﻿314 
  EEPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  In 
  1900 
  practically 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  grounds 
  had 
  lieen 
  abandoned 
  by 
  the 
  

   owners. 
  Those 
  which 
  are 
  held 
  and 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  taxes 
  had 
  been 
  paid 
  

   were 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Oi/sier 
  (/ranis 
  on 
  vJiich 
  tajres 
  were 
  paid. 
  

  

  Hyde 
  County: 
  

  

  Lake 
  Landing 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Ocracoke 
  

  

  Swan 
  Quarter... 
  

   Pamlico 
  County: 
  

  

  Township 
  No. 
  2 
  . 
  

  

  Township 
  No. 
  4 
  . 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  The 
  causes 
  of 
  this 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound, 
  judg- 
  

   ing- 
  from 
  its 
  history 
  here 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  oyster-producing 
  sections, 
  are: 
  

  

  (1) 
  Those 
  who 
  have 
  engaged 
  in 
  it 
  have, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  had 
  erroneous 
  

   ideas 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  requirements 
  for 
  successful 
  o^'ster 
  culture. 
  They 
  were 
  

   not 
  aware 
  how 
  very 
  much 
  depends 
  upon 
  the 
  selection 
  of 
  ground, 
  the 
  

   accessibility 
  of 
  an 
  abundant 
  food 
  supply, 
  the 
  specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  and 
  its 
  freedom 
  from 
  extreme 
  fluctuations, 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  methods 
  

   of 
  planting 
  cultch 
  and 
  oysters, 
  etc. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Many 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  entered 
  ground 
  for 
  oyster 
  planting 
  did 
  so 
  

   with 
  the 
  expectation 
  that 
  large 
  profits 
  would 
  be 
  immediately 
  forth- 
  

   coming, 
  and 
  were 
  not 
  sufiiciently 
  interested 
  to 
  continue 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  

   when 
  they 
  had 
  ascertained 
  by 
  experience 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  no 
  more 
  profita- 
  

   ble 
  than 
  other 
  industries 
  and 
  requires 
  a 
  corresponding 
  amount 
  of 
  time 
  

   and 
  labor. 
  

  

  (3) 
  The 
  laws 
  framed 
  for 
  the 
  encouragement 
  and 
  protection 
  of 
  oyster 
  

   culture 
  were 
  defective 
  or 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  observed. 
  

  

  Private 
  grounds 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound 
  have 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  proved 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  well 
  selected 
  and 
  have 
  produced 
  oysters 
  of 
  a 
  good 
  quality, 
  

   but 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  such 
  grounds 
  have, 
  in 
  some 
  notable 
  instances, 
  not 
  

   been 
  allowed 
  to 
  market 
  the 
  crop; 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  powerless 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   their 
  grounds 
  from 
  being 
  treated 
  as 
  public 
  propertj'. 
  Oystermen 
  

   when 
  arrested 
  for 
  trespassing 
  in 
  such 
  cases 
  have 
  been 
  able, 
  invariably, 
  

   to 
  obtain 
  their 
  release 
  witliout 
  fine 
  or 
  imprisonment 
  by 
  asserting 
  that 
  

   the 
  planted 
  grounds 
  when 
  laid 
  off 
  contained 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds, 
  and 
  

   no 
  difficulty 
  has 
  been 
  experienced 
  by 
  them 
  in 
  finding 
  a 
  multitude 
  of 
  

   witnesses 
  to 
  substantiate 
  their 
  statements; 
  this 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   careful 
  surveys 
  of 
  the 
  grounds 
  previous 
  to 
  obtaining 
  grants 
  or 
  plant- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  oysters 
  failed 
  to 
  discover 
  any 
  natural 
  oj^ster 
  beds. 
  

  

  From 
  a 
  biological 
  standpoint 
  Pamlico 
  Sound 
  offers 
  a 
  wide 
  and 
  prom- 
  

   ising 
  field 
  for 
  oyster 
  culture. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  sections 
  10 
  

   and 
  16 
  demonstrate 
  beyond 
  doubt 
  that 
  (a) 
  oyster 
  food 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  

   these 
  sections; 
  (l) 
  many 
  localities 
  exist 
  not 
  now 
  occupied 
  b}^ 
  oysters 
  

  

  