﻿CIV 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  a 
  paper 
  cutitled 
  ^K>ysters 
  aud 
  methods 
  of 
  oyster- 
  

   culture" 
  was 
  prepared 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Moore. 
  It 
  aims 
  to 
  bring 
  together, 
  for 
  

   the 
  iuformatiou 
  of 
  oyster-growers, 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  facts 
  relating 
  

   to 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  the 
  oyster, 
  and 
  to 
  furnish 
  to 
  those 
  lacking 
  experi- 
  

   ence 
  the 
  information 
  necessary 
  to 
  enable 
  them 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  successful 
  

   oyster-culture. 
  

  

  There 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  usual 
  complaints 
  of 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  oysters 
  

   in 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound 
  by 
  starfish, 
  but 
  this 
  enemy 
  is 
  now 
  less 
  feared 
  and 
  

   more 
  successfully 
  combated 
  than 
  in 
  former 
  years. 
  The 
  tangle 
  seems 
  

   to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  efltective 
  appliance 
  used 
  in 
  its 
  capture. 
  

  

  In 
  Aj)ril 
  Mr. 
  Fred 
  Mather 
  sent 
  to 
  this 
  office 
  specimens 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  

   crustacean 
  which 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  starfish. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  isopod 
  of 
  the 
  

   family 
  Cirolanid(e, 
  hitherto 
  undescribed, 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  a 
  paper 
  

   to 
  be 
  hereafter 
  published. 
  

  

  In 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound, 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  l^ew 
  Jersey, 
  aud 
  in 
  some 
  

   other 
  localities 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  trouble 
  with 
  " 
  green 
  gills." 
  

   Late 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  June 
  a 
  few 
  affected 
  oysters 
  were 
  observed 
  in 
  

   Lynnhaven 
  Hiver, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  were 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  affected. 
  It 
  is 
  notable 
  that 
  oysters 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  experimental 
  

   claire 
  were 
  wholly 
  untinged 
  by 
  the 
  green 
  coloration. 
  After 
  all 
  that 
  has 
  

   been 
  written 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  the 
  

   vegetable 
  origin 
  and 
  harmlessness 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  green 
  gills," 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  

   still 
  much 
  reluctance 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  consumers 
  to 
  purchase 
  green 
  oys- 
  

   ters, 
  great 
  loss 
  being 
  thereby 
  entailed 
  upon 
  the 
  growers. 
  

  

  During 
  May, 
  1897, 
  it 
  was 
  reported 
  in 
  the 
  press 
  that 
  the 
  oyster 
  set 
  in 
  

   the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  !N"ew 
  Haven 
  was 
  dying 
  of 
  a 
  mysterious 
  malady, 
  but 
  no 
  

   comi^laints 
  were 
  received 
  at 
  this 
  office. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  this 
  trouble 
  

   was 
  locatl 
  and 
  not 
  serious, 
  as 
  the 
  seed-growers 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Long 
  

   Island 
  Sound 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  very 
  successful 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  season 
  of 
  189G-97 
  is 
  generally 
  reported 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   unsatisfactory 
  to 
  the 
  dredgers 
  of 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay, 
  owing 
  in 
  part 
  to 
  

   the 
  depletion 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  and 
  also, 
  it 
  is 
  stated, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   competition 
  of 
  planted 
  oysters, 
  which 
  each 
  year 
  are 
  occupying 
  a 
  more 
  

   important 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  markets. 
  The 
  conflict 
  between 
  the 
  natural-bed 
  

   and 
  the 
  j)lanting 
  interests 
  of 
  Delaware 
  Bay 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  legal 
  and 
  

   legislative 
  warfare 
  in 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  a 
  contest 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  waged 
  

   with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  energy 
  for 
  several 
  years. 
  The 
  net 
  results 
  of 
  such 
  

   disputes 
  elsewhere 
  has 
  generally 
  been 
  to 
  liberalize 
  the 
  laws 
  relating 
  

   to 
  planting, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  which 
  that 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  is 
  

   exciting 
  much 
  interest. 
  An 
  evidence 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  increased 
  

   sales 
  of 
  seed 
  oysters 
  in 
  Connecticut 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1897 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  purchase 
  of 
  seed 
  in 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  region 
  by 
  the 
  oystermen 
  of 
  

   New 
  Jersey 
  and 
  Delaware. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1897 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  have 
  Prof. 
  

   F. 
  L.Washburn, 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Oregon, 
  make 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  bays 
  

   of 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  to 
  determine 
  those 
  possessing 
  conditions 
  favorable 
  to 
  

   the 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  oyster. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  

  

  