottom fishery in 1895 was engaged in by about 105 persons; the
number of boats employed was 91, and the catch, amounting to about
1,475,000 pounds, was valued at $58,901.
The Iringfish and red-snapper fisheries. — The most prominent market
fishery carried on during a definite time and for special fish is that
for kingfish. The time of arrival of kingfish in this region and its
abundance each fall are determined largely by the weather. The fish
is not expected until after a " norther," and is apt to be most abundant
during a severe winter with frequent northerly gales. In the early part
of the season, which extends from about October 15 to March 15, the
kingfish is sought as far north and east as Cape Florida, but after
November 15 it is usually present in large numbers in the vicinity of
Key West. The fish are caught from within a short distance of the
keys to the edge of the Gulf Stream, but the principal grounds are
from above Love Key to Sombrero Key.
Trolling is the method of capture employed in this fishery, a 36-thread
cotton line, about 10 fathoms long, being used. Four lines, worth about
40 cents each, constitute the complement of each boat. When the fish
are biting fast, the line may be shortened to 5 fathoms or even 2 fathoms*
The preferred bait is a triangular strip of skin from the side of a kingfish.
When the catch is sold for local consumption, the fish are eviscerated
and cut into steaks. If these are not sold the first day after being
caught, they are lightly salted and dried in the sun, when they will
keep for several weeks in favorable weather. The principal part of the
catch has, however, usually been destined for the Cuban trade, the fish-
ermen delivering the fish round to dealers, who packed them in ice and
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 47
shipped them to Havana by the regular steamer, which makes two trips
a week from Key West.
The quantity of kingflsh taken in 181)5 was 420,000 pounds, valued at
$7,000. The Cuban war has necessarily embarrassed the fishery, and the
recent imposition of prohibitive duties on fish going to Havana has
seriously affected the business and been much felt by the fishermen.
The local consumption is far exceeded by the catch, and Cuba has been the
only outlet for the surplus. Even when comparatively large shipments
were made to Havana the fishermen were very desirous of extending
their markets, as they did not take as many fish as they could, but
only enough for the home market and to satisfy the Cuban demand.
A number of other fish are incidentally taken in the kingflsh fishery, the
principal ones being ambertish, large groupers, and red snappers.
At times there has been quite an important fishery for red snappers
carried on from Key West, but the fishery is not regularly followed,
and in 1895 was unimportant. There are a dozen or more banks
accessible to Key West fishermen on which red snappers are found in
greater or less abundance at the proper season, but the fishery has
been less profitable than the kingflsh fishery, and has only been
extensively followed when kingflsh were scarce. The market for king-
fish in Cuba does not extend to red snappers, and after the local Key
West demands are supplied there is no other way in which to dispose
of the catch. A very large red-snapper fishery could no doubt be
carried on from Key West if the facilities for marketing the catch
warranted it. This fishery is prosecuted, as a rule, by the same large
boats that engage in the kingflsh fishery. The inquiries of the Fish
Commission in 1891 showed that the quantity of red snappers taken
by the Key West fishermen in the two preceding years were about
100,000 pounds and 20,000 pounds, respectively, while in 1895 only
8,400 pounds were caught.
Other market fisheries. — Among the minor branches of the market
fisheries are the mullet fishery, the crab fishery, the crawfish fishery,
and the clam fishery.
A small mullet fishery is carried on by means of gill nets, although
some mullet are also taken in cast nets and seines. The demand for
mullet is not large, and in 1895 the fishery yielded only 43,800 pounds,
valued at $1,372. During July, August, September, and October three
small boats, equipped with gill nets, engaged in this fishery, going out
early in the morning and returning by noon. The fish are handled by
boys, who peddle them about the city.
A few seines are hauled on sandy beaches and smooth shoals by Key
West fishermen. The catch consists largely of bonefish, grunts, group-
ers, moonfish, and snappers, the first-named species predominating.
Most of the seines are operated very irregularly. The owners usually
rent them to anyone who desires to fish, and thus frequently a dozen
persons have used one seine during a year.
48
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
The bottom fishermen at times use trail lines for Spanish mackerel,
runners, jacks, bluefish, barracuda, and other surface-swiininiug fish.
The catch in this way is small.
A few small wire traps or pots of a peculiar type, introduced from
the Bahama Islands, are used by the Key West bottom fishermen; in
1895, 24 of these, with an average value of $3, were set. They are
baited with crawfish or fish and are set chiefly on reefs in convenient
places. Although they are not operated with great regularity and take
mostly small fish, their annual catch is considerable, amounting in 1895,
according to the best estimates obtainable, to 92,745 pounds, worth
$3,900. The fish composing the catch are chiefly grunts, angel-fish,
chub, small groupers and snappers, hogfish,porkfish,porgies, yellow tail,
tang, and tnrbot.
Crawfish are taken for food in the same manner they are obtained
for bait — that is, with "grains," dip nets, etc. The local sales in 1895
were 31,500 pounds, valued at $630. A small fishery for stone crabs is
carried on. The crabs are drawn from their holes by means of hooks.
The taking of conchs for food and bait is unimportant; $30 worth of
conch meats represents the extent of the business in 1895, in addition
to which five pearls, valued at $85, were secured.
An unimportant fishery for hard clams or quahogs is carried on from
Key West. The clams are gathered by hand on Pavilion Key, near the
mainland of Monroe County, and sold at Key West. The demand is
limited and only one small vessel isengaged in the business, makingthree
or four trips a year. The number taken in 1895 was 3,600, for which $36
was received. The clams are of large size and the supply is far in
excess of the present needs.
Statistical summary of the market fisheries. — In 1895 the foregoing
fisheries gave employment to 136 persons. The number of boats used
was 97, valued, with their outfits, at $14,641. The following table
shows the quantity and value of the products of the Key West market
fisheries in 1895, including those used for bait. This branch is seen to
have yielded nearly 2,500,000 pounds of fish, etc., with a value to the
fishermen of over $80,000.
Species.
Amber-fish
Angel-fish
Barracuda
Bluefish
Bonetish
Chnb
Groupers
Grunts
Hogfish
.lark and runner..
Jewtish
Kinglish
Margate-fish
Mullet
Mntton-fish
Porkfish
Pounds.
Value.
18,600
34, 100
31, 000
9, 240
70, 000
3,000
95. 3,-i0
605, 480
81, 600
97, 500
1C, 000
420, 000
13,500
43, 800
196, 600
11, 962
$620
1,410
1,240
770
2, 100
180
2,102
14, 082
3. 480
3, 250
i 15
7, 000
785
1,372
6, 890
1, 196
Species.
Porgies
Red snapper
Other snappers...
Sailor's choice
Schoolmaster
Spanish mackerel
Sheepshead
Yellow-tail
Other fish
Sardines, etc -.
Crawfish
Conch
Crabs
Clams
Total
Pounds.
98, 200
$2, 450
8,400
240
59, 334
2,416
20, 179
2,020
6,400
160
34, 650
1,155
9,252
417
64, 880
6,475
123, 136
11, 675
121, 000
3,025
157, 500
3,150
500
a 115
6,240
208
1,800
36
2, 454, 233
80, 444
Value.
a Includes $85, the value of 5 pearls.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 49
Possibility of increasing the industry. — Opportunity for a very large
expansion of the fishing industry of Key West is believed to exist, and
warrants the attention of capitalists and fish-dealers. With a phenom-
enal abundance and variety of some of the finest food-fishes of the
Atlantic coast, winch may be readily caught at little expense, there is
practically no outside trade. It is this feature that most forcibly
appeals to one who is considering the increase of the industry, and it is
in the augmentation of the export trade in fresh fish that the most
important development must take place.
The remote situation of Key West has, of course, retarded the devel-
opment of any outside business in perishable products, with the excep-
tion of the kingtish trade with Cuba (now discontinued) and some small
shipments in winter by way of Tampa. The rather poor shipping
facilities and the costliness of ice have also been factors in the non-
expansion of the fisheries.
Careful inquiries, however, indicate that even with the present condi-
tions a fish business may be carried on with New York that will prove
profitable to the local dealers who may engage in the enterprise, to the
men who catch the fish, and indirectly to the entire community.
Most of those interested in the fishing business of Key West think
that the attempt to establish a fresh-fish trade with northern markets
would be successful, and several people have considered or are now
considering the matter of engaging in such an enterprise. It is reported
that an experimental shipment of Spanish mackerel, pompano, or some
other choice fish a number of years ago netted several hundred dollars.
The only shipping facility from Key West to the north that can now
be considered in this connection is that afforded by the steamship line
to New York, although it is possible that the railroads terminating at
Tampa on the west coast and Miami on the east coast may be utilized
if sufficiently low rates can be given. The New York steamers make
regular weekly trips, requiring four days for the passage from Key
West (Friday to Tuesday). The present rate on fish is 40 cents per 100
pounds. By the use of refrigerators, or even by the employment of
large quantities of ice, the fish would no doubt arrive in good condition.
The present wholesale price of ice at Key West is $7.50 a ton.
To make the shipping of fresh fish from Key West to New York profit-
able the business should probably be restricted to the winter months,
say from November to March, when there is a comparative scarcity of
salt-water fishes in the northern markets. At first the shipments might
have to include only fishes now well known in the east, such as bluefish,
sheepshead, kiugfish, Spanish mackerel, pompano, red snapper, and the
like, but there is no reason to doubt that in time all of the desirable local
species could be profitably disposed of.
The value for canuing purposes of the fish known locally as "pil-
chard," "herring,'' and "anchovy,' 1 which exist in great abundance in
this region, should not be overlooked.
S. Doc. 100 4
50 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
The spiny lobster or crawfish, which is extremely abundant, would
doubtless meet with sale in a fresh condition in the northern markets
after its food value became known, and it would undoubtedly prove a
satisfactory substitute for the common lobster. The crawfish of the
California coast, which closely resembles the Florida species, has
been canned in limited quantities and is consumed fresh in very large
numbers.
THE TURTLE FISHERY.
This is one of the most prominent of the Key West fisheries, ranking-
next to the sponge and bottom fisheries in number of persons engaged
and value of products. While quite important, this fishery is much
less valuable than formerly, owing to the decrease in the supply.
In 1895 this fishery gave employment to 70 persons, of whom 27 were
on registered vessels and 49 on open sailboats or small sloops. The
number of vessels and boats used was 29. The crews of some of the
vessels numbered 5 men, but on the small boats only 2 men were
carried. The apparatus consisted chiefly of nets, of which 54 were set,
but some turtling was done by means of pegs.
Three species of turtles are caught, namely, the green, the logger-
head, and the hawksbill, but the green turtle is the most important.
The average weight of the last is between 125 and 275 pounds. The
loggerhead turtle, while quite common, is not sought to any great ex-
tent, as in food value it is inferior to the green, and is not in demand
for shipment. It exceeds the green turtle in size. A few hawksbill
turtles are taken each year. They average about SO pounds in weight,
although many small ones are caught. Their flesh has little value, but
their shell (which is the tortoise shell of commerce) brings a high price.
The average weight of the shell is about 34- pounds, and it is worth
from $2 to $4.50 per pound, depending on the quality.
The grounds extend for many miles along the keys, and also include
the coast of the mainland of Monroe County and the Straits of Florida.
The principal region is from Marquesas Key, 30 miles west of Key
West, to Alligator Light, on the east coast; there is also good turtling
in the Bay of Florida — that part of the Gulf of Mexico intervening
between the western keys and the mainland.
Fishing is carried on throughout the year. Crawls or pens are located
at convenient places, in which the turtles are kept pending collection
and transportation tu Key West, whence most of them are sent by
Steamer to New York. At Key West the turtles are sold at public
auction, and are bought by agents of New York houses. Pending sale
or shipment the turtles are kept in large pens near the docks.
