THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 159 



Probable iNJtTRious effects of DREDCriNG. — " But tliere is jireat ilnnger that drpdg-ing may be carried 

 to siifli au extent as to leave only an oyster Lere and there; and then the yield is too .small to be profltable. Such 

 is by some believed to be the present condition of a large part of the bay ; and they hold that there is an abundance 

 of oysters, although so widely scattered that it is very difficult to catch them. In a report upon the 'oyster-beds 

 of the Chesapeake bay', made in 1872, by Mr. O. A. Brown, to the auditor of public accounts of Virginia, it is said 

 that 'the dredging of oysters is as necessary to tlieir development and proi>agation, as plowing is to the growth of 

 corn ; the teeth of the dredge take bold of the rank growth of the oyster-beds, and, by being dragged through them, 

 loosen them (which is done by hand in Franco in the management of their oyster-parks), and give them room to 

 grow and mature properly; moreover, beds are continually increased in size, for when the vessel runs oft' the rock 

 with the chain-bags filled with oysters, the oysters are dragged off on ground where no oysters existed, and thus 

 the beds are extended, and when the vessel is wearing or tacking to get back on the oyster-beds, the catch just 

 taken up is being culled off, the cnllings thrown overboard to form new culteh for drifting spat to adhere to. 

 Eeliable oystermen tell me, that since dredging has been carried on in Tangier and Pocomoke, the beds have more 

 than doubled in size, and, with the moderate force that worked upon them prior to the war, were continually 

 improving. During the war the waters were thrown open to every one who would pay the military officials for a 

 permit to oyster ; the consequence was, that the oyster-beds were scraped bare, and it was two years before they 

 could recuperate.' 



"While dredging, properly conducted, is no doubt beneficial to the beds, I am inclined to think that it is 

 being carried too far, and tlaat its ultimate efl'eet will be the same as in every European country where it has been 

 unrestricted by proper laws. By some it is believed that the oyster-beds of the Chesapeake bay are of such vast 

 extent, and the number of young annually spawned so great, that it will be impos.sible to destroy them. In view 

 of the experience of Great Britain and France, and of the almost complete destruction of many of the once famous 

 beds of the Chesapeake, such an opinion is without good foundation. The history of dredging in France and in 

 Great Britain is very instructive, and may be studied with much pi-ofit by those who are interested in the 

 preservation of the oyster-beds of the Chesapeake bay * * * . 



Prospective destruction of the oyster-beds. — "As the best-stocked and most productive beds of 

 Europe were quickly destroyed by unrestricted dredging, so may the hitherto seemingly exhaustless beds of the 

 Chesapeake bay be depleted, if the present rate of dredging is continued. An illustration of this may be seen in 

 the almost total exhau.stion of the once famous beds of Tangier and Pocomoke sounds. Year after year these beds 

 were dredged by hundreds of vessels, and even the summer-months afforded them but little rest. The result of 

 this has been j'lainly seen during the past few years, and more especially during the season of 1879-'80, in the 

 great scarcity of oysters in these sounds. Vessels having found it unprofitable to dredge in the.se sounds, since 

 the oysters became so scarce, have turned their attention to other parts of the bay, and will thus give the beds a 

 year or so of comparative rest. It is doubtful if they will ever again be as well stocked as in former years, for as 

 soon as oysters again become plentiful, there will be a rush of all the dredging-boats in the state. Thirty years 

 ago the depletion of these beds seemed almost impossible, and yet, at the present time, it is an admitted fact that 

 oysters have decreased at least four-fifths in Pocomoke sound and two tlurds in Tangier. If it were possible to 

 restrict dredging so as to give every bed an occasional year of rest, the result would prove the wisdom of such a 

 course. Owing to the great extent of the oyster-beds in the bay, and their immense annual production, it may be 

 some years before there is an oyster-famine, but sooner or later it is coming, unless there is a radical change in 

 some of the present phases of the business. Properly protected and cared for, the 'imbedded wealth' of the 

 Chesapeake might be increased many fold. It is a shame that the gifts so lavishly bestowed by nature upon 

 Maryland and Virginia should I'eceive so little practical appreciation. 



Lawlessness of the Maryland oysterjien. — "Dredging in Maryland is simply a general .scramble, carried 

 on in 700 boats, manned by 5,000 daring and unscrupulous men, who regard neither the laws of God nor man. 

 Some of the captains and a few of the men may be honest and upright, but it is an unfortunate fact, that such form 

 a very small minority. The tenure by which the captains hold their positions is such, that they are almost forced 

 to disregard the laws. Many of the boats are owned by unprincipled men, and I am informed that a number of 

 them are even held by the keepers of houses of ill-repute. An honest captain, who complies with the law by not 

 working on Sunday, at night, or on forbidden ground, will take at least a week longer to catch a load of oysters 

 than one who, disregarding the laws, gets his oysters whenever or wherever he can. The first captain, upon his 

 return, is informed in language more forcilile than elegant, that unless he makes as quick trips as the second 

 captain, his place will be tilled by some one less scrui)ulous. With such a system as this carried out by a large 

 number of the boat-owners, what but evasion of the laws can be expected of captains ? When a premium is placed 

 upon law-breaking, and a man is taught by his employers that oyster-laws are only made to be broken, and that 

 tlu> greater the .skill displayed in evading them the greater will be his pay, it is scarcely to be expected that many 

 will be able to resist the temptation. It is now rarely the case that a dredger can be found who will admit that he 

 believes there is any wrong in disregarding the oyster-laws, and such a thing as being disgraced among his 

 fellow-workmen by imprisonment for violating the laws, is totally unknown. In the above facts will be found 



