1 



Figure 24. — Closeup of two oyster dredges designed to operate on each side of the boat. 



digging too deep. The material culled by the 

 rake is scooped by flexible hoops and brought 

 to the deck on an endless chain-type conveyor. 



The escalator hydraulic harvester is still 

 another type of oyster dredging gear now 

 being developed by Canadians. It is reported 

 to be quite effective in comparatively shallow 

 water because it picks up most oysters en- 

 countered on its way. Presumably it causes 

 less bottom disturbance, or damage, than other 

 types of dredges of the same size. It operates 

 by using strong jets of water to lift oysters 

 from the bottom and to place them on an 

 endless belt which brings them to the surface. 

 The experimental models of this type of 

 dredge can bring up about 50 bushels per 

 hour. 



It is estimated that in territorial waters of 

 the United States there are about 1,400,000 

 acres of bottom designated as oyster-producing 

 areas. Of this entire acreage only about 

 185,000 acres are privately leased or con- 

 trolled. Even though a considerable area of 

 these privately controlled grounds is not cul- 

 tivated, these beds produce, nevertheless, 

 about 50 percent of the total oyster crop of 

 the United States. Therefore, there is a great 

 difference in productivity between privately 

 controlled and public oyster beds. 



Federal authorities have no jurisdiction 

 over shellfisheries in State waters. Leasing 



or purchasing of oyster bottoms must be 

 accomplished through fisheries authorities of 

 the State in which they are located. In many 

 States, however, most of the best oyster 

 bottoms are regarded as public oyster beds 

 and, therefore, cannot be cultivated by private 

 interests. Instead, these areas are theoreti- 

 cally open for fishing to all citizens of the 

 State, who, however, do not directly partici- 

 pate in their cultivation. As a result, because 

 of bad management, many formerly prolific 

 public oyster beds have been depleted to such 

 an extent that m several States the oyster 

 industry virtually no longer exists, while in 

 others, such as the Chesapeake Bay States, 

 productivity has generally declined. 



Depletion of public oyster grounds can be 

 illustrated by the fate of shellfisheries in 

 several States where private oyster farming 

 is not encouraged. Perhaps the best example 

 is the State of Georgia where, according to the 

 U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, there were, 

 at the turn of the century, about 30,000 acres 

 suitable for oyster cultivation but which were 

 set aside as public grounds. In 1908, this area 

 produced about 1,446,100 bushels of oysters: 

 in 1923, production had dropped to 245,762 

 bushels, and in 1939, to 78,133 bushels. The 

 decrease in oyster production could not be 

 ascribed to outside causes, such as floods or 

 dredging. The chief cause of this decline 



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