Quite a business is done in loggerhead-turtle eggs. These are either
taken from the female turtles that have been caught for market or are
dug up from the sand where they have been buried by the turtles.
The eggs taken directly from the female are yellow in color and bring
the best price; those that have been laid are white and sell for about
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 51
half the price of the others; the average value is 1 cent each; the eggs
weigh about a pound to a dozen, and are 1£ inches in diameter. The
number gathered in 1895 was over 45,000.
At Key West and throughout the key region there is the same testi-
mony as to the decrease of green turtles, owing to excessive fishing.
It is now much more difficult than formerly to obtain a good fare, and
the boats are compelled to range over a wider territory. The opinion
is freely expressed that unless something is done the business will
cease to be remunerative. The fishermen comment upon the fact that
for the past few years the green turtles have not been depositing their
eggs on Key West and the adjacent keys. It is very probable that
this is owing to the excessive hunting of this species, and that they
now deposit their eggs on the more distant and inaccessible keys.
This has cut off quite an important and profitable business, as the
gathering of green-turtle eggs — which are better liked than those of
the loggerhead — was carried on by a number of people.
The results of the turtle fishery in 1895 are shown in the following
table. The 410,112 pounds of products taken are seen to have had a
market value at Key West of $19,957.
Products.
rounds.
Value.
Green turtles
337, 400
25, 000
40, 280
712
6,750
$16, 870
200
Loggerhead turtles
403
Tortoise shell
1,674
Turtle eggs - -
810
Total
410, 142
19 957
FISHERIES OF TAMPA AND TRIBUTARY SECTIONS. 1
Tampa's importance as a fishing center. — Owing to its exceedingly
favorable situation and its railroad and steamship lines, which afford
ample facilities for the rapid shipping of fishery products in every
direction, Tampa has become the most important fishing and distribut-
ing center for fresh fish on the Florida coast, with the exception of
Pensacola. There are only two bays on the west coast of the State
which permit easy access to large vessels ; these are Escambia Bay,
on which Pensacola is located, and Tampa Bay, on an arm of which,
called Hillsboro Bay, Tampa is situated. Tampa is now the receiving
center for most of the fish taken in Hillsboro, Manatee, and Lee
counties, and also for a large part of the catch of De Soto County.
Considerable fresh-fish trade, however, is carried on at St. Petersburg
on Tampa Bay, in Hillsboro County, and at Punta Gorda, on Charlotte
Harbor, in De Soto County, both of these places being railroad termini.
The railroad companies have directly encouraged the fishing industry
by giving reasonable rates; in 1895, they contemplated an advance of
1 Includes the counties of Hillsboro, Manatee, Lee, De Soto, aud Pasco.
52 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
the rates on fish, but desisted on the representations of the Tampa
dealers, who showed that there had been a large increase in the ship-
ment by rail during the past few years and that Tampa would be
unable to compete with other places in supplying certain sections if the
shipping prices were raised.
One of the statements prepared by the dealers for the information of
the railroad companies was the following table, showing the combined
fresh-fish rail shipments by the three wholesale dealers during the
mouth of October, from 1890 to 1895, inclusive :
Year.
Barrels. Equivalent
pounds.
October, 1890
875 175 000
1891
940 188 000
1892
1. 125 225 000
1893
1 270 254 000
1894
1,583 316 600
1895
1.712 34'', 400
From the most accurate data obtainable, it appears that in 1895 over
4,000,000 pounds of fresh fish alone were shipped by rail from Tampa,
to which should be added the very large trade in salt mullet, oysters,
and other fishery products.
. Most of the fish brought into Tampa are from fishing-camps located
between Clearwater (Hillsboro County) and Naples (Lee County). A
large number of small vessels are employed in taking the catch from
the camps to the city. The camps are most numerous around the
entrance to Charlotte Harbor and Caloosahatchee lliver, Grove City,
St. James City, and Punta Rassa being the most important centers.
Hunter Point, near the entrance to Tampa Bay, is a very important camp
region. The camps consist of collections of cheap wooden buildings,
sometimes constructed over the water on piling, but usually on the
mainland or keys on leased ground, convenient to the fishing-grounds.
The mullet fishery gives to Tampa its chief importance as a fishing
center, and is much more extensive than all other fisheries combined;
but numerous other fish are taken, and there are sponge, turtle, oyster,
and alligator fisheries in this region.
The mullet fishery. — In the extensive region under consideration, this
fishery in 1895 gave employment to 699 fishermen, who employed 356
gill nets (with an aggregate length of 225,520 feet) and 162 seines
and stop nets (with a combined length of 75,450 feet). The boats and
vessels used in catching aud transporting the fish numbered 526. The
value of the apparatus was $11,907, and of the vessels and boats was
$98,554. The transporting fleet numbered 36 vessels and carried 87
men. The results of the fishery were as follows: 8,183,539 pounds of
fresh mullet, worth $74,133; 2,182,556 pounds of salt mullet, worth
$36,505 ; and 138,400 pounds of salt mullet roe, worth $9,895.
The stop net is the most important apparatus used iu the capture of
mullet. It is in reality a seine from 300 to 500 feet long, with a 3-inch
mesh. Duriug high water it is secured to stakes across the entrance
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 53
to small indentations and creeks, and at low water prevents the fish
from escaping. The regular haul seines for mullet are about 750 feet
long and have a 3-inch mesh. The mesh of the gill nets is 3f inches.
Mullet fishing is done more or less throughout the year, but is most
extensive during fall and early winter, when the fish have matured roe,
are in the best condition, and are most abundant.
An immense quantity of the mullet secured at the fishing stations is
salted and either sold in the surrounding territory or shipped to Tampa,
St. Petersburg, or Punta Gorda, to be distributed by rail. Prior to
1890 large quantities of salt mullet were sent in sailing vessels and
steamers to Havana, but this trade has been practically abandoned
owiug to the excessively high tariff imposed on imported fish as a
consequence of the Cuban war. The salt-fish trade with Cuba has
heretofore been virtually controlled by Americans, but it has now fallen
into the hands of the Cubans, who visit the Florida coast in their ves-
sels and fish along the shores of the State. Although fishing in State
waters by foreign vessels is prohibited, the sparse population and the
general absence of revenue cutters make it easy for the Spanish sub-
jects to ply their business uninterruptedly: they often come into the
bays to fish, and sometimes even prepare their fish on the shore. This
condition of affairs has greatly injured the local salt mullet fishery.
There is considerable waste in the mullet fishery, owing to the soft-
ening of the fish during, transportation from the fishing-camps to the
markets. If the vessels carrying the fish are delayed by head winds
or calms, the whole cargo may be lost, as some of the stations are nearly
200 miles from Tampa. Insufficient ice is also a factor in the spoiling of
fish. Careful inquiry among the Tampa dealers shows that during the
principal mullet season, from September to December, inclusive, over
200,000 pounds of mullet are thrown away annually at that place, and
it is estimated that the annual loss at other places on the west coast is
over 300,000 pounds. These spoiled fish do not enter into the statement
of the catch. Some of the loss is retrieved, however, by laying aside
the ripe females and extracting their roe. which is salted.
The general gill-net and seine fishing. — Besides the gill nets used
especially for mullet, there are pompano and Spanish mackerel nets,
which are operated in conjunction with the mullet fishery. The pom-
pano nets have a mesh of 4 to 5 inches, the mackerel nets a mesh of 3
or 3;^ inches, their length being from 450 to 850 feet. Besides the fish
for which the nets are particularly set. numerous others are taken which,
in the aggregate, are more important than the two species named ;
among these are bluefish, redfish, black drum, sheepshead, grunts, and
trout. In 1895 the number of pompano nets in use was 80, with a value
of $2,680; the Spanish mackerel nets numbered 70 and were worth
$2,025. The fishery was most extensive at Punta Gorda and at the
camps in Manatee County. The catch, a detailed statement of which
follows, including those fish taken incidentally in the mullet fishery,
amounted to 1,627,015 pounds, for which the fishermen received $45,573.
54
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
Species.
Angel-fish
Bluefish
Channel bass
CrevaUe
Grunts
Pompano, fresh
Pompano, salted
Sailor's choice or pinfish
Sbeepshead
Snappers, gray, and others
Spanish mackerel, fresh
Spanish mackerel, salted
Trout
Other fish
Total '.
Pounds.
17, 100
89. 376
24!!, 4-JU
14,594
23, 000
246, 887
28. 000
39, 202
344, 602
31,333
237, 989
20, 000
265, 968
25, 544
1, 627, 015
Value.
$235
1,786
3,613
219
345
13, 563
1,680
588
5.167
480
10, 930
1,210
5,353
404
45, 573
In the haul seines and stop nets operated primarily for mullet, con-
siderable quantities of other fish are caught, the species being practi-
cally the same as taken in the foregoing gill-net fishery. The fish thus
incidentally secured in 1895, as shown in the following table, aggregated
269,084 pounds and had a value of 85,494.
Species.
Pounds.
Value.
Bluefish
Channel bass
Crevalle
Drum
Flounders
Grunts
Pigfish
Pompano, ties] \
Pompano, sal ted
Sailor's choice or pinfish
Sbeepshead
Snappers, gray, etc
Spanish mackerel
Trout
Total
29, 008
$580
67. 103
1,007
6,015
91
28, 000
425
6, 000
90
13,210
198
::, (Mm
45
5,100
281
800
48
2,000
30
48, 748
777
5.100
102
24, OIJO
1,200
31. 000
620
209, 084
5.494
Red -snapper fishing. — In 1895 a Tampa vessel of 17 tons burden, carry-
ing 5 men, made a number of trips to the red-snapper banks, located
about 75 miles southwest of Egmont Key Light, at the entrance of
Tampa Bay. These trips were remarkably successful, and it is probable
that other vessels will soon enter this fishery. The catch amounted to
300,000 pounds of red snappers, having a value of $9,000, and 24,000
pounds of groupers, worth $300.
Turtle fishing. — The turtle fishing in this extensive section is quite
limited. It is reported that in the Tampa region the green turtles are
nearly all killed off and that it does not now pay to follow the business,
although in 1890, when an investigation of the west Florida fisheries
was made by the United States Fish Commission, the fishery was com-
paratively important. In 1895 one small vessel from Tampa and two
boats from Punta Rassa engaged in hunting turtles during a part of the
year, four nets being used. The aggregate eatch was 9.375 pounds
(representing 55 turtles), valued at $563.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 55
Alligator and otter hunting. — In Hillsboro, De Soto, and Lee counties
considerable alligator and otter bunting is carried on by white men and
Indians. The alligator industry is much less extensive than formerly,
owing to excessive hunting of the alligators, which are being rapidly
killed off, but the hunting of otters is now receiving more than usual
attention, the otters having undergone a noteworthy increase in the
past few years. The reason generally assigned for the increase in the
number of otters is the decrease in the alligators, which are said to be
the principal enemies of the otters.
In 1805, according to information obtained from the dealers in the
three counties named who handled the alligator and otter skins, 214
persons were engaged in the business; their investment in boats, guns,
traps, etc., was $7,421; and their product amounted to 10,750 alligator
skins, valued at $11,925, and 2.750 otter pelts, worth $13,750.
The oyster industry. — Although the taking of oysters is one of the
principal branches of the fisheries of this section, the business is far
from being as extensive as the resources seem to warrant. The ques-
tion of maintaining the supply and developing the industry is one of
the most important related to the fisheries to which the attention of the
people of this region can be drawn.
The principal oyster beds of the counties of Hillsboro, Manatee, and
De Soto are located in Hillsboro Bay, at and near the month of Mana-
tee River, in Sarasota Bay, and at Cape Haze in Charlotte Harbor.
There are isolated oyster beds along the entire coast, but the foregoing
are those which have up to this time been the chief source of supply.
