488 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



clams and oj'^sters was appreciably diminislied. Meanwliile, there 

 appeared an unusual viridity of the clams and oysters of Barnegat 

 Bay and Little Egg Harbor, cLiicily in the vicinity of Manaha^Yken and 

 Tuckerton. The greenness was first noticed about the 15th of August. 

 It began near Tuckerton, and by the 1st of October had spread over a 

 large area. The parts infected were, so far as the eye could discern, 

 the gills and lips (palps) of the molkisks. 



Among the tishermeu and others in the section where the phenome- 

 non occurred some persons supposed it to have been caused in part by 

 the extremely dry and hot weather for which the past summer had been 

 more than ordinarily remarkable. It had been noticed, also, that the 

 water* of the bay were unusually clear and that no storms had occurred 

 to disturb the sediment from the bottom and place it in circulation in 

 the water. The extraordinary clearness of the water was therefore con- 

 sidered to indicate a corresponding greater deposit of sediment on the 

 bottom than there would have been under normal conditions. Others 

 thought it might be due to a disease of the oysters and were inclined 

 to regard it as a sort of epidemic, while in the minds of many it became 

 very naturally associated with the current rumors of the supposedly 

 possible infection by cholera germs. 



According to the fishermen a similar infection occurred about twenty 

 j^ears ago, and was then attributed by the people to the abundance of 

 seaweed. An idea has also long prevailed in certain localities that 

 when the clams and oysters turn green there must be some poisonous 

 matter in the water, such as copper or Paris green, or that it may be 

 due to pollution by paint or by preparations used for preserving the 

 piling in wharves, in which there is crude petroleum oil or xjeuetrating 

 chemical ingredients. In the present instance, however, there seemed 

 little reason to think that the water had been polluted by any such 

 preparation as above alluded to, but the green color suggested the 

 presence of copper or other mineral substances which might render the 

 oysters unwholesome. Persons entertaining this theory affirmed that 

 the eating of one green oyster had caused them sickness and vomiting, 

 but no evil results followed. 



Aside from the objectionable coloration, which served to produce an 

 unpleasant impression on the mind of the consumer and thereby inter- 

 fere with the sale of the products, the clams and oysters were generally 

 fatter and in better condition for market than they had been for a 

 number of years. For a time the green color was not sufiiciently pro- 

 nounced to be seriously detrimental to the marketing business, but as 

 the season advanced the greenish appearance became so decided that 

 the shippers grew apprehensive lest the trade, and consequently the 

 fishery, might have to be wholly discontinued. This would entail a 

 loss to the community which would be severely felt, especially by the 

 large number of fisliermen who were mainly dependent rrpon the clam 

 and oyster fisheries for a livelihood. A few instances occurred in 

 which the dealers had declined to receive the shipments and had 



