﻿388 
  REPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  his 
  home, 
  where, 
  with 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  his 
  family, 
  he 
  opens 
  the 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  and 
  later 
  conveys 
  them 
  to 
  market 
  to 
  dispose 
  of 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  

   wholesale 
  dealers. 
  In 
  1902, 
  52,500 
  gallons 
  were 
  sold 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  -at 
  80 
  

   cents 
  per 
  gallon, 
  netting 
  $42,000. 
  

  

  The 
  enactment 
  of 
  a 
  law 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  shipment 
  of 
  oysters 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  state 
  for 
  canning 
  purposes 
  affords 
  protection 
  to 
  those 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   the 
  canning 
  industry. 
  Quite 
  recently 
  a 
  factor}^ 
  located 
  at 
  St. 
  Marks, 
  

   Fla., 
  which, 
  before 
  the 
  enactment 
  of 
  this 
  law, 
  had 
  received 
  its 
  suppl}^ 
  

   of 
  oysters 
  from 
  Georgia, 
  was 
  forced 
  to 
  move 
  into 
  the 
  state, 
  and 
  is 
  

   now 
  located 
  near 
  Brunswick. 
  

  

  The 
  canning 
  of 
  "cove" 
  oysters 
  has 
  received 
  a 
  great 
  impetus 
  since 
  

   1897, 
  as 
  new 
  markets 
  have 
  been 
  opened 
  for 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  can- 
  

   neries, 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  shipped 
  to 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  States, 
  a 
  large 
  

   quantity 
  finding 
  its 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  mining 
  camps 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  One 
  can- 
  

   ner 
  recently 
  sold 
  $50,000 
  worth 
  of 
  his 
  product 
  in 
  California. 
  The 
  

   oysters 
  used 
  in 
  canning 
  are 
  about 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  "coon" 
  or 
  "bunch" 
  

   03\sters 
  and 
  10 
  per 
  cent 
  large 
  oysters 
  taken 
  in 
  deep 
  water. 
  

  

  SJiad 
  fishery 
  . 
  — 
  The 
  shad 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  prominent 
  species 
  of 
  fish 
  occur- 
  

   ring 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  this 
  state, 
  and 
  its 
  capture 
  constitutes 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   leading 
  industries 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  rivers 
  of 
  Georgia, 
  giving 
  employ- 
  

   ment 
  to 
  over 
  -100 
  men 
  during 
  the 
  fishing 
  season. 
  The 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  

   shad 
  fisheries 
  in 
  1902 
  amounted 
  to 
  1,029,050 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $75,189, 
  

   an 
  increase 
  over 
  1897 
  of 
  241,500 
  pounds 
  and 
  $28,484, 
  or 
  about 
  31 
  

   per 
  cent 
  in 
  weight, 
  and 
  61 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  value. 
  The 
  catch 
  is 
  greater 
  in 
  

   quantity 
  and 
  value 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  species 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  

   of 
  Georgia 
  except 
  the 
  oyster. 
  Of 
  the 
  various 
  rivers 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  to 
  

   which 
  shad 
  resort, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  are, 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  named, 
  the 
  

   Ogeechee, 
  Savannah, 
  and 
  the 
  Altamaha. 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Ogeechee 
  River 
  are 
  prosecuted 
  in 
  

   the 
  counties 
  of 
  Chatham 
  and 
  Bryan, 
  and 
  though 
  the 
  fish 
  ascend 
  the 
  

   river 
  a 
  long 
  distance 
  above 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  these 
  counties, 
  the 
  industry 
  

   is 
  unimportant 
  and 
  the 
  few 
  fish 
  taken 
  are 
  used 
  locall3^ 
  The 
  total 
  

   catch 
  in 
  this 
  river 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  142,275 
  shad, 
  weighing 
  569,100 
  pounds, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $35,569; 
  this 
  represents 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  

   nearly 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  catch 
  of 
  shad 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  

   the 
  state. 
  About 
  300 
  men 
  were 
  employed, 
  using 
  149 
  nets 
  and 
  an 
  

   ecpial 
  number 
  of 
  boats. 
  The 
  larger 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  catch, 
  or 
  425.100 
  

   pounds, 
  with 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $26,259, 
  was 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  Chatham 
  Count}^ 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  where 
  218 
  men 
  were 
  engaged. 
  The 
  only 
  apparatus 
  

   used 
  was 
  the 
  gill 
  net. 
  The 
  nets 
  average 
  about 
  150 
  yards 
  each, 
  with 
  a 
  

   5i-inch 
  mesh, 
  and 
  are 
  from 
  35 
  to 
  50 
  meshes 
  deep. 
  The 
  nets 
  are 
  fished 
  

   day 
  and 
  night 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  catches 
  are 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  

   slack 
  of 
  the 
  ebb 
  tide 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  flood. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  season 
  on 
  the 
  Ogeechee 
  liiver 
  opens 
  about 
  January 
  15, 
  at 
  

   which 
  time 
  the 
  fishermen 
  erect 
  tents 
  and 
  other 
  means 
  of 
  shelter 
  along 
  

  

  