Opinions differ as to whether the oysters are becoming scarcer,
although most of the dealers and oystermen think they are decreasing
each year. Some time ago Tampa drew most of its oyster supply from
Old Tampa Bay, but the beds in that place are so depleted that it has
not paid to work them for several years.
Most of the oysteriug is done from Tampa, although there is con-
siderable oyster business at Punta Gorda. In 1805, 77 persons were
engaged in taking oysters. These used vessels, boats, and apparatus
(tongs) valued at $3,058. The product, amounting to 70,381 bushels,
was worth $21,334, an average price of about 30 cents a bushel.
During the past few years some efforts at private oyster-culture have
been made, consisting in the planting of seed oysters in Hillsboro Bay
and on the worked-out Manatee beds, but the enterprise has thus far
been unsatisfactory, owing to the robbery of the beds.
Clams are found in Sarasota Bay and elsewhere, but owing to the
limited demand no regular fishery has been established and only a few
thousand are taken annually.
The sponge fishery and trade. — The sponge business of this section
centers at Tarpon Springs, in Hillsboro County, on the Auclote River.
This river affords a good harbor, is adjacent to the Anclote sponge-
grounds, and is the rendezvous of a large number of sponge vessels
56 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
belonging at various places from Key West to Apalachicola. Nearly
100 "crawls," in which the sponges are cleaned, have been built near
by. Quite a fleet of vessels that take out custom house papers at Tampa,
Cedar Keys, and elsewhere are owned at Tarpon Springs, although the
principal part of the sponges landed here are from outside vessels.
The sponge industry of Tarpon Springs (or Anclote) is more extensive
than that of any other place on the Florida coast except Key West.
The recent increase in the business Las been noteworthy, and it seems
probable that the favorable position of the place with reference to the
sponge-grounds will result in a still further development of the industry,
which will make Tarpon Springs a formidable rival of Key West.
The sponge vessels which may be credited to this section in 1895
numbered 13. Their tonnage ranged from to 20, and their crews
consisted of 7 to 13 men. They are equipped similarly to the Key West
vessels as to dingeys, hooks, poles, water glasses, etc. The aggregate
value of these vessels, with their outfits, was $23,340, and their combined
crews numbered 125, fully 90 per cent of whom were negroes from the
Bahama Islands. The stock of the vessels was from a few hundred
dollars to over $4,800, depending on the number of trips and other
contingencies, the average being about $1,800.
Besides the vessels of over 5 tons burden, there are a few others
that engage in the sponge fishery in this region. These usually carry
3 or 5 men, and their catch is correspondingly small.
The foregoing fleet was augmented in the latter part of 1895 and in
189G by a number of sponge vessels from Key West that were perma-
nently transferred to this district, several of which have been credited
to Key West in 1895.
The quantity of sponges taken by the sponge fleet of this section in
1895 was 18,393 pounds, valued at $30,875. The following table shows
the extent to which each kind of sponge was represented in the catch.
As will be seen, the quantity of other sponges besides the sheepswool
taken in this section is insignificant. In quality the sheepswool sponges
which enter into the trade of Tarpon Springs are unsurpassed and are
worth considerably more per pound than are the sheepswool sponges
handled at Key West, owing to the admixture of the less valuable key
sponges at the latter place.
Species.
rounds.
Value.
Sheepswool
17. 188
465
740
$30, 559
Yellow
102
Grass - - - .. - - .. -. -
'214
Totnl
18, 393
30, 875
The lay on the Tarpon Springs vessels is somewhat different to that
at Key West. The owner supplies the provisions and other outfit of
the vessel and receives one-half the gross sales, the crew sharing the
other half equally. The captain, however, is paid 8 per cent of the
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 57
vessel's share, and the hookers are given a quarter share by the owner
in addition to their regular shaves. The cost of the outfit per trip is
about $100, and from one to five trips are made each seasou.
In 1805 and 1896 there were three sponge dealers or buyers at Tar-
pon Springs. These had their sponge-houses near the mouth of Anclote
River, a number of miles below Tarpon Springs. The sponges are sold
at auction, as they are at Key West, and the prices are practically the
same as at that place. The purchases of these dealers in 1895 amounted
to about $60,000, and consisted of sponges caught not only by local
vessels but by those from Key West, Apalachicola, and elsewhere.
Statistical summary . — In 1895 the fishing industry of this section gave
employment to 1,251 persons. The vessels engaged in taking or trans-
porting fishery products numbered 37, and had an aggregate tonnage of
402.35; these and 746 boats used in the shore fisheries were valued at
$113,671. The value of the apparatus of capture was $24,209, and that
of the shore and accessory property and cash capital was 8107,695.
The total investment in the industry was thus $245,675. The catch,
amounting in value to $259,508, was divided as follows among the dif-
ferent classes of products :
Fish * IS 1 , 06 1
Oysters 21,334
Alligators and otters 25,675
Sponges 30, 875
Turtles 563
FISHERIES OF CEDAR KEYS.
Geographical features ani prominent fisheries of Cedar K< ys. — At one
time Cedar Keys seemed destined to occupy the first place as a fishing
center on the west coast of the Florida peninsula, as it was the ter-
minus of the only railway reaching the Gulf except one running to
Pensacola. This advantage was lost, however, by the building of railway
lines to Homosassa, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and Punta Gorda, and the
fisheries, while important, are much less valuable than at a number of
other points. Cedar Keys is located several miles from the mainland,
on a key of the same name. The railroad is built partly on piles and
partly on small keys. Owing to this necessary method of construction,
communication is liable to interruption by storms washing away part
of the tracks. Several such storms have occurred in the past few
years; the worst of these was in September, 1896, when a great deal
of damage was done to property in the town, especially to fish houses
on the wharf, and most of the railroad was washed away, the place
being without rail communication for nearly two months.
The principal features of the fishing industry of Cedar Keys are the
mullet, oyster, and terrapin fishing and the wholesale fish and oyster
trades. The place is also the shipping point for the mullet and other
fish taken at camps along the coast brought in by transporting vessels.
The wholesale trade is in the hands of seven firms; two firms handle
fish, oysters, and turtles, and five handle oysters exclusively.
58
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
_ The oyster industry.- Oysters are found in considerable abundance
m the vicinity of Cedar Keys. The principal grounds are as follows:
Iso 4 Channel, between Cedar and Derrick keys, connecting Suwanee
and Waecassee bays; Pelican Reef Bar, which extends from Ko 4
Channel Smiles up Suwanee Bay; Fishbone Bar, which extends sev-
eral miles up the coast from the north side of Suwanee River: Corri-
gan Reef, which runs south from Cedar Keys a distance of about 4 miles
and Waecassee Bar, near the mouth of Waecassee River. The first of
these is the best and most productive ground in this entire region, the
beds occupying nearly 4 miles of the channel. Owing to excessive
tongmg, the supply has been decreasing for some years, and in 1895
the output was nearly 50 per cent less than in 1890.
In 1892 a Cedar Keys citizen leased a bar about 2 miles north of
Cedar Keys, near the mainland, and the same year planted a number of
small oysters taken from the natural beds. He continued this each
year up to and including 1895, but suffered so much in the last two
years from the depredations of tongers that he was compelled to
abandon the business. What the tongers left on the bar were washed
away m the great storm of September, 1896. All of the oyster-dealers
and a number of the tongers are advocates of the system of increasing
the supply by the formation of artificial beds, and it is probable that
most of those interested will soon be believers in this system, as the
natural beds become more and more exhausted.
In 1895 the oyster industry of Cedar Keys gave employment to 50
tongers ; the boats used numbered 40, valued, with outfit and apparatus,
at $1,040. The product consisted of 3,200 barrels of oysters, worth
$1,870, or 19i cents a bushel.
The sponge industry.— Although the best sponge grounds in the Gulf
of Mexico are located adjacent to Cedar Keys, the sponge fishery has
received but little attention from the people, and in 1895 there was no
sponge trade in the town. A number of vessels that were documented
at Cedar Keys engaged in the sponge fishery from Tarpon Springs, but
no sponges were landed locally. In 1890 one local vessel landed
4,100 pounds of sponges valued at $5,000. in 1878 the business of
purchasing and preparing sponges was begun at Cedar Keys, but was
discontinued after a few years, and only spasmodic attempts to reestab-
lish the trade have since been made. A favorable opportunity appears
to exist lor carrying on an extensive sponge business at this place.
The gill-net fishery.— This is the most prominent of the Cedar Keys
fisheries. More persons are employed in it than in all the other fisheries
combined, and the product greatly exceeds that of the other branches.
A very large variety of valuable food-fish is taken, although the mullet is
the principal species. In 1895 this fishery gave employment to 108 fish-
ermen, in addition to whom 39 persons were engaged in transporting
the catch to market; 30 of the latter, however, were in other fisheries.
The fishing boats numbered 48, and were valued at $1,440; the trans-
porting boats consisted of 15 sailboats (used in the turtle fishery) and
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 59
3 small vessels (one of which was in the hand-line fishery). The value
of the two vessels that were in no other branch was $3,580, including
outfits. The gill nets numbered 50: they had a of -inch mesh, and the
average length was 576 feet; their total value was 61,146.
This fishery resulted in the capture of nearly 1 ,500,000 pounds of fish,
having a value to the fishermen of 622,555. Over two thirds of the
catch were mullet. Following is a table showing the quantity and value
of the different species:
Species. Pounds. Value.
Bluefish
Channel bass
Croaker
Drum
Mangrove snapper.
Mullet, fresh
Mullet, salt
Pompano
Sailor's choice
Sheepshead
Trout
Other fish
Total
19. 900
$448
75, 000
1,125
1,109
22
9.S55
197
9. 531
191
974. 068
14. 076
126, 000
1.020
1.20<i
24
20.1100
520
119, 782
1.198
109,421
2, 462
2, 07 1
72
1.474,540
22. 555
Hand-line fishing. — The taking of fish by means of hand lines is an
unimportant branch of the Cedar Keys fisheries. In 1805 some 15 semi-
professionals, using hand lines from the railroad dock and from rowboats,
caught sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, and trout, and 3 fishermen in a
small schooner (of 15 tons) caught red snappers and groupers. The
yield, which amounted to 59,724 pounds, was valued at $1,097, and was
divided as follows: Sheepshead, 11.114 pounds; Spanish mackerel,
4,000 pounds; trout, 15,810 pounds; red snappers, 8.800 pounds;
groupers, 20,000 pounds.
Sturgeon and shad in the Suwanee River. — Sturgeon are found in
nearly all of the rivers of the west Florida coast at certain seasons of
the year, but very little attention is given to this valuable fish. In
1805 a Cedar Keys dealer sent a small party of fishermen with gill nets
to the Suwanee River to make trials for fish and determine the best
parts of the river for fishing. It was not expected that much would be
done that year, as the visit was rather late, but as a result of the obser-
vations then made the matter was taken up again in November. 1896,
fishing was actively begun, and a number of sturgeon had been secured
at the time of the investigation.
In June, 1892, the Fish Commission made a plant of 750,000 shad
fry in the Suwanee River, and on several occasions the catching of
mature fish has been reported from that stream, but the results have
been so meager that it was not supposed the experiment had been suc-
cessful. The sturgeon fishermen who made a prospective trip to this
river in 1895 reported that they had seen large quantities of shad going
up the stream, and that they had caught a few and identified them as
the "white shad" of the Atlantic coast. As some of these men were
60
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
formerly engaged in shad fishing on Albemarle Sound, it is probable
that they were correct in their identification. This year the sturgeon
fishermen intend to use a number of shad gill nets in connection with
their sturgeon fishing, and are in hopes of making profitable catches.
A drawback to the use of nets on this river is the great number of
stumps and sunken logs which interfere with the fishing. If shad are
caught in paying quantities, it is probable that an effort will be made
to improve the bed of the river in certain spots that are favorable for
the use of drift gill nets.
