THE COAST FISHERIES OF TEXAS. 389 



Many of the well-kuown natural oyster reefs in Texas have not been 

 lished on for several years, and some have never been extensively re- 

 sorted to, because other grounds are more conveniently situated from 

 which the oystermen have been able to obtain a supply; and it is 

 highly probable that there are large areas of oyster reefs within the 

 bays along this coast of which the fishermen liave no knowledge. No 

 search for them has been made; the finding of the beds is in most 

 instances caused by the centerboard of a boat grating on the oysters 

 wlien the boat is sailing over the bed. The average length of the shafts 

 used in the tongs is only 10 feet, and the fishermen do not ordinarily 

 attempt to obtain oysters at a greater depth than 8 feet ; consequently 

 they know little of the animal life on deeper grounds. 



VESSELS, APPARATUS, METHODS, ETC. 



Making use of a local expression, when "grubbing oysters," or in 

 other words when fishing for oysters, the outfit usually employed con- 

 sists of one sailboat, one or two skiffs, a ])air of tongs for each fisherman, 

 several baskets, one or two small hammers for separating the clusters 

 of oysters or culling, and the necessary outfit for cooking and living on 

 board of the saill)oats. The sailboats and skiffs employed do not 

 differ from those in general use along the coast; only four of them meas- 

 ure over 5 tons, the total measurement of these four being 40.01 tons. 



The oysters are taken either by means of tongs or are picked up by 

 hand from such reefs as are exposed at low tide. During the season of 

 1890-91 one schooner, the C. Highland, used dredges experimentally for 

 taking oysters at Corpus Christi. Dredges have not been emi^loyed 

 in the other bays along the coast on account of the un evenness of the 

 reefs and alack of knowledge of the methods of handling these imple- 

 ments. 



On April 11, 1891, a law was enacted prohibiting the use of any form 

 of oyster dredge in the waters of this State. It is possible that the 

 effect of this enactment may be injurious rather than beneficial. 

 Dredges could undoubtedly be used with excellent results in many 

 jdaces, not only where the water is so deep that tongs are not avail- 

 able, but also Avhere the oysters grow in ridges, which by action of the 

 dredge are torn <l(»wn and spread over a' greater surface, thus furnish- 

 ing a larger area fi)r growth. An excellent example of this is found 

 in the Choi)tank River, on the eastern shore of Maryland. In this 

 river, prior to 1874, oysters were taken oidy by means of tongs. Since 

 that time the use of small dredges in a large jiortion of that river has 

 been permitted. ]>y their action the leefs have been spread so as to cover 

 the greater i)art of the river bottom, and the catch of oysters has been 

 many times ninltii»lied. If the taking of small oysters be jn'operlj^ 

 regulated, the only manner in which dredges destroy a reef is by re- 

 moving so many oysteis that the reef is made lower than the surround- 

 ing mnd and is covered thereby. But this "sinking" of ai reef maybe 

 caused also l)y the use of tongs; and for every oyster reef on the Atlantic 



