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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  such 
  small 
  dimensions 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  impracticable, 
  for 
  manifest 
  reasons, 
  to 
  

   build 
  a 
  barrier 
  so 
  close 
  in 
  structure 
  as 
  to 
  exclude 
  them. 
  Some 
  attempt 
  

   has 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  catch 
  them 
  in 
  traps, 
  made 
  of 
  laths 
  and 
  baited 
  with 
  

   fish, 
  crab 
  meat, 
  clams, 
  etc. 
  These 
  traps 
  are 
  constructed 
  and 
  tended 
  

   like 
  lobster 
  pots, 
  and 
  while 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  starfish 
  can 
  be 
  

   taken 
  through 
  their 
  agency, 
  the 
  method 
  is 
  too 
  laborious 
  and 
  inefficient 
  

   to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  extensive 
  beds. 
  Various 
  devices 
  for 
  

   catching 
  starfish 
  have 
  been 
  patented 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  

   them 
  a])pear 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  practical 
  value. 
  

  

  Upon 
  the 
  theory 
  that 
  the 
  starfish 
  prefers 
  the 
  mussel 
  to 
  the 
  oyster 
  as 
  

   food, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  proposed 
  to 
  surround 
  the 
  oyster-beds 
  with 
  a 
  growth 
  

   of 
  mussels 
  with 
  the 
  expectation 
  that 
  the 
  starfish 
  will 
  not 
  pass 
  over 
  the 
  

   mussel 
  bed 
  to 
  obtaiii 
  the 
  less 
  desired 
  oysters. 
  Investigations 
  in 
  Long 
  

   Island 
  Sound 
  show 
  that 
  this 
  expectation 
  is 
  not 
  realized 
  in 
  practice, 
  

   and, 
  moreover, 
  in 
  favorable 
  locations, 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  mussels 
  is 
  so 
  rank 
  

   that 
  they 
  themselves 
  become 
  a 
  menace 
  to 
  the 
  i)lanter 
  by 
  overgrowing 
  

   his 
  beds 
  and 
  suffocating 
  the 
  oysters. 
  This 
  method 
  of 
  protection 
  is 
  also 
  

   wrong 
  in 
  principle, 
  for 
  by 
  supplying 
  the 
  starfish 
  with 
  additional 
  food 
  

   we 
  better 
  its 
  conditions 
  and 
  thereby 
  aid 
  in 
  increasing 
  its 
  numbers. 
  

  

  For 
  catching 
  starfish 
  some 
  i^lanters 
  use 
  the 
  ordinary 
  oyster-dredge, 
  

   an 
  implement 
  which 
  has 
  some 
  advantages 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  desired 
  to 
  cull 
  the 
  

   stock, 
  but, 
  in 
  general, 
  it 
  involves 
  unnecessary 
  labor 
  and 
  also 
  crushes 
  

   and 
  kills 
  many 
  young 
  oysters. 
  A 
  lighter 
  dredge 
  of 
  similar 
  construction 
  

   is 
  also 
  used, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  shallow 
  beds 
  tongs 
  may 
  be 
  sometimes 
  employed 
  

   to 
  advantage. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster-growers 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound, 
  who 
  have 
  had 
  more 
  expe- 
  

   rience 
  in 
  fighting 
  starfish 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  section, 
  find 
  that 
  

   eternal 
  vigilance 
  is 
  the 
  price 
  whic-h 
  they 
  must 
  pay 
  for 
  even 
  the 
  compara- 
  

   tive 
  safety 
  of 
  their 
  beds. 
  The 
  beds 
  are 
  closely 
  watched 
  and 
  worked 
  

   over 
  with 
  dredges 
  and 
  tangles. 
  Tugs 
  are 
  kept 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  constantly 
  

   at 
  work, 
  and 
  all 
  starfishes 
  taken, 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  work 
  of 
  oyster 
  

   dredging 
  or 
  during 
  "starring," 
  are 
  carefully 
  destroyed. 
  Thousands 
  of 
  

   bushels 
  are 
  caught 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  and 
  much 
  money 
  is 
  expended 
  in 
  

   the 
  work, 
  the 
  result 
  being 
  that 
  many 
  beds, 
  through 
  timely 
  and 
  unceas- 
  

   ing 
  attention, 
  are 
  saved 
  from 
  utter 
  destruction. 
  The 
  tangles 
  or 
  mops 
  

   employed 
  are 
  an 
  adaptation 
  of 
  a 
  device 
  long 
  used 
  by 
  naturalists 
  for 
  

   collecting 
  spiny 
  forms 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  bottom, 
  and 
  their 
  use 
  in 
  figliting 
  

   the 
  starfish 
  was 
  first 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission. 
  

   They 
  consist 
  essentially 
  of 
  an 
  iron 
  bar 
  to 
  which 
  small 
  chains 
  or 
  wires 
  

   are 
  attached 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  foot, 
  mops 
  or 
  bundles 
  of 
  rope 
  yarn, 
  

   cotton 
  waste, 
  or 
  similar 
  material 
  being 
  distributed 
  at 
  short 
  distances 
  

   along 
  the 
  chains. 
  The 
  bar 
  is 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  ordinary 
  dredge 
  line 
  or 
  

   chain 
  and 
  is 
  dragged 
  over 
  the 
  bottom, 
  being 
  hauled 
  in 
  at 
  frequent 
  

   intervals 
  for 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  startish 
  which 
  have 
  become 
  entangled. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  tangles 
  used 
  in 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound 
  have 
  frames 
  weighing 
  

   from 
  100 
  to 
  150 
  pounds, 
  and 
  to 
  prevent 
  this 
  heavy 
  mass 
  of 
  metal 
  from 
  

   crushing 
  small 
  and 
  thin- 
  shelled 
  oysters 
  they 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  hoop, 
  

  

  