Turtle and terrapin fishinr,.— In 1895 the taking of green turtles was
engaged in by 42 Cedar Keys fishermen. These used 28 sail and row
boats, valued at $5,405, and 43 turtle nets, worth $1,290. The number
of turtles taken was 2,051, weighing 107,010 pounds and valued at
$0,981. The average weight was only 40 pounds. In 1890 113 turtle
nets were used in this place; these took 89,958 pounds of turtle, having
a value of $0,297. The turtle fishermen and larger boys of Cedar Keys
make quite a business of getting terrapins, winch are usually caught
with the hands. About 30 cents apiece is the average price received
by the fishermen. In 1895 the catch amounted to 11 ,400 pounds, valued
at $1,250. This was an increase over 1890, when the output was 4.180
pounds. The average weight of the terrapins is 3 pounds.
Summary of Cedar Keys fisheries.— In 1895 the fisheries of this place
gave employment to 240 persons; of these, 230 were in the fisheries
proper, were engaged in transporting fishery products to market, and
10 were employed in various capacities on shore. The aggregate
capital invested in this industry was $20,051. The leading items in the
investment were 123 vessels and boats valued at $13,910, apparatus of
capture worth $2,702, shore and accessory property valued at $1,539,
and cash capital $8,500. The fishery products weighed 1,726,658 pounds'
and had a value of $33,888; of this sum, fishes represented $23,052'
reptiles $8,231, and mollusks $2,005.
The foregoing figures do not include the sponge vessels which take
out papers at the Cedar Keys custom-house, but are owned or make
their headquarters elsewhere.
THE FISHERIES OF APALACHICOLA AND VICINITY.
General character and extent.— The fisheries prosecuted from Apalach-
icola, Carrabelle, and other points in Franklin County are of a varied
character ami in the aggregate are quite important, although no single
branch is of special prominence. The principal fisheries are the sponge,
oyster, and mullet, although a number of other fish are taken in com-
paratively large quantities with gill nets, seines, and other apparatus.
Apalachicola ranks next to Key West and Pensacola in the value of
its fisheries, and this prominence seems quite remarkable in view of the
exceedingly poor facilities for shipping the catch. The establishment
of railroad communication, which is now assured, will greatly increase
the fishing industry of Apalachicola and vicinity, as the resources are
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 61
sufficiently great to permit a very large expansion of the fisheries over
their present extent.
The oyster industry. — There are probably more extensive natural oys-
ter-grounds in the vicinity of Apalachicola than elsewhere on the west
Florida coast. The physical features of the entire coast of Franklin
County are very favorable for oysters, a series of islands and reefs
forming protected bays and sounds which have an abundant growth of
oysters and are admirably adapted to oyster cultivation.
The oyster-grounds have been rather seriously damaged by natural
causes within the past two or three years and their productiveness has
been impaired, as shown b}' the comparative statistics available. The
approximate location and extent of some of the principal grounds in the
Apalachicola region are as follows:
Sneed Bar: This, the most important bed, is located east of Apa-
lachicola in St. George Sound near East Point. It is about 2^ miles
long and one-quarter of a mile wide. There are no evidences of decrease
on this ground. The freezes in December, 18!)4. and February, 1895,
affected only the edges of the bed near the shore, but the hurricane
of 1891 swept a great many oysters off the bar into deep water, where
they were smothered in the mud.
Peter Bar: This ground is about 3 miles east of Sneed Bar, and is 2
miles long but quite narrow. It was ruined during the hurricane of
1891 and the two freezes mentioned. Xo oysters are now taken from it.
Bulkhead Bar: This ground lies south of Sneed Bar, and is practi-
cally a continuation of the latter. It is about a mile long and one-half
to three-quarters of a mile wide. Only a few oysters are taken from it.
It was affected somewhat by the hurricane of L894.
East Hole Bar: This bar is south of Bulkhead Bar and is somewhat
over a mile long and from one-quarter to one-half of a mile wide. The
extreme cold in 1891 and 1895 killed some oysters, and the hurricane
also did considerable damage. Oysters are taken from this ground
every year.
Porter Bar: This lies east of Sueed Bar. It is several miles in
length but quite narrow. A few years ago it was one of the most
important oyster-grounds in this region, but its productiveness has
been greatly reduced by the natural phenomena mentioned.
Silby Bar: This lies southeast from Porter Bar, near St. George
Island. It is about half a mile long and very narrow. The oysters
taken from this ground have been used chiefly for canning, as they
have a thin shell which prevents their being shipped to any great dis-
tance. The supply is reported to be increasing, probably on account
of the small amount of tonging recently carried on.
West of the Apalachicola River, in St. Vincent Sound and the west-
ern end of St. George Sound, there are a number of small bars con-
taining oysters of good quality, but the supply has been greatly
reduced by storms and excessive tonging. Northeast of Apalachicola,
in Apalachicola Bay, there are good oyster-grounds, the most important
62 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
being the St. Mark Bars. The oysters from these bars are very large,
and daring the winter of 1895-96 a number of lots, when shucked,
yielded about 1^ gallons of meats to the bushel.
In 1895 and 1890, the United States Fish Commission steamer Fish
HawJc made a survey of the oyster-grounds in the vicinity of Apalachi-
cola. The report of the investigations will appear in the United States
Fish Commission Report for 189G.
While natural agencies have undoubtedly done some injury to the
oyster-grounds, excessive tonging without any efforts to replenish the
beds has been a potent factor in the decrease. It has been the practice
of many of the oystermen to move out into deep water to cull their
catch; in this way all the spat and small oysters adhering to the old
shells are destroyed, by being covered with mud, and the beds are
further damaged by the removal of the materials to which new spat
may adhere. This appears to have been done in violation of law, as
there is a statute prohibiting the culling of oysters anywhere except
over the bed from which the oysters were taken.
While some of the fishermen of this section say there has been no
decrease in the oyster supply, the majority of those interested think
differently, and the investigations of the Commission substantiate
the latter view. The quantity of oysters taken in Franklin County in
1895 was only 27 per cent that in 1890. This decrease was in part due
to a reduction in the extent of the canning business, which consumes a
large quantity of oysters. There were two canneries in operation in
1890 and only one in 1895, but one of the main reasons for shutting
down one of the canneries was the fact that the supply was not suffi-
cient to keep both canneries running on full time. The manager of the
cannery now in operation states that no difficulty is experienced in
getting enough oysters for his purposes, but that he is compelled to use
a quality that is inferior to that previously utilized, owing to the deple-
tion of the best grounds.
Ko attempts have been made to cultivate oysters in this county, but
the conditions are very favorable for oyster planting, and the Commis-
sion's investigations have shown a large area suitable for this purpose.
In 1895 the oyster industry of Apalachicola and Carrabelle gave
employment to 168 persons; of these, 128 were engaged in tonging
and 40 in the canning business or in other capacities on shore. The
vessels and boats used numbered ~>(} and were valued at $8,935. The
apparatus with which the oysters were taken (93 pairs of tongs) was
valued at $635. The quantity of oysters taken was 60,389 bushels, for
which the oystermen received $14,101, an average price of 23 cents a
bushel. In 1890 the oyster output of this county was 218,326 bushels,
having a value of $36,971 — an average of 17 cents a bushel.
The spont/e industry. — The sponge rishery of Apalachicola is engaged
in by a small tieet of vessels and decked boats, with an average size of
less than 6 tons. Only 7 of the fleet in 1895 were large enough to take
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 63
out custom-house papers, the others, 11 in uuuiber, being of 3 or 4 tons
burden. The vessels aud boats, without their apparatus and outfit, had
a value of $7,420. The crews numbered 80.
The Apalachicola sponge vessels usually go to the Rock Island
grounds early in the season, then to Sea Horse Key, off Cedar Keys,
then down the coast to tbe Auclote region. The grounds between Sea
Horse Key and Anclote are those most resorted to. Most of the catch
is sold to Tarpon Springs dealers. Nearly all of the sponge vessels
engage in oystering a part of the year, and several of them are also
employed in transporting fish.
The product of the sponge fishery of Apalachicola in 1895 was 7,356
pounds of sponges, almost all of the sheepswool variety, for which the
dealers paid $11,981.
There are two sponge-dealers at Apalachicola who handle chiefly the
catch of the local fieet. One of these also makes purchases at Anclote,
where the principal part of this business was done in 1895. The
handling of sponges gave employment to 19 persons. The value of the
sponge warehouses and fixtures was about $4,150. The cost price of
the sponges purchased in 1895 was * 10,207. This sum, however, does
not represent the value of the Apalachicola sponge fishery, as some of
the vessels did not sell to local dealers and as the latter bought from
outside vessels.
Seine and gill-net fishing. — The taking of fish by means of seines and
drift gill nets is the most prominent feature of the fishing industry of
Apalachicola and Carrabelle; more persons find employment in this
branch, more capital is invested therein, and more products are taken
than in any other fishery. The fishery is more extensive at Apalachi-
cola than at Carrabelle.
In 1895 the number of persons who engaged in this form of fishing
was 335; 147 of these used gill nets and 255 used seines, 67 persons
employing both kinds of apparatus. The gill nets numbered 69, had
an aggregate length of 44,400 feet, and were valued at $1,895; the
mesh is from 3 to oh inches. Forty seines were operated ; these had a
combined length of 26,955 feet, and were worth $3,280; the mesh was 2£
to 3 inches. In the setting and hauling of the nets and seines, 78 sail-
boats and 53 rowboats were used, and in transferring the catch from the
fishing-grounds to the markets 19 small vessels were employed ; the
investment in boats and vessels was $10,200.
The principal fishes taken in the seine and gill-net fisheries of this
county are mullet, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, pompano, trout,
redfish, spot, and whiting, a number of others being secured in small
quantities. The mullet is the leading species, and is sold in very large
quantities in a fresh and salted condition. The principal season for
mullet is October and November, when the fish are near the shores,
and are mostly taken in seines; in August and September the most of
the catch is in gill nets, the fish then being in deep water. The prin-
cipal spawning time of the mullet in this section is December, although
64 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
ripe fish are found as late as February. The trout or squeteague ranks
next to the mullet in value. It is taken in largest quantities during
cold weather, when it congregates in deep holes and may be readily
caught with a seine, while in warm weather the schools scatter. The
sheepshead is most common from December to the last of March.
The best season for pompano is from April 15 to May 15, and for Spanish
mackerel from March 15 to May 1, though some pompano are taken in
October and November. The redfish or channel bass is taken princi-
pally in February, March, and April.
Among the food-fishes of Franklin County that are not now utilized,
although abundant, are pinfish, sturgeon, and catfish. Large quantities
of pinfish are taken each year, but as there is no sale for them they are
thrown back into the water. Sturgeon are reported to be very common
in the rivers, but they are not sought. There are immense quantities of
catfish in the streams, but their food value is not appreciated, and up to
1890 no attention was paid to them. In this year, however, an Apalachi-
cola dealer began to purchase and ship them to various parts of the
country.
The yield of these fisheries in 1895 was over 3,000,000 pounds, with a
value to the fishermen of more than $73,000. The quantity taken with
seines was nearly double that obtained with gill nets. Mullet, fresh,
salted, and in the form of roe, constituted five-sixths the quantity and
eight-ninths the value of the catch. The importance of each product
is shown in the following summary of the yield:
Species.
Anyel-fish
Blueflsh Y////.'.'.'.'.'.'.'".'.'.'.'."Y,
Channel bass
Drum !....!!....
Flounders
Kin "fish '//'_ ....'.'.
Mullet, fres h
Mullet, salted.. 'I!."".".""."."".""!.".":" 1,524.! 000
Mullet roe, iresu
Mullel ioi', Baited
Pigfish '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.[".
