42 Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners 



TONGING UNIT THE "GRAB." 13 



I 



The tonging unit may be termed the "grab" and it can be 

 shown to be the unit of all tonging operations. 



A "grab" is made when a pair of tongs is placed upon the 

 bottom, with the heads opened, and the shafts closed once. The 

 area covered by this operation may be calculated by multiply- 

 ing the length of the heads by the distance to which they are 

 separated when placed on the bottom. 



AREA OF "GRABS" VARIABLE. 



\ 



Tongs used for work in shallow water are fitted with wide 

 heads but for work in deep water, tongs with narrower heads 

 are used. In shallow water it is possible, owing to the shortness 

 of the shafts, to separate the heads much further before making 

 a "grab" than it is when working in deep water with, long- 

 handled shafts. Thus it is seen that the area of the "grab" is 

 a variable quantity, gradually decreasing as the depth of water 

 increases (see figure 1). For the same depth of water however 

 it remains fairly constant, making it possible to construct a 

 table showing the area of the "grab" for depths of water vary- 

 ing from five to twenty-fiv.e feet. Such a table constructed 

 from measurements of the tongs used by the Commission in 

 Anne Arundel County, is reproduced on page 66. It is the 

 one used in calculating the results of the examinations made of 

 the oyster grounds in Anne Arundel County. In Somerset 

 County new tongs were purchased and a new table, reproduced 

 on page 67, therefore had to be made for use in calculating 

 the results of the work done with them. 



term "Lick" is used as. frequently by tongmen as "Grab," as the 

 unit of their work. A tongman makes a "Lick" when he delivers the 

 contents of his tongs to the culling board. To fill his tongs, however, 

 he may make one, two, three and sometimes several "Grabs," depending 

 upon the depth of water, the velocity of the current and the quantity of 

 oysters on the bottom. 



