518 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Crabs continue plentiful, with an increasing demand tor those 

 shipped alive, for cooked meat picked from the shell and shipped in 

 bulk, and for that hermetically sealed in tin cans, the latter being dis- 

 tributed as far as the Pacific coast. The crab catch in 1897 amounted to 

 6,899,514 pounds, valued at $68,245, and in 1901 to 7,401,701 pounds, 

 of $118,835 value, an increase of 1,002,187 pounds and of $50,590. 



Oysters comprise more than three-fifths of the value of the fisheries 

 of Virginia. The oyster season from September 1900 to May 1901 

 was the most successful for man}- j^ears. The yield of the oj^ster 

 fishery of Virginia in 1891 was 6,074,025 bushels, of $2,524,348 value; 

 in 1897, 7,023,848 bushels, of $2,041,683 value; and in 1901, 7,885,447 

 bushels, of $2,923,857 value. The product of market oysters in 1901 

 was 2,991,144 bushels from natural rock or native beds and 3,076,525 

 bushels from private beds, and of seed oysters 1,817,778 })usbels were 

 taken from their native beds and replanted on private beds. 



Yearly the area of native oyster grounds decreases, as a result of 

 overworking the beds and the abandonment of those that havel)ecome 

 unproductive. As soon as a bed is depleted of oysters it is available 

 for rent by any citizen at $1 per acre per 3'^ear. This has proved 

 of much benefit to the State, both on account of the revenue derived 

 and in the reestablishment of beds upon a commercial ))asis. Grounds 

 once noted for an abundance of fine oysters were, from overworking, 

 cleaned of 03'Sters and abandoned, after which they were leased from 

 the State by private parties who prepared and reseeded the grounds, 

 watched and cared for them until they equaled or exceeded their for- 

 mer abundance. Others leased land up the rivers on bottoms that had 

 never been known to have an oyster on them; seed 03'sters were 

 planted on these grounds, and new areas of good oyster beds resulted. 



In some cases leased lands have been used onl}^ for a short bedding 

 of market oysters that had been taken from their native beds. This 

 gave the owner protection during the few months the 03'sters remained 

 on the private beds and fattened. In case of an overstocked market 

 with much reduced prices, many cargoes are returned and planted on 

 private beds. These oysters having been counted as from natural beds 

 were not again counted from private beds, which accounts in some 

 cases for the entire absence or verj^ small quantity of oysters from 

 private beds in counties that are known to have leased oyster lands. 



ENDLESS-CHAIN SCRAPER USED IN OYSTER-SHUCKING ESTABLISHMENTS. 



Oysters are l^rought in vessels from the oyster beds to the plants of 

 the wholesale dealers and there unloaded into storerooms adjoining 

 the shucking rooms on the wharf. From the latter they are carried 

 to the shucking benches. Shucking benches extend the entire length 

 of the long, low ])uilding, some 100 to 200 feet long, there often being 

 several of the tables with an aisle between. Each of these long tables 

 has partitions dividing it into stalls just lai'ge enough for the o^^ster 



