The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-15
GREATEST SNAPPER MARKET

| display of enthusiasm in calling Pen
| sacola the greatest fishing market in
| the world, and urges against over en-
| thusiasm in statements concerning
Pensacola and its industries. Of course
what The Journal should have said
was the greatest Snapper fishing in
| dustry in the world, and we extend our
humblest apologies to Mr.. Short for
| this slip.
We do not believe that It can be
charged against The Journal, that we
| are over jealous in our statements on
the editorial page, as a rule. We seek
to always substantiate what we write
i from reliable sources of informa zion.
But we realize that in the daily output
at times some discrepancies are bound
to creep in. However, we sincerely
hope when mistakes are made they
may always be mistakes Of "over en-
thusiasm" rather than the kind which
have tendency in the other direc-
ton.
1t is fact that the people of PEN
sacola do not half appreciate what
they have about them. In this city
we have, and we use this expression
once more with surety of its truth
world, yet we can always find critics to
decry them, and to point out to US how
much greater are industries in other
cities.
To Pensacola producers is due the
credit OF building up the Red Snap
per industry, and thA is the largest
snapper market in the world, and one
of the largest fish producing cities in
the United States. On a visit to Pen
sacola several years ago, George E.
Jennings, president of the Fishing Ga
zette Publishing Company, of New
York, the recognized authority of com
mercial fisheries in America, made the
statement that z. e. Saunders and
company had the largest Individual
fleet of smacks in the world.
Few people realize the immense bust
ness which is conducted here in
Snapper, grouper and other fishing.
The Warren Fish company is the old
est in this part of the country. if not
in the South, and its fleet of smacks
Is almost equally as large as that of
the E. E. Saunders company. The
Warren company owns it's own dry
dock and has an ice plant right on
their property. The Saunders company
has a fertilizer plant, which utilities
waste material from the fish houses,
and which shows an analysis of about
10 per cent ammonia and 80 per cent
bone phosphate of lime.
The average catch of snapper and
grouper in the Pensacola market, is
5000, 900 pounds. The average fair
trip is about 10000 pounds of fish to
the boat. Occasionally a boat VIII
bring in as high as $4,000 pounds.
Snapper fishing is great spo-t. Fish
are caught with hand line, though rod
and reel may be used-but the snap
pers bite too fast, when they are run
ming good, for this to be as sat.sfac-
tory as the hand line. The greater
portion of the fish are caught on
Campeechee off the Coast of Mexico.
This bank is formation of coral bot
tom and mud Jumps, about 500 miles
in length and 200 miles wide. The
vessels cover a great deal of ground
on a trip, and the fishing bank is not
reached until 300 miles from Pensacola.
and then the vessels fish on down un-
til the Caribbean Sea is reached. The
vessels are fitted out for 80 day
trip. and the average trip is twenty
four days.
For those who want Snapper fishing
nearer home. the writer VII mention
that not. far from East Pass is excel |
lent fishing. One of the pleasantest
If memories is that of a day in No
vember when we pulled in a fighting
ten pound snapper. They run in size
from ten to forty pounds, and While /
the catch made at East Pass was not
as large as the regulation catch, and t
the snappers were perhaps not so Big,
IL was sport for kings.
So gamey is the fish that the lines /
that are used are called twelve pound I
lines, and the need of this strength /
can better be understood when /. Is
said that at times fish weighing as /
much as 800 pounds are pulled IN,
Each of these lines has two hooks or
more attached to the main line Just
above the three pound lead These /
hooks are hung on ganging, or lighter
Inc so that if the hooks are caught IN
the coral or rock bottom only the
hooks will be lost. In order to pro-
cot the smacks, SIX Mich strips are
oailed along the fishing rail to safe,
vuard the mainrail. Within three OH
four trips to the Snapper banks, TINS
false rail will be cut three or Tour
inches deep by the lines.
Sometimes the vessels will go TOR
laws without a catch, but when the
run is good the snappers will bite al
most as fast as the lines are cast. II
8 a wonderful sight to see the deck OF
, vessel red with these beautlfuI
crimson hued fish.
we do not believe that Pensacola
reed fear comparison with any fishing
market in the world-not that or BIZ
ingsgagre nor Glouchester. The Red
snapper business in Pensacola has not
ret reached its pre-war basis, but an
,lght million dollar business, employ
ng hundreds of men. is a great bust
less. If not the greatest in the world
81 present about $50 men are en-
,loyed on the vessels, and the men en-
,loyed in handling and shipping the
,atches, repairing the vessel. etc. runs
he number up to about 450, IN this
,reatest Red snapper business in the
world.
we cannot but feel, in our enthu-