Pompano, fresh ....... .'.
Pompano, salted
Sheepshead, fresh Y...Y...V..'...
Sheepshead, salted
Spanish mackerel
Sin. Is
Trout, fresh
Trout, salted
Whiting
rounds.
Value.
100
$2
410
11
42, S65
721
800
12
300
6
601 >
30
932,012
11,072
1, 524, 000
47, 146
2,150
215
60, 200
6, 020
500
25
903
28
5, 000
250
34. 570
633
3, 000
90
1,320
37
3,400
93
359, 600
5,459
40,000
1,600
1,300
20
Total 3,013,030 73,470
The red-snapper fishery.— A little fishing for red snappers and group-
ers was carried on from Oarrabelle in 1895, a small sloop and a small
schooner, each with 3 men, being employed. It is reported that one of
the finest snapper banks off the Florida coast is located a few miles
southeast of Dog Island, which is about 9 miles from Carrabelle. Owing
to the very shoal water in the entrance to the harbor of this place, only
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 65
very small boats can reacli the wharves. The fishery, however, can not
be successfully carried ou except by boats large enough to remain on
the grounds in moderate storms. The fishery, which was inaugurated
in 1895, proved a failure, owing to the draft of water of the vessels
employed, only 5,000 pounds of snappers and 2,500 pounds of groupers
being landed. The fishery was nor resumed in 1890.
Line fishing. — Besides the small snapper fishery alluded to, line
fishing for both fresh-water and suit-water fishes is carried on from this
county, and is a branch of considerable importance. The prominent
salt-water species are sheepshead, trout, and redfish. The fresh- water
fishes are black bass and other species of the same family found in the
Apalachicola and New rivers.
In 1895 the line fisheryfor salt-water species was followed by 1 8 persons
and for fresh- water species by 21 persons. The number of boats used
was ;!!», valued, with their equipment, at 8851. The catch, amounting
to 54,600 pounds of saltwater fish valued at $1,010, and 43,400 pounds
of fresh-water fish worth $1,897, was divided as follows among the
different species: Redfish, 21.000 pounds, 8305; sheepshead, 12,100
pounds, 8217; trout, 18,000 pounds, 8310; Spanish mackerel, 3,500
pounds, $88; black bass, 12,300 pounds, $465 ; bream, 17,300 pounds,
$790; perch, 13,800 pounds, $636.
Alligator and other hunting. — A small business in hunting alligators
and otters for their skins is carried on from Apalachicola and Carra-
belle. At the former place 21 persons and at the latter 17 persons
engaged in this branch in 1895. Thirty-two boats, valued at 8010, were
used. The apparatus, consisting of guns for alligators and traps for
otters, was valued at 8500. The hunting is done in the fresh waters
adjacent to the coast. Neither of the animals sought is as abundant as
formerly, and the year's work resulted in the taking of only 550 alliga-
tors, whose hides were worth $285, and 186 otters, whose pelts had a
value of 8713.
Turtle fishing. — At Carrabelle an unimportant turtle fishery is prose-
cuted. In 1895 3 men in a small vessel, equipped with 3 turtle nets,
sought turtles during a part of the year, frequenting grounds on the
coast of Franklin County. Only 110 green turtles were obtained. These
had an aggregate weight of 3,850 pounds, and yielded the fishermen
$270, or 7 cents a pound.
FISHERIES OF PENSAC0LA.
General character and importance. — Next to Key West Pensacola is
the most prominent of the Florida fishing centers. Besides a vessel
line fishery that is more entensive than any other in the State, Pensa-
cola supports important shore fisheries with lines, seines, etc., and also
an oyster fishery. The city is favorably located in respect to the
important fishing banks, and has ample railroad facilities for shipping
the products to eastern, northern, and western points.
S. Doc. 100 5
66 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
The red-snapper fishery. — it is this fishery which gives to Peusacola
its chief importance as a fishing center and has brought the place into
prominent notice from a fishing standpoint. The taking of red snap-
pers here not only reaches larger proportions than elsewhere in the
United States, but the product is many times greater than at all other
centers combined.
The red-snapper fishery is essentially a vessel fishery, although it is
engaged in by a few small sailboats which frequent the nearer grounds.
The snapper vessels now employed vary in size from 5 to 54 tous and
carry from 5 to 10 men. Their average size is about 29 tous and their
average crew is 7. Their average value, inclusive of outfit, is $5,587.
With a very few exceptions they are schooner- rigged, only 2 sloops
being employed in 1805. Each vessel carries two or more boats, from
which a part of the fishing is done.
The lines used are valued at about SI each. The usual complement
is 2 to each man of the crew, besides which 3 or 4 lines to a man are
kept in reserve. The boats engaged in the shore snapper fishery carry
about 5 men each and are valued at $125 on an average. The lines
are fewer and less expensive than those used in the vessel fishery.
During the six warmer months of each year the snapper vessels
resort to those banks lying between Ship Island and Tortugas, and
during the remainder of the year on the great Campeche Bank, lying
off the coast of Yucatan. Snappers could probably be caught off the
Florida coast during the colder months were it not for the very unset-
tled weather there encountered. On the Campeche Bank good weather
prevails, the water is warmer, and the snappers can be caught with
great facility. The location, depth, extent, and general character of
the various fishing-grounds for snappers have been fully described in a
number of reports of the Commission. 1 The bait used in the snapper
fishery consists entirely of pieces of fish, the principal species being-
snappers, groupers, bluefish, sharks, lady-fish, menhaden, and other
fish found on the banks. Salted lady-fish is a favorite and much-used
bait. Some of the bait is carried from shore, but a fair proportion is
caught on the fishing-grounds.
The usual time consumed on a trip to the more distant banks is two
weeks, but a vessel may return from the nearer grounds in a week, or
less. The average number of trips during a season is now about 22.
Necessary repairs to the vessels and inclement weather occasion delays.
A change in the method of conducting this fishery has taken place in
comparatively recent years. Ten years ago many of the vessels were
well-smacks, and the fish as caught were placed in wells and landed
'See especially the following:
Report of the discovery and investigation of the fishing-grounds made by the Fish
Commission steamer Albatross during the cruise along the Atlantic Coast and in the
Gulf of Mexico, with notes on the Gulf fisheries. Report U. S. Fish Com., 18Nf>.
Report upon an investigation of the tishing-grounds oh' the west roast of Florida.
Bulletin U. S. Fish Commission, 1890.
The red-snapper fishery. Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States,
Sec. V, vol. 1, 1887.
.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 67
alive. In 1890 the well-smack bad nearly gone out of use at Pensacola,
and as repairs became necessary the vessels were made over into tight-
bottom craft, and by 1895 there were no vessels of this class belonging
at Pensacola. It is reported that they were given up owing to the
losses sustained in bringing the iish from the cold water of the Gulf to
the warmer waters encountered near shore. With the tight bottomed
vessels the fishing may be done in deeper water, and larger fares are
obtained than when welled vessels were used. Now, as soon as the fish
are caught they are killed and packed in ice in storage compartments
near the center of the vessel. The larger vessels have storage room for
4,500 or 5,000 fish, the capacity of the others being proportionate to
their size.
The arrangement between the vessel-owners and fishermen is as fol-
lows: The owners furnish the ice and bait, and when a vessel returns
these items are deducted from the gross value of the fish. Of the remain-
ing stock, 40 per cent is set aside as the vessel's share; out of the 60
per cent, the cost of the provisions and lines is taken. The balance
is then divided among the men in the following proportions: The cap-
tain, first hand, and cook get l.\ shares each; oilier members of the
crew 1 share each. The captain also receives 15 per cent of the vessel's
share as a bonus. If a vessel lias a broken trip or a poor catch, and
has not secured enough fish to pay the expenses of a trio, the owners,
on account of the difficulty of getting good crews, usually make no effort
to collect the balance due them, as it has been found that under other
treatment the crews are liable to give up their situations on returning
with a small fare.
The cost of fitting out a vessel for red-snapper fishing is considerable.
Iu addition to the lines and dories, the expense for ice, bait, fuel, pro-
visions, and general stores for each trip of a large-sized vessel is about
$175; ice, at $8 per ton, being the largest item.
Up to 1895 the snapper catch was divided into the following grades
by the Pensacola dealers: Small snappers, or "rats," which weigh .">.!
pounds or less; medium snappers, which weigh more than 3i pounds
and up to 7 pounds; large snappers, or "couuts," which weigh over 7
pounds and average 10 pouuds. The prices received by the fishermen
for the various sizes were 4.] cents a pound for the small, 3£ cents a
poitnd for the medium, 25 cents each for the large for the first 000, and
20 cents each for the remainder. On June 15, 1895, a new schedule of
prices went into effect and this still prevails; it is as follows: For all
snappers under 7 pounds in weight, 3£ cents a pound; for all snappers
over that weight, 20 cents each for the first 1,000, 15 cents each for the
second 1,000, and 10 cents each for the remainder. The price of
groupers to the fishermen has remained at 1 cent a pound.
In 1895 the snapper fishery centering at Pensacola gave employment
to 42 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 1,209.62 and with a value,
including outfits, of $234,650. The number of sailboats employed was
68
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
12, with a value of $1,500. The value of the lines, hooks, and leads
used was $1,114. The number of persons who engaged in the fishery
was 280 on the vessels and 60 on the boats. The yield, amounting to
5,163,532 pounds, was valued at $155,714, and was divided as follows
between the vessel and shore fisheries and snappers and groupers:
Pounds.
Value.
Red snappers :
4.587.715
195,815
¥144.855
0. 959
( 'au "lit by beats
Total
4, 783, 530
151,814
( troupers :
< ' 'a u "lit bv vessels
358, 514
21,488
3,685
215
Total
380. 002
3.900
Grand total
5, 163, 532
155 714
The history of the Pensacola snapper fishery during the past twenty
years shows an almost unbroken annual increase in the number of ves-
sels engaged, a consequent increase in the persons finding employment,
and an augmented catch. During the season of 1874-75, the first year
for which statistics are available, there were 11 snapper vessels at Pen-
sacola. Their tonnage was 328, and their crews numbered 00. The
subsequent growth of the fishery to 1895, when it was more extensive
than in any other year, is shown in the following table, which covers all
vessels that regularly landed their fares at Pensacola. A few vessels,
each year, owned in other places, have made their headquarters at this
port.
Year.
Num-
ber of
vessels.
Tonnage.
Num-
ber of
nicii.
Year.
Num-
ber of
vessels.
Tonnage.
Num-
ber of
men.
1875
11
13
11
10
11
14
21
26
328. 22
376. 95
323. 47
297.10
282. 12
302. 11
458. 03
732. 39
60
71
57
54
60
71
108
150
1883
24
25
27
33
35
34
42
662. 91
577. 96
751. 56
1,149.10
980. 25
973. 65
1, 209. 62
133
1876
1884
140
1877
1885
163
1878..
1886
231
]S7Ji
218
1880
L89U .
218
1 s- 1
280
During a severe storm on July 7, 1896, the fishing fleet of Pensacola
suffered some damage. Two snapper vessels of one company and 4 of
another company were sunk at their docks. They were, however,
raised and repaired at considerable expense.
The aggregate catch of red snappers by the fleet rendezvousing at
Pensacola is known for the years 1889, 1890, and 1895, and may be
given approximately for 1880 and 1884. The following comparative
summary, with the average catch per vessel and per man, is quite
instructive. The statistics show a steady increase in the yield, the
output for 1895 being more than three times as large as in 1880. It
appears that in 1880 the average catch of snappers to a vessel was
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 69
103,571 pounds and to a man 20,423 pounds, while in 1895 the averages
were 109,231 pounds and 16,385 pounds, respectively. The apparent
inconsistency of a diminished catch per man associated with an
increased catch per vessel is explained by an average increase of about
two men per vessel between 1880 and 1895.
