﻿266 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  deptli 
  of 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  tonging- 
  grounds 
  varies 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  

   from 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  to 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  7 
  feet, 
  so 
  that 
  dredges 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  

   used. 
  The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  however, 
  is 
  not 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  attract 
  dredgers, 
  

   Old}" 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  being 
  required 
  after 
  the 
  season 
  opens 
  for 
  the 
  tongers 
  

   to 
  catch 
  the 
  stock 
  which 
  has 
  grown 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  Before 
  the 
  open- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  canning 
  establishments 
  at 
  Beaufort, 
  the 
  beds 
  were 
  much 
  more 
  

   prolific 
  than 
  now, 
  the 
  usual 
  daily 
  catch 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  being 
  from 
  25 
  to 
  

   40 
  bushels 
  of 
  oj^sters. 
  The 
  increased 
  demand 
  made 
  b}^ 
  the 
  canneries 
  

   led 
  to 
  the 
  over-fishing 
  of 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  survey 
  the 
  

   daily 
  catch 
  for 
  a 
  tong 
  boat 
  had 
  been 
  reduced 
  to 
  8 
  or 
  10 
  tubs/' 
  In 
  

   taking 
  this 
  quantity 
  of 
  oysters 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  03^stermen 
  to 
  

   handle 
  an 
  immense 
  quantity 
  of 
  cullings, 
  as 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  

   tongings 
  made 
  on 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  typical 
  beds 
  in 
  Newport 
  River 
  by 
  the 
  

   surve3dng 
  party. 
  In 
  gathering 
  1 
  peck 
  of 
  salable 
  oysters, 
  there 
  were 
  

   handled 
  on 
  the 
  bed 
  below 
  Limekiln 
  Rock 
  IGO 
  small 
  oysters 
  and 
  spat, 
  

   and 
  1,060 
  shells; 
  on 
  the 
  bed 
  above 
  Limekiln 
  Rock, 
  154 
  small 
  oysters 
  

   and 
  spat 
  and 
  536 
  shells; 
  on 
  the 
  bed 
  below 
  Cross 
  Rock, 
  82 
  small 
  oysters 
  

   and 
  spat 
  and 
  -400 
  shells. 
  The 
  beds 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  are 
  in 
  about 
  the 
  

   same 
  condition. 
  

  

  The 
  oystermen 
  do 
  their 
  tonging 
  from 
  small 
  sailing 
  skill's 
  15 
  to 
  25 
  

   feet 
  in 
  length. 
  Each 
  skiff 
  is 
  usually 
  manned 
  by 
  two 
  persons 
  — 
  a 
  man 
  

   to 
  tong 
  aiid 
  a 
  man 
  or 
  a 
  boy 
  to 
  cull. 
  When 
  the 
  bed 
  is 
  reached 
  the 
  

   sail 
  is 
  furled, 
  and 
  laid, 
  with 
  the 
  mast, 
  in 
  the 
  bow 
  of 
  the 
  skiff. 
  The 
  

   longer 
  works 
  from 
  the 
  stern, 
  dumping 
  the 
  stock, 
  just 
  as 
  taken 
  from 
  

   the 
  bed, 
  upon 
  a 
  wide 
  culling 
  board 
  laid 
  across 
  the 
  boat 
  amidships. 
  

   The 
  culler, 
  armed 
  with 
  a 
  short 
  stout 
  stick, 
  goes 
  over 
  the 
  stock, 
  sepa- 
  

   rating 
  the 
  salable 
  from 
  the 
  undersized 
  03'sters, 
  shells, 
  and 
  other 
  debris, 
  

   returning 
  the 
  cullings 
  to 
  the 
  bed 
  and 
  throwing 
  the 
  oysters 
  into 
  the 
  

   boat. 
  The 
  tongs 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  o^^stermen 
  are 
  made 
  by 
  local 
  black- 
  

   smiths 
  and 
  carpenters, 
  with 
  shafts 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  16 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  

   heads 
  containing 
  12 
  to 
  16 
  teeth. 
  The 
  implements 
  and 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  

   using 
  them 
  are 
  shown 
  in 
  various 
  photographs 
  reproduced 
  in 
  the 
  

   report. 
  

  

  The 
  price 
  received 
  bv 
  the 
  tongers 
  for 
  the 
  oysters 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  can- 
  

   neries 
  is 
  seldom 
  more 
  than 
  18 
  cents 
  per 
  tub, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  often 
  less. 
  

   AYhen 
  "raw 
  houses" 
  are 
  running, 
  however, 
  the 
  price 
  for 
  the 
  best 
  

   stock 
  is 
  higher, 
  25 
  to 
  40 
  cents 
  being 
  received. 
  The 
  tongers 
  often 
  

   carry 
  their 
  catch 
  to 
  the 
  canneries 
  in 
  their 
  skiffs, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  busiest 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  canneries 
  send 
  large 
  sharpies, 
  known 
  as 
  "buy- 
  

   boats," 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  to 
  buy 
  from 
  the 
  oystermen. 
  Less 
  time 
  is 
  lost 
  in 
  

   this 
  Vfny, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  tongers 
  remaining 
  over 
  night 
  in 
  the 
  tonging 
  

   region, 
  ready 
  to 
  begin 
  work 
  at 
  sunrise. 
  

  

  The 
  largest 
  and 
  best 
  single 
  oysters 
  produced 
  in 
  the 
  Beaufort 
  region 
  

   come 
  from 
  an 
  area 
  in 
  North 
  River 
  lying 
  above 
  Jacks 
  Island 
  Reef, 
  out- 
  

  

  aThe 
  " 
  tub" 
  is 
  the 
  standard 
  measure 
  adopted 
  bj- 
  the 
  canneries, 
  and 
  holds 
  1^ 
  bushels. 
  

  

  