The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1880-04-23
THE GULF FISHERIES.
An Interesting Interview with
the Assistant q. >. Fish Conn
missioner for the Gulf Coast.

who has made tour of the Gnlf
coast, from Key West TO the Rio
Grande, in the capacity OF Asst
U. s. Fish Commissioner for that
portion OF our seacoast. This bus
iness has occupied Mr.. Stearns
ab0at nine moths.
Tue principal industry OF Key
West is the sponge trade, which
employ a fleet uforer one hundred
vessels. The sponging grounds he
between Cedar Key and ST. Marks,
aud the haryests from these sub.
marine fields are shipped to New
York. This, however, though a
large item of Key Vests business
is by 10 means her only depend
ence in the fishing line. She sup
plies Havana with large quantity
OF sea.6sh, principally groupers,
which are carried there alive In
wells. Twenty -one smacks are
kept busy by this trade alone. Be.
sides, late every summer gangs OF
men leave Key West for Sarasota
Bay and Uhallotte's. Harbor, aud es-
tablish what is known there as .
'.ishiug.ranche.n Some Of these
ranches employ as macy as thlr-
ty men, who are engaged ln catch
ing fall mullet, which they salt tor
Cuban markets. There are about
eight of these establishments along
the coasi, which are occupied about
i've months of the tail and winter.
Cedar Key has A large trade III
oysters, which are shipped to the
interior both in the shell and open
ed. In the latter case they are
put up in large tins and buckets
aud preserved with ice. She also
ships ON ice to Georgia a large
quantity of bay fish, such rs trout,
sheepiread aud mullet which are
caught in gili-nets aud seines
THIS past winter II few snappeI'
we're caught there, aud disposed
of in like manner. There is also 4
considerable sponge trade done
there.
Between Cedar Key and St. Mark
there are no important fisheries
and at st. Marks few small fish
lug beats catch mullet aud trout
which are shipped to Tallahassee.
Aralacbicoa has II fleet OF about
twenty. vessels engaged ia spong
| lug, and has an extensive trade III
shipping salt fish packed ia barrels
to Georgia, Alabama aud Teuhes
see. Many oysters are also sen
| from there to the above States.
At st. Andrews Bay about one
hnndled barrels OF fish are saltet
every fall tor the courtry trade
besides which a large number o.
oysters are sold.
The ncststation of importance OF
the coast is Pensacola, the exteh
of whose fisheries is we'll under
stood by most OF our readers, so l
| is useless to enlarge upon 1t. Sni
fee II to say that Il large quantit.
OF sea and bay fish are shipped iron
here daily.
Mobile. the next place, ships
quantity of snappers aud oaS-lls|
to the interior, besides being ehgae
} ed III an extensive oyster business
! employing large fleets. Oyster
are regularly cultivated there, ant
are put up Ia cans raw aud tried
/. She has a larger oyster trade tina
} any other Gulf port.
Al Pascagoula, Biloxi, Mis>issiT
nj City, Pass Chr stan AID Bay y
: Louis some oysters aud few Tres
water fish are caught and shippe
! to the,inteiior; also some oyster
3 are sent To New Orleans. who's
, principal supply of sea and bay
3 Z Gsh cumes from these places.
New Orleans shlps,ot no fish, bt
0 imports a supply Of bay fish irol
: the last named places, and sea It's
3 (snappers and re,lfsl) from PENS
4 cola and Mobile, by rail; and tro'
: the marshes aud bayous along 0
, both sides of the NJ ssissippi
: mouth. New Orleans, howe,'
! has a large shrimp trade--in fa'
: she has the largest shrimp-cannln
o establishment on the Cult coas
. Tire shrimp are caught entirely |
Baralaria Bay, and tho factory Ga
:. uing them, that OF Dnnbar&Son'
q is operated Oh a cpiEal Of $4,000
d and gives employment to 100 pc
SONS. Oysters are also brougl
from Baraiaria Bay, for which pu
It pose a feet of sixty vessels Is keI
q rmploye,l. No fishing is done b
. tween tueIe and the west end
the Louisiana coast except to su
= ply New Orleans.
u Galveston ships great numb
OF oysters and bay -tisb--mossly re
ii tish Ito the ieterior, aid has
Ia shrimpcanning factory with u Q
n. pacity equal to one.fhird that
NJ the one in New Orleans. Galvs
10 ton also shdis some Greer turtle
=. At kockport, Texas these is
4. packing house, operated on u ca
:. ital of $4,000, where sheephna
IL resihsh anu sone green turtles a
i. canne.l--ahout Sl5, QUO worth eve
IN year. These articles are slmp
a boiled aud hermetically sealed, b
- iug put up In two pound cal
i7n~xv ID no nm mzds oi airy l8pt