﻿280 
  REPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  siderable 
  damage 
  by 
  storms, 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  apparent 
  that 
  the 
  03 
  ster 
  grounds 
  

   have 
  increased 
  in 
  size 
  many 
  fold 
  since 
  Winslow 
  made 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  

   18S8. 
  This 
  demonstrates 
  that 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  not 
  producing 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  in 
  1888 
  was 
  suitable 
  and 
  only 
  needed 
  to 
  be 
  planted 
  with 
  oysters 
  

   and 
  cultch 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  become 
  productive. 
  The 
  same 
  possibilities 
  exist 
  

   at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  natural 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  grounds 
  can 
  

   be 
  greatly 
  increased 
  by 
  strewing 
  shells 
  and 
  oysters 
  judiciously. 
  

  

  Close 
  and 
  indiscriminate 
  dredging, 
  however, 
  has 
  done 
  more 
  damage 
  

   to 
  the 
  Pamlico 
  03^ster 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  seasons 
  than 
  any 
  storms 
  

   such 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  October, 
  1899, 
  which 
  at 
  worst 
  are 
  of 
  rare 
  

   occurrence, 
  and 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  easily 
  and 
  quickly 
  

   remedied 
  than 
  the 
  injury 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  dredgers, 
  of 
  which 
  fifty 
  could 
  

   be 
  counted 
  from 
  the 
  Itsh 
  Hawk 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  section 
  16 
  in 
  January, 
  

   1900. 
  For 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  seasons 
  these 
  vessels 
  have 
  carried 
  to 
  

   the 
  canneries 
  everything 
  they 
  have 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  beds, 
  and, 
  as 
  a 
  

   result, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  February, 
  1900, 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  tedious 
  process 
  to 
  fill 
  a 
  

   dredge 
  with 
  either 
  o3^sters 
  or 
  shells 
  from 
  the 
  beds 
  off 
  Shell 
  Point 
  or 
  

   in 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Swan 
  Quarter 
  Bay, 
  where 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  

   qualit}^ 
  and 
  bring 
  the 
  best 
  prices. 
  No 
  culling 
  whatever 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  

   and 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  attempt, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  writer 
  is 
  aware, 
  to 
  enforce 
  

   the 
  cull 
  law, 
  which 
  provides 
  for 
  the 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  all 
  shells 
  

   and 
  small 
  oysters 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  are 
  dredged. 
  The 
  cullings 
  were 
  

   found 
  on 
  the 
  shell 
  piles 
  at 
  the 
  canneries, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  a 
  

   sufficient 
  quantity 
  of 
  either 
  seed 
  oysters 
  or 
  cultch 
  is 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  ])eds 
  

   to 
  provide 
  the 
  necessary 
  means 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  new 
  stock 
  of 
  o3^sters. 
  The 
  

   entire 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  beds 
  can 
  be 
  removed 
  without 
  perma- 
  

   nent 
  injury, 
  for 
  the 
  uncovered 
  deeper 
  stratum 
  of 
  shells 
  affords 
  the 
  

   necessary 
  places 
  for 
  the 
  attachment 
  of 
  spat; 
  but 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  Pamlico 
  

   Sound 
  difi'er 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  in 
  Chesapeake 
  Ba}" 
  and 
  the 
  North 
  

   in 
  that 
  the}^ 
  are 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  have 
  very 
  little 
  

   depth 
  of 
  shells. 
  

  

  When 
  well 
  strewn 
  with 
  shells, 
  with 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  an 
  adult 
  oyster, 
  

   it 
  is 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  but 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  3^ears 
  until 
  an 
  oyster 
  bed 
  may 
  be 
  

   expected 
  to 
  be 
  again 
  productive, 
  but 
  when 
  swept 
  clean 
  of 
  everything, 
  

   like 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  section 
  16, 
  the 
  time 
  required 
  for 
  it 
  to 
  become 
  restocked 
  

   by 
  natural 
  means 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  was 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  original 
  

   growth 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  

  

  Dredging, 
  when 
  properl3^ 
  done, 
  is 
  most 
  beneficial 
  to 
  an 
  oyster 
  

   ground. 
  It 
  rapidly 
  extends 
  the 
  area, 
  for 
  on 
  ever3' 
  tack 
  the 
  dredging 
  

   schooner 
  spills 
  oysters 
  and 
  shells 
  as 
  she 
  sails 
  past 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  bed. 
  

   Another 
  benefit 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  superior 
  quality 
  which 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  charac- 
  

   terizes 
  the 
  03'-sters 
  taken 
  from 
  dredging 
  grounds, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  

   those 
  grown 
  on 
  unworked 
  or 
  tonging 
  beds. 
  The 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  is 
  

   probabl3' 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  dredger 
  clears 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  mussels 
  to 
  some 
  

   extent. 
  A 
  tonger 
  culls 
  closely 
  and 
  throws 
  back 
  the 
  mussels, 
  thus 
  leav- 
  

  

  