﻿454 
  REPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  operate 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats 
  of 
  over 
  1 
  ton 
  gross 
  in 
  catching- 
  oysters 
  caused 
  

   considerable 
  inconvenience 
  to 
  the 
  oystermen 
  for 
  a 
  while, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  

   them 
  neglected 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  license, 
  and 
  consequently 
  did 
  not 
  engage 
  

   in 
  the 
  fishery. 
  The 
  discontinuance 
  of 
  steam 
  dredging, 
  previously 
  

   allowed 
  in 
  depths 
  of 
  14 
  feet 
  and 
  over, 
  was 
  another 
  change 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  

   new 
  law 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  had 
  an 
  unfavorable 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  catch. 
  The 
  

   dredging 
  is 
  now 
  done 
  by 
  sail 
  vessels 
  in 
  depths 
  varying 
  from 
  about 
  4 
  

   to 
  21 
  feet. 
  In 
  1902 
  a 
  law 
  was 
  passed 
  in 
  Louisiana 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  

   shipping 
  of 
  oysters 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  for 
  canning 
  or 
  packing. 
  The 
  

   influence 
  of 
  this 
  law 
  in 
  curtailing 
  the 
  supply 
  was 
  felt 
  by 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   packers 
  in 
  Mississippi, 
  but 
  especially 
  by 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  state 
  adjacent 
  to 
  Louisiana. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  oystermen, 
  especially 
  

   from 
  Gulfport 
  westward, 
  tong 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  both 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  

   Louisiana. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  is 
  prosecuted 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  Sound. 
  

   The 
  absence 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  the 
  rivers 
  may 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that, 
  while 
  

   the 
  waters 
  are 
  brackish 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  5 
  to 
  10 
  miles 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  river 
  

   mouths 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  November, 
  they 
  are 
  practically 
  fresh 
  the 
  

   remainder 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  continued 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  public 
  reefs, 
  and 
  their 
  

   close 
  proximity 
  to 
  markets, 
  there 
  has 
  so 
  far 
  been 
  no 
  great 
  inducement 
  

   to 
  engage 
  in 
  oyster 
  planting 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  cannery 
  owners, 
  

   who 
  sometimes 
  plant 
  shells 
  for 
  collecting 
  spat, 
  and 
  take 
  up 
  the 
  result- 
  

   ing 
  oysters 
  when 
  needed. 
  No 
  grounds 
  are 
  leased 
  by 
  the 
  state 
  for 
  

   oyster 
  cultivation, 
  but 
  the 
  planting 
  referred 
  to 
  is 
  done 
  on 
  bottom 
  

   made 
  available 
  by 
  riparian 
  rights. 
  

  

  Shrimp. 
  — 
  Next 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  the 
  shrimp 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   fishery 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  state. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  vessels 
  engage 
  in 
  

   taking 
  shrimp 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  fall, 
  April 
  and 
  May, 
  and 
  September 
  

   and 
  October 
  being 
  the 
  seasons. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  shrimp 
  come 
  in 
  

   close 
  to 
  land 
  and 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  small 
  bayous 
  which 
  penetrate 
  the 
  

   marshes, 
  the 
  seines 
  for 
  taking 
  them 
  often 
  being 
  hauled 
  upon 
  the 
  

   shore. 
  They 
  gradually 
  work 
  out 
  into 
  deeper 
  water, 
  and 
  after 
  the 
  

   1st 
  of 
  August 
  are 
  not 
  seen 
  until 
  the 
  fall 
  season, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  caught 
  

   from 
  10 
  to 
  40 
  miles 
  from 
  shore. 
  In 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  landed 
  

   and 
  sold 
  at 
  the 
  canneries, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  it 
  is 
  usually 
  sold 
  to 
  transport- 
  

   ing 
  vessels, 
  as 
  the 
  fishermen 
  sometimes 
  remain 
  out 
  a 
  week 
  at 
  a 
  time, 
  

   or 
  until 
  their 
  supply 
  of 
  ice 
  is 
  exhausted. 
  The 
  fall 
  catch 
  of 
  shrimp 
  is 
  

   always 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  spring 
  catch, 
  due 
  mainly 
  to 
  a 
  longer 
  

   season. 
  Five 
  men 
  constitute 
  the 
  average 
  crew 
  of 
  a 
  shrimp 
  vessel, 
  

   though 
  many 
  carry 
  only 
  four. 
  In 
  hauling 
  the 
  seine 
  two 
  small 
  row- 
  

   boats, 
  containing 
  two 
  men 
  each, 
  are 
  used, 
  the 
  fifth 
  man 
  remaining 
  on 
  

   board 
  of 
  the 
  vessel. 
  The 
  small 
  boats 
  are 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  seine, 
  one 
  at 
  

   each 
  end, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  surround 
  the 
  school 
  of 
  shrimp. 
  In 
  1902 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  the 
  entire 
  catch 
  of 
  shrimp 
  was 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  canning 
  factories, 
  

  

  