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  KEPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  most 
  important 
  are 
  Bay 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  in 
  Hancock 
  County, 
  and 
  Gulf- 
  

   port 
  and 
  Pass 
  Christian, 
  in 
  Harrison 
  County. 
  

  

  Markets. 
  — 
  The 
  principal 
  markets 
  for 
  the 
  fishery 
  products 
  of 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi 
  are 
  New 
  Orleans, 
  La., 
  Mobile, 
  Ala., 
  and 
  the 
  interior 
  towns 
  and 
  

   cities 
  of 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  adjoining 
  states, 
  although 
  canned 
  oysters 
  and 
  

   shrimp 
  are 
  shipped 
  throughout 
  nearly 
  the 
  entire 
  country. 
  There 
  are 
  

   good 
  shipping 
  facilities 
  at 
  all 
  the 
  towns 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Mississippi. 
  

   At 
  Biloxi 
  fish 
  are 
  frequently 
  landed 
  by 
  vessels 
  from 
  New 
  Orleans 
  and 
  

   elsewhere, 
  and 
  are 
  there 
  iced 
  and 
  shipped 
  to 
  market. 
  This 
  is 
  also 
  done 
  

   to 
  some 
  extent 
  at 
  Gulfport. 
  

  

  Rivers. 
  — 
  Mississippi 
  has 
  several 
  rivers 
  emptying 
  into 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  

   Mexico, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  being 
  the 
  Pearl, 
  Pascagoula, 
  Jordan, 
  and 
  

   Wolf. 
  The 
  Pascagoula 
  River, 
  flowing 
  through 
  Jackson 
  County, 
  has 
  

   the 
  most 
  extensive 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  Wolf 
  and 
  Jordan 
  rivers, 
  in 
  Harri- 
  

   son 
  and 
  Hancock 
  counties, 
  respectively, 
  are 
  frequented 
  by 
  fishermen 
  

   from 
  Bay 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  the 
  principal 
  apparatus 
  used 
  being 
  trammel 
  nets. 
  

  

  Oysters. 
  — 
  The 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  branch 
  of 
  

   fishing 
  in 
  the 
  state, 
  and 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  much 
  further 
  development. 
  

   Canneries 
  and 
  shucking 
  houses 
  are 
  being 
  built 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year, 
  thus 
  

   increasing 
  the 
  demand 
  for 
  oysters. 
  The 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   shucking 
  houses 
  since 
  189T, 
  the 
  year 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  previous 
  canvass 
  

   of 
  the 
  state 
  was 
  made, 
  has 
  been 
  greatest 
  at 
  Pass 
  Christian. 
  

  

  In 
  1902 
  considerable 
  change 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  legislation 
  regulating 
  

   the 
  oyster-fishery 
  and 
  oyster-canning 
  industr3^ 
  A 
  law 
  went 
  into 
  

   elfect 
  on 
  June 
  1 
  of 
  that 
  year 
  providing 
  for 
  a 
  board 
  of 
  oyster 
  com- 
  

   missioners, 
  consisting 
  of 
  five 
  members 
  to 
  be 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  gov- 
  

   ernor, 
  whose 
  terms 
  of 
  office 
  are 
  for 
  five 
  years, 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  

   members 
  first 
  appointed 
  being 
  so 
  arranged 
  that 
  thereafter 
  a 
  vacancy 
  

   would 
  occur 
  and 
  a 
  new 
  member 
  be 
  appointed 
  each 
  year. 
  The 
  officers 
  

   of 
  the 
  board 
  consist 
  of 
  a 
  president, 
  secretary, 
  chief 
  inspector, 
  and 
  

   deputy 
  inspectors 
  not 
  exceeding 
  three 
  in 
  nnmber. 
  

  

  The 
  act 
  also 
  provides 
  that 
  the 
  owner 
  of 
  any 
  vessel 
  over 
  1 
  ton 
  burden 
  

   gross 
  desiring 
  to 
  catch 
  oysters 
  from 
  the 
  public 
  reefs 
  shall 
  oV)tain 
  a 
  

   license 
  therefor 
  from 
  the 
  secretary 
  of 
  the 
  board 
  of 
  oyster 
  commis- 
  

   sioners, 
  and 
  said 
  license 
  shall 
  be 
  in 
  force 
  twelve 
  months 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  

   day 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  issued. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  each 
  license 
  is 
  

   12.50 
  for 
  vessels 
  over 
  1 
  ton 
  and 
  under 
  5 
  tons; 
  $5 
  for 
  vessels 
  of 
  5 
  tons 
  

   and 
  under 
  10 
  tons; 
  $10 
  for 
  vessels 
  of 
  10 
  tons 
  and 
  under 
  20 
  tons, 
  and 
  

   115 
  for 
  vessels 
  of 
  20 
  or 
  more 
  tons. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  this 
  a 
  fee 
  of 
  50 
  

   cents 
  is 
  charged 
  for 
  each 
  license. 
  No 
  license 
  is 
  required 
  for 
  boats 
  of 
  

   1 
  ton 
  gross 
  and 
  under. 
  Each 
  canning 
  factory 
  is 
  also 
  required 
  to 
  pay 
  

   a 
  privilege 
  tax 
  of 
  $100, 
  and 
  each 
  shipper 
  of 
  raw 
  oysters 
  a 
  tax 
  of 
  $25, 
  

   after 
  which 
  they 
  receive 
  a 
  license 
  by 
  paying 
  an 
  additional 
  fee 
  of 
  50 
  

   cents. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  assessed 
  2 
  cents 
  a 
  barrel 
  on 
  all 
  oysters 
  canned 
  or 
  

   shipped 
  in 
  a 
  raw 
  condition. 
  The 
  money 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  payment 
  

  

  