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  EEPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  July, 
  August, 
  and 
  September, 
  and 
  doubtless 
  would 
  have 
  attached 
  

   in 
  October 
  and 
  November 
  had 
  shells 
  been 
  planted 
  during 
  these 
  months. 
  

   Spawning 
  takes 
  place 
  most 
  actively 
  during 
  June 
  and 
  Jul3\ 
  The 
  gonads 
  

   during 
  this 
  period 
  are 
  ver}^ 
  large 
  and 
  contain 
  the 
  reproductive 
  elements 
  

   by 
  millions. 
  

  

  SURVEY 
  OF 
  PAMLICO 
  SOUND. 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  importance 
  of 
  Pandico 
  Sound 
  as 
  an 
  oyster 
  produc- 
  

   ing 
  region 
  has 
  been 
  recognized 
  only 
  since 
  about 
  the 
  3'ear 
  1889. 
  Pre- 
  

   vious 
  to 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  oysters 
  produced 
  in 
  Chesapeake 
  P)ay 
  and 
  farther 
  

   north 
  were 
  so 
  plentiful 
  and 
  the 
  price 
  so 
  low 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  thought 
  

   profitable 
  to 
  handle 
  the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  stock. 
  In 
  1889, 
  however, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay, 
  the 
  Baltimore 
  can- 
  

   ners 
  and 
  dealers 
  in 
  raw 
  oysters 
  established 
  branch 
  houses 
  at 
  various 
  

   points 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  tide-water 
  coasts, 
  shipping 
  their 
  stock 
  

   to 
  Baltimore, 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  sold 
  as 
  Chesapeake 
  oysters. 
  This 
  had 
  a 
  

   very 
  marked 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  oyster 
  industry, 
  for 
  with 
  

   the 
  canneries 
  came 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  03'stermen, 
  introducing 
  modern 
  

   methods 
  of 
  o^'stering. 
  The 
  short-handled, 
  wooden-headed 
  tongs, 
  which 
  

   were 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  only 
  implements 
  used 
  bv 
  the 
  native 
  03'stermen, 
  

   were 
  replaced 
  by 
  the 
  more 
  efficient 
  tongs 
  with 
  iron 
  heads 
  and 
  long- 
  

   handles. 
  Of 
  more 
  importance 
  still, 
  dredging 
  was 
  introduced, 
  and 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  through 
  the 
  dredgers 
  mainl3' 
  that 
  the 
  industr3" 
  has 
  been 
  

   developed. 
  Before 
  they 
  began 
  operations 
  beds 
  located 
  farther 
  than 
  2 
  

   miles 
  from 
  shore 
  were 
  practical]3^ 
  unknown, 
  but 
  now 
  such 
  off-shore 
  

   grounds 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  Pamlico 
  product. 
  The 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  data, 
  furnished 
  b3' 
  Mr. 
  Stevenson, 
  show, 
  the 
  fluctuations 
  in 
  the 
  

   industr3' 
  since 
  1887: 
  

  

  In 
  1887 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  about 
  100,000 
  ))ushels 
  for 
  the 
  State, 
  

   and 
  this 
  amount 
  had 
  seldom 
  been 
  exceeded. 
  In 
  1890 
  the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  

   oystermen 
  alone 
  sold 
  914,130 
  bushels. 
  No 
  record 
  was 
  kept 
  of 
  the 
  

   amount 
  dredged 
  by 
  vessels 
  hailing 
  from 
  Maryland, 
  Virginia, 
  Dela- 
  

   ware, 
  and 
  New 
  Jersey 
  (about 
  250 
  in 
  number) 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  3^ear, 
  

   but 
  it 
  was 
  probabl3' 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  1,800,000 
  bushels, 
  a 
  single 
  one 
  of 
  

   these 
  vessls 
  having 
  been 
  reported 
  as 
  taking 
  20,000 
  bushels. 
  This 
  rich 
  

   harvest 
  for 
  the 
  more 
  experienced 
  nonresident 
  03'stermen 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  

   enactment 
  of 
  laws 
  preventing 
  nonresidents 
  from 
  dredging- 
  and 
  limit- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  dredging 
  could 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  at 
  all. 
  The 
  result 
  

   was 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  during 
  the 
  3^ears 
  immediately 
  

   following, 
  60,000 
  bushels 
  being 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  reported 
  in 
  1893-91: 
  

   and 
  40,000 
  bushels 
  in 
  1896-97. 
  

  

  The 
  season 
  during 
  which 
  dredging 
  could 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  was 
  length- 
  

   ened 
  in 
  1897, 
  with 
  the 
  efiect 
  of 
  increasing 
  the 
  catch 
  that 
  year 
  to 
  

   858,818 
  bushels. 
  In 
  1898-99 
  dredging 
  and 
  tonging 
  were 
  carried 
  on 
  

   extensivel3" 
  from 
  the 
  beginning 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  season 
  (December 
  

   1 
  to 
  May 
  1); 
  115 
  dredge 
  boats, 
  aggregating 
  990 
  tons 
  and 
  employing 
  750 
  

  

  