Comparative summary of the Pensacola red snajtyer catch.
Tear.
Pounds.
3 , 450. 000
2. 380, 800
3,554. 176
4. 14-1. R42
4,587,715
Average catch.
Per vessel.
Per man.
1880
103. 571
95 232
101, 548
121. 907
109, 231
20. 423
1884
17, 006
1889 . .
16, 304
1890 . .
19, 013
1895
16, 385
These bare figures do not suggest that there has been any noteworthy
diminution in the snapper supply, but when considered in connection
with an increased carrying capacity of the vessels and a more assiduous
prosecution of the fishery, the more recent years show a decided decline.
Had the conditions been the same, and had the fishermen in 1890 and
1895 made the same average catch as did those in 1880, the aggregate
output of the fishery in 1890 and 1895 would have been 5,252,000 pounds
and 6,760,000 pounds, respectively. In September, 1890, the Pensa-
cola dealers issued the following joint circular to the trade, in which
the decrease in the snapper supply was referred to:
On and after October 1. 1890, the price of all sizes of red snappers will be advanced
one-half cent per pound from the prices now in use. The growing scarcity of red
snappers, and the increased cost of catching these fish, has compelled us to make
this advance. For a year past our smacks and crews have been doing a starvation
business. Where formerly they were aide to land a fare of fish three or four times a
month, they can now only make two trips a month. They are now obliged to go
from 200 to 400 miles from Peusacola to find fish in paying quantities.
The seine and gill-net fisheries. — Next to the taking of red snappers,
the seine fishery is the most important branch of the fishing industry
of Pensacola. In it both vessels and boats are employed, although by
far the more extensive fishing is done from small boats, only two vessels
being used in 1895.
The seines are hauled for what are known as '-beach fish," consisting
chiefly of bluefish, mullet, and Spanish mackerel, although a large
variety of tishes is taken. The seines, which are about 500 feet long
and worth from 6100 to 6150 each, have a 2i-inch mesh and are operated
by five or six men.
In 1895 the number of persons engaged in this fishery in Pensacola,
Warrenton, and the adjacent bays was 117, of whom 17 were in the
vessel fishery. The number of seines in use was 29, with an aggregate
length of 18,360 feet and a value of 83,075. The tonnage of the 2
vessels aggregated 12.71. These were worth, with their outfits, $3,400.
The boats employed numbered 26 and were worth $1,610.
70
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
The following table shows the quantity and value of the fishes taken
in the Pensacola seine fishery in 1895. From this it will be seen that
considerably more than half of the catch consisted of mullet. Of the
1,071,414 pounds credited to this fishery, 1,030,000 pounds were taken in
the boat fishery and only about 41,000 pounds in the vessel fishery.
Species.
Bluefisli
Channel bass
Mullet
Pompano
Sheepshead
Spanish mackerel
Spot
Trout
Jure]
Yellow-tail
Angel-rish
( Irevalle
Bream
Lady- fish
Wlikins
Other tish
Mobilians (terrapins)
Total
Pounds.
83,
9.
* ; iii ,
17.
40.
hit.
15.
38,
C:;.
9,
14.
1 t,
7.
22,
7,
6.
202
825
071
'.HIS
662
430
695
949
:..-..-
Oil)
486
16i
180
055
G89
659
440
Value.
1,071,414
$1,656
15:!
7,981
1.099
701
4,877
297
1.514
761
119
181
138
223
227
"77
135
14
20. 216
There is a gill-net fishery, carried on principally for mullet, which is
of comparatively little importance. In 1805 it was engaged in by 18
persons, who operated 9 gill nets from 9 boats. The nets had an
aggregate length of 4,320 feet, a 3A-inch mesh, and were valued at
$1,118. The quantity and value of the species taken were as follows:
Bluefish, 3,199 pounds, $132; channel bass, 922 pounds, $13; mullet,
80,558 pounds, $1,155; Spanish mackerel, 5,844 pounds, $292; trout,
6,440 pounds, $226.
Spanish mackerel and pompano have been decreasing in this vicinity
during the past few years. Fifteen years ago pompano were very
abundant, and brought better prices than they do now. At the opening
of the season the dealers have paid as much as $1 per fish. When the
price dropped to 15 cents per fish the fishermen became discouraged.
The present price is only 5 cents a pound, or about 10 cents per fish.
An apparent relation has been observed between the abundance of
bluefish on the Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. About ten
years ago, when there was a period of scarcity of bluefish on the east-
ern seaboard, these fish were very abundant in the Gulf, but as soon as
they reappeared in numbers on the Atlantic Coast they became scarce
on the west coast of Florida.
The oyster industry. — Although much less extensive than some of
the other fisheries of Pensacola, the oyster fishery is of considerable
importance and possesses some interesting features. The oysters are
taken for market from both natural and cultivated grounds.
The principal natural oyster beds in the vicinity of Pensacola are in
Escambia and East bays, oysters of excellent quality being found on all
the reel's and bars. The supply of marketable oysters on these grounds,
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 71
however, has never been very large, not even enough being taken to
meet the demands of the local market. Owing to excessive tonging
and the effects of storms, the supply has been steadily decreasing.
The heavy storm of July 7, 1896, was especially destructive, and nearly
effected the ruin of all the beds in both bays by sweeping some of the
reefs clean and by Hooding the others with mud. Accompanying the
storm was a heavy rainfall which caused the Escambia and other rivers
emptying into the bays to rise to a great height, making the water on
the oyster- grounds so fresh that most of the oysters that had survived
the storm were killed. The greatest damage was done in Escambia
Bay. In the fall and winter of 1890-97, almost the only places where
oysters could be secured were in East Bay and Blackwater Bay, an off-
shoot of East Bay, where the beds were somewhat protected.
Perdido Bay, which is on the line dividing Florida and Alabama, at
one time contained a number of good oyster beds which yielded a large
supply each year. The entrance to the bay from the Gulf is quite tor-
tuous and some years ago in an effort to straighten it by cutting new
channels through several points, it is reported that the water was made
too salty and the oysters died. The few oysters still surviving do not
pay for the labor of tonging.
The decrease in the productiveness of the natural beds has led to the
institution of oyster-culture, and it seems probable that the business
of the future will depend largely on cultivation. It is stated that
oyster-planting in this region began in 1888, when one person planted
about 0,009 bushels on prepared ground in Escambia Bay and Santa
Bosa Sound; in the two following years 7,500 and 12,000 bushels of
seed, respectively, were planted. The seed were obtained in Escambia,
East, and St. Andrews bays. From this the business increased until
now there are a number of persons having beds of cultivated oysters
in the vicinity of Pensacola. The bottom on nearly all sides of Escam-
bia Bay is from to 10 feet deep, and is a mixture of sand and mud
that is thought to be well adapted to the raising of oysters.
No difficulty has been experienced in the business except that of
keeping poachers off the beds. The stealing of oysters became such a
nuisance and caused so much loss that owners of cultivated beds joined
together for mutual protection and had several trespassers arrested
and convicted. Lately the legislature passed a law providing that the
owner of the shore front is the only one who can establish an artificial
bed; he is allowed to take up 200 yards of shore extending out to the
main channel. As a large part of the land along these bays belongs to
nonresident persons who purchased it for the timber and who have no
inclination to engage in oyster-culture, this law renders unavailable
considerable good bottom. The planting of oysters and the claiming
of ownership in the beds so planted is not popular among the tongers
of Pensacola, and it would appear that sufficient protection is not
afforded by the State. The artificial beds suffered equally with the
natural grounds during the storm of July 7, 1896, and it is possible
72
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
that some of the owners will not replant, especially as their business
has entailed heavy losses np to the present.
In 1895 the oyster fishery of Pensacola and the adjacent bays gave
employment to 06 persons, who used 31 sailboats and took 21,850
bushels of oysters having a value of $6,910. The oysters are all taken
by means of tongs. The capital invested in this business, exclusive of
the value of the oyster beds, was $4,112.
Statistical recapitulation. — The fishing industry centering at Pensa-
cola had the following extent in 1895: Persons employed, 535; vessels,
42, valued at $231,050; boats, 99, valued at $0,910; value of apparatus
of capture, $1,521; value of shore property and cash capital, $112,805;
total investment, $358,910; pounds of products taken, 0,490,889; value
of the catch, $181,001.
STATISTICS OF THE FLORIDA FISHERIES.
In the following series of tables, the extent of the fishing industry
of the coastal waters of Florida is shown in detail by counties. The
figures relate to the calendar year 1895, with the exception of those per-
taining to the northeast coast, as explained in the preceding text.
The county tables will be found to differ in some minor respects
from the figures credited to the principal regions, in the discussion of
which the object was to show the importance of the fishing centering-
there, without regard to county limits.
Table showing by counties the persons employed in the coast fisheries of Florida.
CoTiuties.
r. On ves-
sels Tins.
! n shore
fisheries.
Shores-
men and
prepara-
tory.
Total.
East coast.
2
211
41
1
254
])rj,| r
12
88
101
100
120
80
84
199
4
130
15
5
260
95
89
12 6 |
102
998
West coai t.
70
:i2
230
220
574
40
303
32
267
238
7
1
25
29
92
2
25
2
9
10
9
76
77
33
14
269
267
522
54
720
42
117 26
471
34
276
is 6
272
7 , 180
LO 716
196
839
1,641
10
10
6
3
136
200
100
9
3
9
14
139
209
20
236
1,327 63 3,453
313
5,156
1, 339 69
4,241
505
6,154
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
73
Tabic showing by counties the vessels, boats, apparatus, etc., employed in the coast fisheries
of Florida.
Vessels.
Boats.
Counties.
Fishing.
Transporting.
No.
Tonnage.
Value.
Value of
outtit.
No.
2£ : ™-
Value
of
outfit.
No.
Value.
East coast.
1
2
8.09
18.21
$375
1,800
$25
125
107
53
97
119
52
59
$6, 390
Dade
3,295
2,350
2
28.96 | $750
$240
4,911
1,410
1,994
Total
3
26. 30
2, 175
150
2
28.96
750
240
487
20, 350
West coast.
15
43
140
99
292
20
181
16
218
123
202
280
2
2
68
113
78
390
1.260
7
51.33
4,550
3,409
10,382
37
12
1.116.66
89.63
95, 7 1 5
6.970
123,360
'.', 196
6, 940
22,465
700
14
108. 87
15,500
8. 550
12
140.97
2'.'. 050
5. 310
9,465
480
7. 560
2
22.41
3,200
1.275
2
2
2
20.15
18.77
50.99
2. 700
2,200
4.000
880
1,320
500
8,855
17,840
Monroe
112
1. 273. 46
135,257
89, 625
49,911
10
Santa Rosa
1
13.29
1,200
1. 17;-.
200
1.700
3,420
Washington
183
58. 57
5,300
2,561
3, 540
Total
2, 741'. 89
263. 2112
229, 045
229
25
27
282. 21
311.17
35 500
11.419
1. 892
144.918
Grand total —
186"
2,769.19
265, 377
36. 250
11, 659
2.379
165,268
Apparatus of capture.
1 !ounties.
Seines.
Gill ni't
i.
Turtle nets.
Cast nets.
Pound nets
and trap
nets.
No.
2
3
13
9
7
11
! en gth
(feet).
Value.
No.
2°i
Length
(h el).
Value.
Xii.
Value.
Xo.
Value.
No.
Value.
East coast.
3, 825
i.:
2,700
1,205
4. 125
$265
300
580
180
150
450
it;" :;on
$7,400
350
•4. 745
120
190
66
46
50
$660
l
Dade .
