The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-15
SAVANNAH'S FISH TRADE.
THE SEASON STARTS OUT WITH
AN UNUSUAL DEMAND.

in the Interior-Red sneppers Be-
ginning TO Come in Lively-5hortage
in the Florida Ice Crop Retards
Shipment.
Savannah's fish trade is beginning 70
again assume considerable proportions with
the opening of the fall season. The trade
with interior points began about Aug. Is,
and will continue to increase until the mid
die OF October, when the season will be its
hight. Eavannah's fish trade is very large,
both locally and with the interior markets
! OF Georgia and outlying states, and Is IN
creasing annually.
A GREAT FISH MARKET.
As local fish market Savannah is second
| 70 no city in the south, its inhabitants en-
| 1oyfng at all times the opportunity TO Sc
lect from great variety OK species, from
the immense sturgeon to the small white
fish.
| rlor 20 go through the Savannah market
when the fish season is at its height, and see
the display Of fish of so many different
species and in such abundance. II is ten to
one that two out of three of the various
kinds displayed are totally unknown to
him. A considerable number of people
along the Georgia coasts, mostly negroes,
are employed the year round by catching
fsh for the Savannah market.
Catfish are caught In great numbers in
the creeks and rivers near Savannah, rang
ing IN weight from twelve pounds to
twenty-five pounds. They are q staple
article OF food among the colored people.
THE PRINCIPAL VARIETIES.
The Savannah market is supplied with
almost every variety OF fish known TO
southern waters. Among the principal
varieties brought here in their season are
Spanish maokerel, pompano, shad, trout,
red fish, cal, Sleeps head, red snapper mullet,
croaker. bass, founder, white fish and black
fish. Pompano and Spanish mackerel are
the faYorites of the species and always COM
mand high prices. Shad and trout are in great
demand. The shad season commences in
December and lasts until April The shad
that come here are caught In the Savannah,
Ogeeohee and st. Johns rivers. They are
OF very fine quality, bringing good prices
here and in the interior towns. Large
shad bring from rs cents to one dollar each.
THE RED SNAPPER FISHERIES.
Large quantities of red snapper are
caught ia Florida waters and shipped
north from this port. George A. Hudson,
fish dealer of this city, shipped 1000
pounds of red snapper to New York by the
Kansas City last Friday. From three to five
large schooner smacks are employed during
the fall and winter in bringing red snappers
to this port from along the Atlantic coast of
Florida, as far south as Cape Canaveral
From here the snappers are shipped north
by the regular ocean steamers. New York
fish dealers have an interest in these smacks,
and control the catch. These smacks will
begin their work by the time cold weather
sets in.
THE MULLET POPULAR IN THE COUNTRY.
The great shipping fish is the mullet
Seventy-five per cent of the fish shipped by
rail by Savannah dealers are mullet
Thousands of pounds of mullet are caught
daily during the fall and winter season in
Georgia and Florida waters, principally the
latter, and shipped to the dealers, by whom
they are distributed over this and adj
Joining states. Mullet is the popular
fish with the people of the interior. They
are cheap. retailing at 10 to 80 cents per
bunch in the country and 30 cents a bunch
in this CITY, four mullet usually being on a
string. The dealers usually ship out i'm
mense quantities of mullet to the small
towns on Friday afternoon and Saturday
morning, wish an occasional kit of black
fish or sheephead, and the country people
regularly expect their fish Saturday for the
Sunday breakfast or dinner.
FLoRIDA's GREAT INDUSTRY.
The greater quantity of fish are brought
here from Florida waters, the fish business
being an important industry in
that state, and is carried on
along the Atlantic and Gulf coast.
The greater part of the fish caught along
the Atlantic coast of Florida comes to Sl-
vannah, but most of those caught on the
Gulf coast go to Pensacola The principal
fish dealers of this city directly or indi-
rectly control large fisheries in Florida.
Although the fish season has
just begun, large quantities are
coming in from the Florida fisheries, and
to give an idea Of the way the season has
opened, Mr.. Hudson informed a MORNING
NEWS reporter that he shipped about 400
barrels last week, and he expects to be ship
ping 1900 barrels weekly by the middle of
next month. He says that Savannah sup
plies almost every railroad station in Geor-
gia, aud that the Savannah trade also
included large portions of North and South
Carolina. Tennessee and Alabama. A great
deal of fish is shipped from Savannah to
northern and western points. Mr. Hudson
says that shipments extended as far as
Omaha, Neb., last year.
Dealers say that Savannah's fish business
is increasing every year. At present the
demand is greater than the supply on ac-
count of the scarcity of ice in Florida,
brought about by the inability of the fac
tories TO supply the demand.
THE DEEP SEA TURTLE
The catch of green turtle of the United
States is largely controlled here, the market
being principally supplied from Cedar
Keys MIR. Hudson says he handled about
$4,000 pounds last year, New York taking
the greater portion. Green turtle
brings from 12 to 20 cents
per pound at the north. They range
in weight from twenty to $50 pounds,
aud sometimes as high as 500 pounds.
They are shipped to New York by steamer,
where they are placed in turtle cars, or
pens, filed with salt water and distributed
to the different markets. though New York
consumes the larger portion Of them.
CRABS AND SHRIMP.
Large quantities of crabs and shrimp are
brought here from the nearby coast, where
the negroes catch them by the thousands.
and all Savannahians are familiar with the
sight Of the negro vendors with their
baskets of shrimp and crabs, which
they retail upon the streets There are
many negroes who make their living bv
catching, cooking and retailing shrimp and
crabs.