History and animals

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Q 1.
	What American fishery has flourished for more than four centuries?
Q 2.
	I understand that the Red Snapper fishery is one of the oldest in the Gulf of Mexico. Can you tell me where and when it started?
Q 3.
	When was the trawl net invented?
Q 4.
	When were nets first used to catch fish?
Q 5.
	What method of fishing is the oldest and is it still used?


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	Q&A 1.	What American fishery has flourished for more than four centuries?
	The cod fishery of the western North Atlantic began after glowing accounts of the local abundance of this fish were carried back to the Old World by Cabot. A historical report prepared by Thomas Jefferson during his term in office as Secretary of State, mentions that by 1577 some 313 vessels from the Old World were engaged in fishing for cod in the western North Atlantic. During its early years this fishery was carried on close to shore where the catch could be landed fresh at temporary shore camps and then salted and dried. After it became established that the most productive fishing grounds or "banks" were located well offshore, fishing vessels were constructed larger in design and the fish were salted aboard while still fresh caught.
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	Q&A 2.	I understand that the Red Snapper fishery is one of the oldest in the Gulf of Mexico. Can you tell me where and when it started? Winter Haven, Florida
	A report has recently been issued by The Marine Laboratory of the University of Miami, for the Florida State Board of Conservation, which describes the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery. It is entitled "A Survey of the Red Snapper Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico with Special Reference to the Campeche Banks". This report is #12 of The Marine Laboratory's Technical Series. Included in this report is an account of the history of this pioneer Florida fishery. The red snapper fishery started about 20 years before the Civil War, approximately 1850. It got its start near Pensacola when New England sailors caught snapper while anchored in Pensacola Bay. The industry as a commercial venture began on 1872 and expanded to offshore banks, the most important of which are the Campeche Banks off Mexico. Today the red snapper is one of Florida's most prized food fishes and between 5 and 6 million pounds are landed in Florida annually. It is also a favorite game fish, particularly around the Pensacola area. Copies of the Red Snapper Report may be obtained free of charge by writing to the Marine Laboratory, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.
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	Q&A 3.	When was the trawl net invented? Boston, Massachusetts
	In common with other methods of fishing, no specific date can be assigned to when the method of fishing called trawling was first invented or used. A sketch of a net similar in many respects to a modern trawl was found on the back of an official document of about the sixteenth century, in Europe. No other information is available on this net. Trawling in the modern sense started at about 1880 in Europe with the introduction of steam propulsion for fishing vessels. The gear used today is basically similar to the gear used at the end of the last century, although many refinements have been added. Trawling is now one of the most important methods of commercial fishing. This method, involving the use of a flattened conical net dragged over the sea floor and in the middle waters, should not be confused with trolling, in which a hook and line is dragged behind a moving boat. Unfortunately, the term line trawling is also used for the method of fishing which uses a series of baited hooks, which either lie on the bottom or are suspended in midwater. This method is more properly called long-line fishing.
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	Q&A 4.	When were nets first used to catch fish? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
	The date when nets were first used for catching fish is not known, but net making is one of the most ancient of human arts. Nor is much known about how these early nets were made or used. It is likely that one of the earliest methods of net fishing was closely similar to the modern method of beach seining where a flat wall of netting is set round a school of fish, the two ends of the net brought together and the net pulled up on shore.
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	Q&A 5.	What method of fishing is the oldest and is it still used? Pascagoula, Missouri
	Other than catching fishes by their bare hands, the prehistoric men probably employed the same devices as they used in the hunt. The primitive spear, a simple pole with sharpened point, was therefore the earliest fishing gear used by man. Early improvements in this gear were to fit one or several barbs on the spearhead to insure holding the fish once it had been pierced. The next improvement was to increase the number of points so that a more effective area for spearing the fish was gained. Variations in the number of spear-shafts, number of prongs, and in the barbs led to many forms of compound spear. Spears, in a thousand and one variations, are still used by primitive peoples. In such countries as India, spears are employed in flooded lowland areas to supply food. However, the fish-spear continues popular, too, in this country where many fish are caught by spears, especially by sport fishermen.
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