7 8, 400
119 114,150
3
14 2, ll":
35 15, 750
1
1
$3
Duval
100
$500
400
19
30
250 20
10(1
150
110
Volusia
3
GO
Total
45
19, 280
1.925
399 304,800
13,785 162
1,910 169
860 5
463
West coast.
1
3, 000
400
Citrus
27 16,200
143 110,050
9 4. 320
69 44,40(1
J 12, 000
111 | 52,107
16 10, 800
48 25,300
50 28,800
206 149 .400
540
:;. 592
300
1,895
440
3,244
352
1.499
1,146
6,094
54
19
De Soto
'JO
111
16,740
26, 955
2,700
3, 280
:;
90
27
1511
38
21.225
1,070
•j
55
4.".
23, 850
2, 370
2
43
55
1,290
78
13
1
2
30, 150
2, 040
225
1,080
2, 350
199
25
250
3
2
540
450
54
1,890
27
180
24
72
68 45 nnn
1.49G
810
100
Wakulla
7
32
3,675
18, 900
210
4,705
54
4
20, 250
2,400
6
35
Total
286
331
147, 840
17, 559
830 ,522,917
21,641 ,104
3,380
60
365 1 24
72
Grand total..
167, 120
19, 484
1,229 827,717
35, 426
266
5,290 229
1,225
29
535
74
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
Table showing by counties the vessels, boats, apparatus, etc., employed in the coast fisheries
of Florida — Continued.
Brevard . .
Dade
Duval
Nassau ..
St. Johns
Volusia ..
Total.
Calhoun
Citrus
I>e Snto
Escambia . . .
Franklin
Hernando
Hillsboro ...
Lafayette
Lee "
Levy
Manatee
Monroe
Pasco
Santa Itosa. .
Caylor
Wakulla ....
"Washington
Total
Grand total
Apparatus of capture —
continued.
Counties.
Lines.
Tongs.
Guns.
Otter traps.
Value
of
sponge
hooks
and
glasses.
Value
of
No.
"\ alue.
No.
Value.
No.
Value.
No.
Value.
minor
appa-
ratus.
East coast.
26
$182
Dade
256
250
1(10
200
180
$49
25
10
20
20
12
14
5
14
60
70
20
co
Total
986
124
71
392
West coast.
24
5
20
6
39
93
5
160
48
347
635
40
De Soto
44
$600
15
$9
1,271
90
50
1,114
36
50
Franklin
33
20
150
405
300
2,250
17
20
150
11
12
90
$270
326
Hillsboro
Lee . .
60
22
30
8
240
64
87
$4
685
24
30
48
163
22
5
44
3,047
108
"Wakulla
4
20
32
160
50
750
Total
2, 282
1,461
225
1, 726
207
4. 455
202
122
3,730
112
Grand total
3,268
1,585
296
2,118
297 4. 455
202
122
3,730
112
Counties.
Value of
shore and
acces-
sory
property.
En st coast.
West coast.
Cash
capital.
$16, 115
1,841
8,650
10, 500
2, 150
1,740
$10. 100
1,000
5,000
5,000
800
500
40,990 I 22,400
50
430
1,500
42,805
14, 138
50
20, 555
100
2, 100
1. 539
1,100
68, 305
440
100
280
1,118
3, 100
15,000
70, 000
33. 500
Total in-
vestment.
$41,512
9,763
22,310
21,881
4, 890
6,164
106,520
50, 000
12,000
8,500
135, 000
3,000
845
2,390
39,150
343, 401
86,131
1,190
136, 527
932
27, 024
2;!. 738
30, 70S
488,311
494
3,250
3,476
9,345
19, 545
157,710 , 327,000
1, 223, 417
198,706 349,400 i 1,329,937
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
75
Table showing by
comifies the quantities and values of pr
oducts
of coast fisher
es of Florida.
East coast.
Spec
Brevard. Dade
Duval.
Nassau. St. Johns.
Pounds.
Value. Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Tounds.
Value.
1,280
2, H">
22 47:;
2. 300
$59
702
35
33. 086
142. 400
14, 700
10,900
9, 000
800
$703
2, 115
184
4,130
OS, 354
$160
2, 040
Channel bass
Crevalle
11,172
$556
22.100
$840
140
136
12
10.95O
115
12,000
125
5. 000
50
1,200
17.. -7
1.100
14.000
18
936
364
45
394
Groupers
King fish
Mullt-t. fresh
Mullet salted
1,585 ■
000
149 111
11,501
750
9, 475
563,516
8, 45:;
1,310
52
690
5,500
11 7. 300
12,200
5,200
4, 300
1. 100
980
217
14
79
1,609
810
134
215
10
15
I "nrkiish
1 1 . 560
301, 141
157
4,445
Sheepshead
38,100 1,194
175
332
S i ppers, gray and
76, 900
1. 100
:;. 500
•Jim
25,300
1, 137
06
40
2. S72
375
Spanish mackerel..
Spots and croakers.
Tront
Whiting
6,020
0.020
180
2,520
180
5, 113
27. 290
5,000
250
1, 345
250
3,000
122
1 . 555
115
3,500
6,815
162
30
Other lisli
7,210
108
66, 6
1.990
1,300
80
30,080
1,200
2.025
1. 155
Crabs
30-
16,000 662
65
.-5
Turtles, green . . .
Turtles, hawksbill
18,909
1 I !i
33,843
4;;g
1.774
276
1.205
200
225
9,000
556,51
1.200
8,175
Ovsters
Clams
42, 588
2, L15
12.0M0 1,800
1,800 300
Total
". 659, 815
37, 657
325, 200
11,397
887, 860
18,649
679, 671
14, 043
187, 006
7.309
East coast
— cont in mil.
West coast.
Species.
Volusia.
Pound--. \
Total for easl
coast .
< lalhoun.
Citrus.
De Soto.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Amber-fish
1.2S0
2. loo
59. 089
274,655
14.7HO
38, 850
10,200
17,887
l.ioo
2, 350.
47. 600
105
1 . 505
o. :;51
184
4.;o
154
948
364
::o4
1,531
AnTl-fish
Bluensh
9, 164
7O.000
$182
1.050
Channel bass
Crevalle
28, 320 $765
800
•
Drum
Flounders
( rroupers
Grunts
. .1
Hoghsh
Kingtisli
Mullet fresh
Mullet, salted
M ullet in., salted. .
185,523
22, 600
2, 497
781
104. 000
$200
800
250
68, 218
25. 000
1.024
750
1,710,004
15o. U00
1,500
80, 915
25. 664
:;. ooo
105
Pompano, fresh. . . .
175. Ill
11,295
312
12
4. 655
Pompano, salted . . .
1 'or; les
9. 900
1,600
1.7,060
105.911
12,200
82. 100
18. 7:;:s
381. 764
2-7
14
810
1. 271
281
614
0. 122
Porkfish
1. 100
8,100
50
324
22. 200
6,333
14. 210
'334
127
320
100. ooo
2,000
153,900
70. 340
Sailor's choice
Sheepshead
Snappers, red
Snappers, gray and
lit lll'l s
36,800 1,060
1,500
40
Spanish macki
fresh
Spanish mackerel,
Spots and croakers.
Trout
Trout, salted
6, 876
29 540 815
1,407
Whiting
39
3,500
920
102
Yellow-tail
76
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
Table showing by counties the quantities and values of products of the coast fisheries of
Florida — Continued.
East coast — continued.
West coast— continued.
Species.
Volusia.
Total for east
coast.
Calhoun.
Citrus. De Soto.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds. Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds. Value.
( >ther flsli
19,430
$516 137.562 $4,407
27, 000 $1, 170
Crabs
3,700 175
Shrimps
4, 000
7.000
150
62. 6'>5 2. Hf)7
Turtles, green
525 61,752 3,819
Turtles, hawksbill.
25, 000 » 276
436 i 1.295
10,350 , 1,425
$525
1,750
33, 950
800
2,425 696,038 15,415
50 5,600 350
8. 295
$234
50,288 ! 3,544
Clam s
Total
367,963 9,584 5,107,641 98. 639 166, 200 6,234
145, 368
2,814
2,402,071 ; 50,298
AVest coast — continued.
Species.
Lee.
Levy.
Manatee.
Mon
roe.
Pasco.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds. Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Lbs.
Value.
Amber-fish
IS, 600
27, 600
31,000
0.240
70, 000
$620
1,280
1, 240
770
2,100
400
Angel-fish ..
2.000
$35
Barracuda
Bluefish
Bonefishorladj -fisli
Channel bass
12, 000
240
19, 900
$448
50,115
$1, 002
1,470
122
225
184
43, 000
645
75, 000
1,125
98, 000
S, 094
15.000
12, 000
$20
Crevalle
97,500
3,250
Drum
9,855
197
Flounders
Groupers
20, 000
814
200
16
L05, 380
61S '.ISO
81, 600
420, 000
43. 800
2. 527
15, 867
3, 480
7.000
1,372
Grunts
13, 210
198
Hoafish
Kingtish
Mullet, fresh
Mullet, salted
276. sun
1,522,780
106,000
18. 167
10, 000
3, 291
27. 843
7.62(1
908
600
K74. 068
126, 000
14, 676
1,620
3,385,353 25,084
345.(100 3.47H
18, 100 1, 267
31.100 1,711
IS. 000 1,080
200
7,800
7
170
Mullet rue, salted.
Pompano, fresh. . . .
Pompano, salted. . .
I'm " us
1. 200
24
105, 000
10,500
98, 200
11,962
20, 179
9, 252
8,400
202. 334
34,650
2, 450
1,196
2,020
417
240
9. 466
1,155
Porkfish
2,100
73, 142
32
1,097
26, 000
130, 896
8,800
9,531
4,950
520
1, 366
213
191
198
15, 102
81,213
226
1,219
Sheepshead
Snappers, red
300
30
Snappers, gray and
1.000
3,400
8,000
15
170
560
11,000
Spanish mackerel,
30, 203
12, 000
1, 510
650
Spanish mackerel,
1.109
12:.. 2:: 1
r,nu
22
2, SIS
12
Trout
22, 000
440
99,000 L, 980
310
31
500
50
Vi How tail
64. 880
L48, 326
1 57. 500
6,240
337,400
10,280
25, 000
6, 750
712
6, 475
4.479
3, 150
208
16.870
403
200
810
1.674
( tt her Bsh
310
6
Turtles, green
4. 37.-.
263
1(17.61(1
6,981
11, 400
1,250
8,400
10,000
Sponge, sheepsfs ool
2. 048
3, 7C7
:;::::::::::::::
207.717
28, 454
20, 240
14. 857
7. 825
1.270
900
.-,1111
320, 785
11,566
5.162
2,882
2,990
630
36
115
Oysters
67, 200
6,184
1, 870
135
1,4(10
150
Clams
2.104.764
Total
62, 159
1,728,706 37.595
4,243,890 42.313
3,142,847
445,416
9,200
277
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
77
Table showing bij comities th< quantities and values of products of the const fisheries of
Florida — Continue .
"West coast— continued
Species.
Escambia.
Franklin.
Hernando.
Hillsb
oro.
Lafayette.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value. Pounds
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds. Value.
14, 486
22. 655
L0.747
77. 553
1,788
227
166
899
410
$2 .
11 .
15. 100
47. ]o5
Bluefisb
942
Channel liass
63. 865
1.086
3. 005
$45
99. 523
12.515
13,000
18 444
24
1.455
188
277
345
31
12 -
6 .
734
■ - 502
31
3. 605
383
87. 348
Oil. 311
17. tins
13
1. ISO
7,956
1,099
600
'.170. ol -J
: 524,000
2. 150
5,000
11,827
47. 146
2 1 "■ .
6. 020 .
28
250
Mullet, fresh
Mullet, salted
110,000
43. mm
1,375
1,290
2,810,222
150.0711
'_'. 022
100, 000 $2, 200
103,596 : LOS
Mullet roe, salted . .
