Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-11-30
THE FISH INDUSTRY.
Vim THE SOUTHERN STATES.
BY Frederic J. Haskin.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

make regular trips to the fishing camps.
carrying supplies and bringing i'm the
catch. Now most of these vessels are
equipped with refrigerating compartments
which store the fish and bring them to
market in good condition. Formerly the
fish were placed i'm the hold of the ves-
sci and ice scattered over them, but the
loss from spelling on account of delays
incident to high winds and Gains was SO
great as to consume much OF the profit.
The construction Of railroad has now
added greatly to these shipping facilities
and large storage plant and fish fer
tilfzer factory erected at Punta Gorda,
thirty miles from the mouth of the Char
lotte harbor. provides for the freezing of
the better grade of fish. as we'll as the
utilization Of those which have become
non-edible. The west coast of Florida
leads all others in its supply of bluefish.
mullet. red snapper. Spanish mackerel.
pompano and several others.
The gill net is the most fmportan: ap-
paratus in use. The line fishing is
Gill Net Important falling off
in Capturing the Fish. The e" seine
net is used. but not to any extent. Be
fore the Spanish war a thriving trade
was done with Cuba in the sailed mullet
industry. After that the trade in this
fish declined for time, but now is be-
ing revived. only. instead of being salted.
it is being shipped away in ice and sold
fresh. In shipping mullet an ordinary
box car is used having a partition across
1t at both sides Of the doors to form "A
compartment at each end of the car. Al
ternating layers of mullet and cracked
ice are placed in these Enclosures until
the car contains a load of 24,OOO pounds
of fish
The red snapper fishing still centers at
Pensacola. although il Isl becoming inn
other points. The sturgeon and turtle
fisheries are also increasing in value,
while the sponge fisheries constitute an
industry which is so far confined exclu-
sively to Florida. There are several can-
ming factories located upon the western
coast Of this state. which put up oysters
and turtle principally, although the prep
aration of surgeons eggs as caviar is
also profta BILE trade.
The chief fisheries of Alabama are To-
Gated in Mobile bay. Mississippi sound
and the Gulf of Mexico. Aside from oys-
terS red snapper is the most important
product and this industry centers in Mo-
bile bay. Snapper vessels go east as
".
The banks nearest to Mobile are about
ten miles out. Snapper fishing is done in
water from twenty to seventy-five
fathoms in depth. The crew consists of
from the vessel and the others from
dories carrying two men each This
fishery is prosecuted during every month
OF the year. An average of three trips
is made every two months. the aim be-
ing not to keep fish longer than ten or
twelve days after they are caught. Lady
fish is the most used bait. On an aver
age, trip to the banks requires SIS
worth of bait. and il successful the YES
sci will return with from $500 to 1900
red snappers, weighing from five to
thirty pounds each. The usual rate of
payment to the fishermen is about 81
cents pound for snappers weighing
seven pounds or under. and % cents
seven pounds.
In Mississippi the shrimp industry
ranks next to oysters in the fish products
of the state
Shrimp Industry Ranks Most of the
Next to Oysters. ss,s eve ne s.
in taking shrimps in the spring and the
fall. April and May and September and
October being the seasons. In the spring
the shrimps come in close to the land and
are caught in the small bayous which
penetrate the marshes. By the 1st of
August they all have disappeared and are
not to be seen again until the fall season,
when they are caught from ten to forty
miles from shore.
The fish products of Louisiana include
several varieties in addition to those
found in the other states among them
the delicious yellow, tail SO priced by an
epicure. Louisiana has q larger yield of
terrapin than is found in any other state,
and the supply Of crabs, both hard and
soft shelled, is becoming increasingly VAL
liable Alligator hides form one of the
products included in the fisheries of
louisiana The length of these hides Is
decreasing noticeably. A large proper
ton of those taken recently measure
three feet or less, whereas the taking of
any that small was unusual few years
ago. An alligator hide six feet long is a
rarity now. although that used to be only
an average length.
Considering the length of the Texas
coast line. the fisheries of that state are
as yet comparatively small. The red
snapper industry presents the most inter-
esting feature and these fishing grounds
are principally located around Galveston.
The yield of green turtle also Is increas-
ing upon the Texas coast, and under the
direction of the state fish commission a
keen interest Is being taken in develop
ing all the fishing interests of the state