402 KErOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



j)oiuts on the east side. The openiiijj;' ul" thi' canal lioui lirazo.s Itiver to 

 West Bay is sui»i«)secl to have luul a b('iic'li<ial eircct on tlie oysters of 

 that bay, as the fiesli water eonstaiitly Uowinj;' in l[)^esel•^•es an equality 

 in the density of the water of that region. 



It is estimated that there are about .")() s(j[uaie miles of natural oyster- 

 grounds in Galveston Bay and its tributary bays. The (juantityof 

 oysters taken from this area varies greatly, depending largely upon 

 the facilities for obtaining a supply from Matagorda Bay, Morgan City, 

 and elsewhere. In 1890 about 50,000 bushels of uneulled oysters were 

 taken from the natural reefs for i)lanting purposes, thus ad-s'aueing the 

 catch for that year slightly beyond its usual x^roportions. 



The following table exhibits the <j[uantity of oysters taken during 

 each of the past four years by the oystermen of Galveston Bay : 



The shrinrp Jisherij. — Ten to fifteen years ago many shrimp were found 

 in Galveston Bay, and a factory was erected for the i)urpose of canning 

 them. In 1880 this establishment prepared 75,000 1-pound cans of 

 shrimp, but a great decrease in the quantity necessitated the closing 

 of the factory a^ lew years later, and at present only enough are obtained 

 for daily supply in the local market. These shrimp are taken by seines 

 similar to the ordinary bay seines, except the mesh is much smaller. 

 There were ten of these seines in use in Galveston Bay in 1890. Their 

 average value is about $75, and tlu^ services of two men are required 

 for the operation of each one. One small sailboat worth about $80 is 

 used by each '' shrimping" crew. The fishery is prosecuted in much the 

 same manner as the bay-seine tishery. According to reports, the catch 

 during the past ten years has steadily decreased. In 1888 it was 15,000 

 buckets, in 1889 it was only 13,500, while in 1890 it was still further 

 reduced to 9,1*00 buckets. They are sold frCvsh. the wholesale price 

 ranging from 35 to 55 cents per bucket, about 15 pounds to the bucket. 

 The average size of these shrimp is scarcely so great as of those taken 

 in the Barataria region of Louisiana, or at Tampico in Mexico, at each 

 of which places large quantities are obtained. 



The rr<ih fishery.— Whilii the taking of crabs in Galveston Bay is 

 scarcely considered an industry, yet from 25,000 to 30,000 dozen are 

 anmially caught in tiap nets and by hand lines. About 75 crab traps, 

 worth about $4 per dozen, are used, as well as a quantity of short, cheap 

 hand lines. The crab tra])s are made in a rough manner by the persons 

 who fish them; the ordinary form consists of a barrel hoop, to which 

 is attached a net bag. Bait is tied in the center of the hooj), and the 

 trap is lowered from tiie M'harf, to which it is fastened by means of a 