12. 800
121,805
24. 000
-
903
6, 570
48
360
2,128
S. 000 800
Pompano, fresh. . . .
Pompano, suited
Sheepshead, fresh -
Sheepshead, salted
Snappers, red
Snappers, grayand
40, C62
4,365,163
7(54
46, 670
.' 000
850
'.in
200
6,213
93
3. 100 62
300, 000
•J','. 433
71, 186
9,
3C2
3, 571
1,000
20
Spanish mackerel,
112,274
19,695
45, 38!)
5. 169
367
1.740
i. 820
:; 100
377,600
40, l) "i
1,300
125
93
Spots and croaki 1 3
Trout, fresh
Trout, salted
5, 7!)'.)
1,600
20
21.000
473
105,628
2,146
9,414 377
Whiting
7. 689
9,010
8, 722
77
11'.
241
Yellow-1 ail
Other fish
43,900
3, 850
1 , 922
270
4, 100
5,000
78
Turtles, green
440
14
Alligator hides
285
713
-•
14, 101
3.000
2. o.io
26,852
102
214
( itter skins
Sponge, sheepswool
Sponge, yellow
6, 368
590
398
122, 72 1
465
740
441, 000
Sponge, grass
< (ysters
152.950
6,916
17,610
Total
6,042,022
171,472
3,590,459
104, 7H7
184, 218
3, 296 4. 1
1 1
100,754 224,110 6,547
"West coast — continued.
Species.
Santa Rosa.
Taylor
Wakulla.
"Washington.
Total for west
coast.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
rounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Pounds.
Value.
18,600
59. 286
31,000
260. 286
123,223
497, 577
219, 204
38.055
32,706
531, --
659, 914
81,600
420
12. 3! 0.053
5,714,134
2, 150
299. 061
15, 482
04. 100
98, 200
11,962
87,381
676, 714
7.137
4, 886, 396
315, 631
$620
1,698
Barracuda
1 . 240
Blueflsh
10.000
1,300
5. 550
1,100
13
74
17
21. 951
29, 268
4.480
22, 442
$439
293
61
231
6,022
Bonefish
2,633
23, 207
7. 549
4, 7o7
Crevalle
Drum
634
Flounders
325
7,000
13
70
500
9
403
22, 500
16
225
539
Groupers
Grunts
7,012
3., 910
60
16,486
3, 180
7. 043
Mullet, fresh
Mullet, salted
49, 000
057
881, 768
243,148
$12,230
7,294
728, 900
244, 500
7. 289
6,113
101,300
507, 023
1,351
15,216
120.575
130, 372
Mullet roe, fresh'.
215
Mullet roe, salted.
2.900
290
14.2O0
900
1.420
45
12. 472
25. 300
6,736
732
1,305
25. 961
Pompano, fresh..
4,800
314
26, 59S
Pompano, salted -
3,493
2 450
Porkfish
1, 196
3, 158
Sheepshead, fresh
7,145
143,
9, 157
138
7,769
4,137
130, 919
155
124
3,582
10,296
Slo-epsliead,
214
Snappers, red
68, 114
2,384
154, 536
Snappers, gray
10, 386
78
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
Table showing by counties the quantities and values of products of the coast fisheries of
Ilorida — Continued.
West coast — continued.
Species.
Santa Rosa. Taylor.
VTakulla.
Washington.
Total for west
coast.
Pounds. Value. Pounds. Value. Pounds.
Value.
Pounds. Value.
Pounds.
Value.
Spanish mai 1.
ere], fresh
22, 500 $1,125
8'JO
$24
32 160
$1, 248
908
474, 143
41,040
20,613
911,177
87, 923
9,589
73, 890
240, 648
157, 500
6,240
458, 235
40, 280
25, 000
6,750
712
11, 840
$21, 174
2,168
5 9
Spanish mack-
19, 940
Spots and croak-
ers
1, 300
20
1,109
12,890
18
204
Trout, fresh
5, 100 170
2,565
39, S23
84
1, 593
18,048
3 517
Whiting
109
Yellow-tail
6 594
Other fish
814
12
5,840
117 1 630
8 054
3 150
Crabs
;;
9 08
24, 684
403
Turtles, bawks-
bill
Turtles, logger-
200
810
1 674
1,264
::::::::
240
12 450
18
14 481
Sponge, sheeps-
231, 272
363 107
Sponge, yellow . .
29,509 11,798
21, 387 1 5, 464
14, 857 2, 882
7, 8251 2, 990
1, 2701 630
14, 700
350 35 U70
1 503
1, 193, 626 46, 308
7, 0841 171
Clams
Concbs
500 115
1,127,816
1
Total
184, 048
5,221
$19, 814
1,060,613
16, 384
1,088,519,
35, 785
31,929,1271,111,086
EEC APITTJ L ATION.
Species.
Grand total, east and
west coasts.
Pounds. Value.
Amber-fish
Angel-fish
Barracuda
Bluefish
Bonefish or lady-fish
Channel bass orredfish. . .
I'lii alle
Drum
Flounders
Groupers
Grunts
II"" lisll
K ingfish
Mullet, fresh
Mullet, salted
M ullel mi', fresh
Mullet roe, salted
Pompano, fresh
Pompano, sail ed
Porgies
Pork fish
Sailor's i hoice orpinfisb. .
Sheepshead, fresh
Sheepshead, salted
Snappers, red
Snappers, gray and oi hers
Spanish mackerel, fresh. .
Spanish mackerel, salted.
19, S80
01. 386
31,000
325. 97."")
123. 223
772, 232
3, 904
77, 505
551,934
677, 801
82, Too
434,983
14.670,789
5,761,734
2,150
299, 061
570,593
64, 100
lOS.UKI
13, 562
104, 441
1, 172, 655
7,137
4, 898, 596
397, 731
479, 543
41, 040
$679
1, 803
1,240
7,587
2, 633
13, 900
4, 891
1, (KM
693
T.'.KKi
16, 850
3, 525
7, 437
152. 768
131,903
215
25,961
37, 893
3,493
2, 667
I, 21
3, 394
19,111
214
155,346
11, 657
21,455
2,168
Species.
Spots and croakers. .
Trout, fresh
Trout, salted
Whiting
Yellow-tail
Other fish
Crawfish
Crabs
Shrimps
Tint los. green
Turtles, hawksbill . -
Turtles, loggerhead.
Turtle eggs
Tortoise shell
Terrapins
Alligator hides
( >tter skins
Sponge, sheepswool .
Sponge, yellow
Sponge, grass
Sponge, glove
Sponge, velvet
Sponge, other
Oysters
Claros
Conchs
Grand total, east and
west toasts.
Pounds.
Value.
45, 346
,292,941
87, 923
48, 909
77,390
378, 210
157, 500
9, 940
62, 625
519,987
65, 280
25, 000
6, 750
1. 148
22, 190
231. 272
29, 509
21,387
14, 857
7, 825
1, 27(1
1,889,661
12, 684
500
Total 37,036,768
$1, 134
27,170
3,517
1,029
6,756
12,461
3,150
383
2,397
28, 503
679
200
810
2,969
2,689
12,450
14,481
363, 107
11,798
5, 464
2,882
2, 990
630
61, 723
521
*115
1, 209, 725
* Includes $85, the value of pearls.
FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA. 79
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.
The important water resources within the borders of Florida and
along the shores of the State must always be the main dependence of a
comparatively large part of the population and one of the chief attrac-
tions to the visitors who annually resort to this region for health and
pleasure; and if these are to be preserved some legislation is necessary.
Already the alligator, one of the most interesting and valuable of the
water animals of Florida, is rapidly approaching extinction owing to
the unrestricted and often wanton killing during recent years, and other
important products may share the impending fate of the alligator unless
proper attention is bestowed on the question of their protection.
FISHES.
The only fishery for food-fishes that seems to be unnecessarily destruc-
tive is that for mullet, the most important of the State's fishery prod-
ucts. If the supply of this species is to be maintained a close season
should be established, covering its principal spawning period. This
might have to vary somewhat on the two coasts.
TURTLES.
The green turtle, one of the most valuable of the State's fishery
products, needs protection to prevent its extermination. For a term of
years, at least, the animal should be unmolested during the period when
it seeks the shores to lay its eggs. There should be a minimum limit of
weight for turtles that are taken to be shipped or sold locally, in order
that the destruction of immature turtles may be prevented. The per-
nicious and destructive practice of gathering the eggs of this and the
loggerhead turtle should be prohibited.
OYSTERS.
Experience has shown that the preservation of the oyster supply rests
largely on the leasing or selling of grounds on which oyster cultivation
may be practiced. The oyster resources of Florida are not unlimited, and
it appears desirable to provide for their preservation and development
by encouraging oyster-culture by private individuals. The present
Florida law has in it much to commend and seems to make adequate
provision, under present requirements, for oyster planting and the pro-
tection of natural grounds, but it may in time need revision in order to
provide for the more general inauguration of artificial cultivation. It
is essential, however, that those to whom planting privileges are granted
should be fully protected in their rights.
SPONGES.
The methods employed in the sponge fishery of Florida seriously affect
the permanency of the industry, and it is believed that the interests of
all concerned would be greatly promoted if changes were made in the
present laws governing this fishery, such as the following:
To increase from 4 to 5 inches the minimum size of sponges which
may be lawfully taken, and to enforce the law against the selling of
80 FISHERIES OF THE COASTAL WATERS OF FLORIDA.
undersized sponges; to permit the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay
grounds to be fished only during a specified part of any period ot
twelvemonths; to permit the Anelote and Bock Island grounds each
to be fished only ouce in any period of twenty-four months, so arrang-
ing it, however, that the Anelote grounds maybe worked one year and
the Bock Island the next; to provide for tlie artificial cultivation of
sponges in certain prescribed localities among the Florida Keys and
Biscayne Bay by protecting those who wish to go into the business in
the exclusive use of certain areas.
ESTABLISHMENT OF A BIOLOGICAL AND FISH-CULTURAL STATION.
Under the terms of the Senate resolution the Commissioner of
Fisheries is directed "to report as to the advisability of establishing a
station for investigation, experiment, and fish-culture at some suitable
point on the coast.'' Many reasons make desirable the establishment of
an experiment station at some point on the coast of Florida or the Gulf
States. The number of important food-fishes on the Florida coast is
greater than on any other coast section of the United States. Very
little is known regarding the migrations, spawning habits, etc., of any
of these numerous species, and nothing in the way of their artificial
propagation has been attempted. From what is known of the nature
of the eggs of the mullet, it is reasonably certain that a method for
artificially hatching that species may be devised without special diffi-
culty, yet the discovery and development of any such method remain
to be made. Methods for the artificial propagation of several of the
other valuable water products can also doubtless be developed.
The abundance on the Florida coast of other forms of animal life
besides fishes, such as mollusks, crustaceans, and reptiles, is very great.
Some of these are already of much importance, either as food or bait.
A biological study of many of these forms would certainly prove of
great commercial value as well as of scientific interest.
The field for experimentation with the various species of Florida
sponges is practically a virgin one, whose cultivation promises economic
results of vast importance. The careful development of a practical
method by which sponges may be grown artificially either from cuttings
or from eggs is worthy of the most serious attention. The means for
extending and replenishing the natural sponge beds is a matter that
should also receive consideration.
A station for the investigation of these and related questions might
be advantageously established at some point on Biscayne Bay, at Key
West, near Tarpon Springs, on Tampa Bay, or elsewhere on the Gulf
const. At the outset the most essential thing in connection with the
establishment of such a station and the necessary studies would be the
employment of a number of competent experts to carry on the inves-
tigations. In the beginning, at least, the equipment in the way of
buildings, appliances, etc., need be neither extensive nor costly.
