The Importance of Gulf Coast Ecology - Florida Maritime Museum

Some of the earliest residents of the southwest coast of Florida were the Calusa Indians. They lived along the coast and waterways and relied on the water for their sustenance. They caught a wide variety of fish and shellfish including mullet, catfish, eels, turtles, crabs, clams, and oysters. They used shells as tools, utensils, jewelry, and spears. They built dugout canoes from cypress trees to travel the coast. The Calusa Indians died out in the late 1700s as a result of European disease and raids from enemy tribes.

Fishing continued in the area after the Calusa, with Cuban fishermen arriving seasonally in the 1700s and 1800s. Cortez was established in the late 1800s by commercial fishermen from North Carolina. It remains an active fishing village today, its residents reliant upon the sea life found in the Gulf of Mexico.

One such resident was Captain Blake Banks, who lived and worked in Cortez as a commercial fisherman. He owned and operated Deep Reef Fisheries Inc. and captained the boat, Medusa. His wife, Betty, did the accounting for the business. Betty also relayed messages and weather forecasts by radio to her husband when he was at sea.

While out on the water, Banks became fascinated by life below the waves and began to collect specimens from his fishing trips. As his interest grew, Blake attended marine biology classes at Manatee Community College (now State College of Florida) and taught himself how to preserve his finds.

Alongside his physical collection of sea life, Banks documented his life on the Gulf. He kept daily logs, permits, and other information related to fishing. He recorded details such as the weather, water temperature, and even the price of gasoline. After his death in 2004, Blake’s wife Betty donated part of his collection to the Florida Maritime Museum.