REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



29 



Connecticut and Rhode Island recognized this by legislation vesting 

 a State commission with jurisdiction over most of the available area 

 within their respective limits, but Massachusetts has adhered to the 

 antiquated policy of local control. 



According to a canvass made by the Bureau during the fiscal year 

 covered by this report, the yield of oysters in New England in 1910 

 was 5,827,821 bushels, valued at $3,589,719, of which 5,547,418 bush- 

 els, valued at $3,439,400, came from private beds and but 280,403 

 bushels, mostly seed oysters, valued at $150,319, were from public 

 areas. In addition to the product of oysters, the fisheries yielded 

 114.200 bushels of shells, with a value of $7,315. There was in- 

 vested in the business $2,164,007 exclusive of cash capital. 



There were under lease or otherwise held by private persons for 

 purposes of oyster culture in New England in 1910, 124,737.69 acres, 

 A alued with improvements and oyster contents at $3,611,168. Of this 

 area but 45,514.37 acres were under actual cultivation. The propor- 

 tion of bottoms cultivated to the area held is less than 9 per cent in 

 Massachusetts, 93 per cent in Ehode Island, and 33 per cent in Con- 

 necticut. The reason for the low percentage in Massachusetts is 

 that the conditions of tenure are lenient and even lax, and a consid- 

 erable proportion of the area held is of but little value. In Connect- 

 icut the State sold the bottoms outright for a nominal sum and until 

 the time at which the canvass was made imposed a very low tax rate. 

 In consequence, large areas were purchased and are now held as 

 speculation, or to prevent competitors from acquiring them, or, more 

 legitimately, as a means to protect the areas actually planted from 

 a dearth in the supply of oyster food. In Rhode Island, on the 

 contrary, the bottoms are leased at a high rental and must yield an 

 income to financially justify the expense. 



The other features of the canvass are intelligible from the fol- 

 lowing tables: 



Statistics of the Oyster Industry of the :New England States, 1910, 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



