The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-05-21
CATCHING RED SNAPPERS
THE MiINSTdT or THE FISHING
INDUSTRY IN GULF or MEXICO.
All the Florida Ports Engaged In the
Business-Red smappnrs Particularly
Desired by Ttmid People.

Deep sea fishing in the Gulf of Mex-
co has been carried on for profit for a
great many years. Nearly every sea-
port on the United States portion of
schooners of about fifty or sixty tons
each, which return usually with red
snappers and June fish or warsaws.
The fleet operating in the Gulf is
large one, Pensacola alone having about
fortp- five vessels in the trade. Calves
ton has seven, which are to be increased
to twelve this fall. All the Florida
ports are engaged in the business and
have been for a great many years, from
these points going the supply of the
northern and eastern markets, as we'll
as those more closely located. These
places like Galveston, where the trade
was carried on for several years with
one or two Schooners, had small begin
nings but have steadily increased as
the demand for the fish became greater.
To the fishing business redsnappers Will
always occupy the same relative posi-
ton held in the southern commerce by
cotton 1t is the staple of the Gulf fish
ing business.
The redsnapper is a fish that is par
ticularly desired by timid people who
fear the bones. There are no small
bones in a redsnapper. The flesh is
coarse grained, but of excellent flavor,
especially when prepared by baking.
They weigh from forty pounds down to
six or eight pounds each They feed
upon smaller fishes and in doing so fol-
low the shallow places in the Gulf
known as banks. The most successful
captains say they fish on the bottom,
but so avaricious is a hungry redsnap-
per that he flies at almost any object,
and has been known to snap at a piece
of red flannel with such avidity that he
landed on the hook They are thus cas-
lily caught if found in schools, but it is
not infrequent that vessels return with
but small catches as a result of rough
weather or the migration of the fish.
Then again some excellent cargoes are
caught the largest ever having been
brought to Galveston by one vessel be-
ing about forty-three thousand pounds.
The banks from which the Galveston
supply Is secured extend from about
thirty miles off shore to Campeachy
where great deal of the fishing for the
Florida ports is done. The snapper sea-
son is never ending for, while the Cam
peachy banks may afford the best sup
ply in winter, yet there are always
some on the near banks, which are i'm
proved in summer.
A schooner usually requires about
two weeks in which to make a trip. 1t
is iced with about twenty or twenty
two tons of ice in the hold and provi
stoned usually the day before departure.
A crew of ten or twelve men Is put
aboard. These work on shares, which
an unusually successful catch has run
up to as high as forty dollars for each
fisherman. This Is considerably above
the average, however, which is some
where about twenty. dollars a trip.
With all on board it is a matter of Ash
ermans luck-the better the fish run
the more he earns. Fishermen, once
they get settled on boat look upon it
as home. There is bunk in which to
sleep and usually they succeed in find
ing snack of something to eat, and
are sure Of living well while at sea.
No matter how prodigal they may be
while in port they feel that the latch
string of their boat is always out. The
fishing is done with hook and line. Al
most any old thing will do for bait
Sharks have occasionally been caught
and as they are not good for much else
they adorn the hook end of fishllne
very gracefully. If the proper place is
found the fish are hauled in as rapidly
as the men can bait the hook and throw
it over the side of the schooner. The d
constant drawing in of the line over the
ct,, aoi1 aI 49, h. "A "a
saws deep little notches in it, AS fast
as the fish are caught they are thrown
to the man in the iced hold. who packs
them. All the men on board, except |
this one and the captain, who runs the
schooner and is kept very busy at the
task. are engaged in fishing.
When the time for return to port |
comes, which is usually gagged by the |
stage of the ice, the vessels nose is
turned northward. One of the best |
runs on record was made recently, a
schooner of the Galveston fleet covering |
six hundred miles in sixty hours. |
Scarcely does the schooner arrive at the
dock than the hatch is opened and the
rush of disoharging and shipping COM
menceS. Baskets made of twa-thirds of
sugar barrels are lowered into the hold,
where they are filled. UP come the bas-
kets overlooking with fish, which are
piled high above the brim and held in
place by sideboards made of more fish
The fish are then weighed for the bene-
fit of the men, upon which weight their
shares are computed Then the fish are
dumped into a great heap beside a
large plank table where two men are
in cleaning and preparing the
fish for packing for shipment. A man
with a single tined fork stabs a fish in
the side, places it on the table with its
nose pointing inward and on the left
side 1t s then in position for the man
with a sharp knife, who opens it and
passes it across the table to another
man, who finishes the cleaning. and
with sharp, heavy axe sewers the head
rom the body. The head goes into a
so it goes for several hours
until the rush orders are filled.
After the head is off the fish is thrown
INTO big suspended hopper scales This
S the Shipping weight When the re-
luired amount for certain shipment is
secured the fish are dumped into tubs
made of barrels cut in half. The pack
II drags the tub away from the scale,
md then, after scoopful or two of ice