St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1891-10-17
FISHING IN JAMAICA.


!
coast OF Jamaica. West Indies Its colol
= red. or moro properly. perhaps. brigh
pink Its flesh Is very fine grained
delicate and sweet and therefore
delicious eating. The red snapper
forms . very important indeed staple
article Of food with the natives. and
the methods Of taking them employed
BY the Maroons are novel and very in
teresting.
While travelling in the island last
winter, made brief tarry at Yallah't
bay. on the southeast coast where
had . good opportunity Of seeing how
the natives fish for these bri liant deni.
xens Of the Caribbean, and for observ.
ing the people and their curious outfit.
consisting Of fish traps, anchors for Sc
curing the same, canoes and nets.
The trap consists Of kind OF basket.
with meshes about two inches in diane
ter on all sides Il u woven from strips
of the wild cane. which grows pro-
fusely along the banks Of all the
streams and rivers, and which the na-
tives cut with their machctes and slit
into strips about half IN inch wide.
This open-work basket or trap is about
three feet long, rounded at one end and
square at the other. The two sides arc
. foot apart
The two fiat sides each measure, from
edge to edge. two feet the width Of the
basket making . somewhat fiat basket
with the mouth at the square end, the
other end being rounded like q rocker.
The square end is closed BY meshes Of
zane, with the exception of . round
hole about eight inches in diameter.
From this hole. extending downward
to about tho center of the trap there is
. spiral, tunnel shaped tube, the lower
end of which, opening into the inside Of
the trap. is . little smaller than
the upper end. where il is Joined to the
end Of the trap This device is taken
out and set In from one to two fathoms
Of water. rarely moro than two
fathomA I should have mentioned that
in one of the two fat sides there is .
small opening. covered by . hinged
door. little larger. through which the
ash are taken out.
Loading the traps into their canoes,
the natives paddle out few rods from
shore. Their traps are then bated
with bits of meat that are secured to
two small. pointed spindles of wood
fastened to the inside of the rounded
end The opening at the side Is closed
and stones are used as weights
The Maroon canoe is an interesting
craft. for the reason that it is followed
out entire from the trunk Of the cieba
or ''cotton tree" These huge trees arc
found growing all along the coast and
- their trunks are very large. long and
stsaight and tho wood which much re-
ssmbles poplar. is easy to work. they
are made use of whenever . canoe Is to
be made. The canoes are from fifteen
to eighteen feet in length, about six
feet wide and eighteen inches deep
Tho sides are perfectly straight max
ing the canoe the same width near the
ends that it is in tho middle. The ends
were exactly alike. each projecting up
ward about four inches. The bottom
very closely resembles that of IN
American birch canoe. These Maroon
craft are very graceful and finely
made, both the inside and the outside
being finished almost to . microscopic
nicely. Seats are provided for the oc-
cupants, and both the single and
double-bladed paddles are used. These
canoes will weather seas and surf
where many . moro civilized craft
would be swamped or broken to pieces.
The Maroons have still another way
Of taking the red snapper, one rcquir-
ing . great deal Of skill and alertness.
This is generally employed near the
shore in very shallow water. Armed
with q circular net, about four feet in
diameter, made Of the twisted fibers of
the aloe, with the mouth held open by
. loop OF the plant ''supplejack. the
net weighted with stones bound to the
hoop SO it will instantly sink, the na-
tive waSes out until the water is up to
his knees. With net held in front of
him. he stands motionless. gazing
steadily down into the water, the mir
ror-like surface Of which is undisturbed
by the rollers Of the Caribbean, which
arc broken BY the low coral reef that
across the entrance Of the bay.
Oftentimes the shallow water for rods
along the shore will Be dotted with
blacks, each with . net In hand, stand
ing Is motionless as . 1amingo.
But watch them. In . moment one
Of the blacks makes . quick motion,
the net descends and with . splash die. |
appears under the water; and asnapper
leisurely along suddenly
finds himself Gagged in the net, the hoop
lying on the bottom and the net pre-
venting his escape. Then the native |
stoops over, and with . dexterous mo-
tion twlrls the net around, at the same
time turning its mouth upward. and
lifting il out Of the water the snapper |
b quickly transferred to . large bag
carried slung 70 the waist Even the |
women engage in this style Of fishing.
Both men and women wear nothing |
but breech-cloth while fishing. which |
gives them great freedom of motion.
The red snapper will take the hook
quite readily, but he is not gamcy, and
bites like the horn-pout Of New En-
Eland fresh waters He in no way re-
,embles the pout however, Is the
'napper has distinct scales and small
mouth. This fish II usually about af-
cen inches long. but sometimes runs to
;wo feet The color. as I have said
before, is bright pink. There are two
videly-separated dorsal fius, the first
Il which II armed with sharp spinea
{ generally selects soft or fat sub
tances for food, and the bait most gem
rally used BY the natives Is fat meat
md parts Of fish themselves; though ]
ave seen them use bits Of boiled
mountain cabbage" or cabbage palm.
When I arrived in Kingston went to
he museum there, and with the aid Of
u imperfect specimen. imperSectly ID