﻿31G 
  

  

  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  abundance 
  of 
  tlie 
  stars, 
  being 
  greater 
  wben 
  they 
  are 
  few 
  than 
  wlien 
  

   they 
  are 
  plenty. 
  The 
  starfish 
  are 
  killed 
  by 
  being 
  momentarily 
  immersed 
  

   in 
  a 
  tank 
  of 
  boiling 
  water, 
  the 
  bath 
  being 
  heated 
  by 
  a 
  steam 
  tap 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  boiler. 
  The 
  tanks 
  are 
  about 
  7 
  feet 
  long 
  by 
  about 
  18 
  

   inches 
  wide 
  and 
  deej), 
  and 
  are 
  located 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  

   deck, 
  just 
  inboard 
  of 
  the 
  roller 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  tangle 
  chain 
  runs. 
  To 
  

   facilitate 
  the 
  immersion 
  and 
  handling 
  of 
  the 
  tangles, 
  a 
  davit, 
  with 
  block 
  

   and 
  fall, 
  is 
  rigged 
  on 
  the 
  hurricane 
  deck 
  over 
  the 
  tank, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  

   cut 
  3. 
  A 
  lanyard 
  is 
  rove 
  through 
  an 
  eye 
  welded 
  to 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  

   hook 
  on 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  end 
  is 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  davit, 
  its 
  length 
  

   being 
  so 
  adjusted 
  that 
  the 
  hook 
  is 
  automatically 
  tripped 
  by 
  the 
  weight 
  

   of 
  the 
  tangle 
  when 
  the 
  hauling 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tackle 
  is 
  eased 
  and 
  the 
  mops 
  

   lowered 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  Cut 
  4. 
  — 
  Drill-dredge 
  in 
  position 
  for 
  work. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  oystermen 
  pick 
  the 
  starfish 
  out 
  by 
  hand, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  

   slow 
  and 
  laborious 
  process 
  and, 
  moreover, 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  an 
  impossibility 
  

   to 
  so 
  remove 
  all 
  of 
  tlie 
  small 
  ones. 
  By 
  using 
  the 
  arrangement 
  just 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  the 
  labor 
  is 
  lightened 
  and 
  the 
  killing 
  of 
  the 
  stars 
  assured. 
  By 
  

   using 
  a 
  tangle 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  one 
  is 
  always 
  at 
  work 
  while 
  the 
  

   other 
  is 
  being 
  hoisted. 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  upward 
  of 
  100,000 
  starfish 
  

   havebeen 
  caught 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  day 
  by 
  a 
  boat 
  using 
  the 
  apparatus 
  described. 
  

   It 
  is 
  usual 
  to 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  until 
  not 
  over 
  half 
  a 
  bushel 
  of 
  starfish 
  

   can 
  be 
  caught 
  in 
  a 
  day, 
  the 
  beds 
  then 
  being 
  considered 
  safe, 
  although 
  

   at 
  any 
  time 
  a 
  host 
  may 
  arrive 
  from 
  a 
  neighboring 
  bed. 
  

  

  United 
  effort 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  planters 
  is 
  necessary 
  for 
  success 
  in 
  

   fighting 
  starfish. 
  A 
  neglected 
  bed 
  is, 
  in 
  a 
  measure, 
  a 
  menace 
  to 
  others 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity; 
  for 
  if 
  starfish 
  are 
  left 
  to 
  multiply 
  without 
  hindrance 
  

   they 
  will 
  move 
  to 
  neighboring 
  beds 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  exhausted 
  

   the 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  upon 
  the 
  first. 
  

  

  