﻿214 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  shells 
  are 
  thick 
  and 
  heavj^, 
  thus 
  making 
  great 
  bulk 
  to 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  contents 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  oysters. 
  As 
  

   ah-eady 
  stated, 
  the 
  oysters 
  formerly 
  on 
  Porter's 
  Bar 
  were 
  an 
  exception 
  to 
  

   the 
  rule. 
  For 
  canning 
  purposes 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  oysters 
  yield 
  50 
  to 
  

   70 
  ounces 
  of 
  cooked 
  meat 
  to 
  the 
  bushel, 
  and 
  the 
  oysters 
  brought 
  into 
  

   the 
  Apalachicola 
  market 
  yield 
  30 
  to 
  40 
  ounces 
  to 
  the 
  bushel. 
  The 
  

   highest 
  yield 
  known 
  in 
  a 
  day's 
  work 
  was 
  72 
  ounces 
  of 
  northern 
  oysters, 
  

   and 
  of 
  Ai)alachicola 
  oysters 
  43 
  ounces, 
  to 
  the 
  bushel. 
  

  

  MEASURES 
  FOR 
  IMPROVEMENT 
  OF 
  THE 
  BEDS. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  room 
  for 
  discussion 
  concerning 
  the 
  comparative 
  harmful 
  

   effects 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  tongs 
  and 
  dredges 
  in 
  Florida 
  waters, 
  as 
  the 
  use 
  

   of 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  prohibited 
  by 
  State 
  law. 
  A 
  copy 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  is 
  appended 
  

   to 
  the 
  report, 
  and 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  them 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  good 
  laws 
  have 
  been 
  

   enacted 
  by 
  the 
  legislature 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  natural 
  beds. 
  It 
  is 
  j)robable, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  an 
  improvement 
  would 
  be 
  made 
  by 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  taking 
  

   of 
  oysters 
  after 
  April 
  15, 
  or 
  even 
  earlier, 
  as 
  the 
  warm 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   cause 
  an 
  early 
  spawning 
  season. 
  It 
  is 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  the 
  law 
  regard- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  small 
  oysters 
  and 
  the 
  culling 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  — 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  the 
  latter 
  — 
  are 
  strictly 
  complied 
  with 
  by 
  the 
  oystermen, 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  

   of 
  the 
  greatest 
  importance 
  that 
  they 
  should 
  realize 
  that 
  this 
  law 
  should 
  

   be 
  strictly 
  obeyed 
  if 
  they 
  wish 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  

   beds 
  and 
  thus 
  insure 
  themselves 
  a 
  livelihood 
  in 
  the 
  future. 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  demand 
  appears 
  too 
  great 
  for 
  the 
  supply, 
  

   it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  beds 
  will 
  at 
  least 
  not 
  deteriorate 
  if 
  the 
  laws 
  

   be 
  enforced 
  regarding 
  the 
  restriction 
  of 
  tonging 
  during 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   season, 
  culling 
  at 
  i)laces 
  of 
  tonging 
  and 
  throwing 
  back 
  undersized 
  

   oysters, 
  and 
  allowing 
  no 
  dredging. 
  

  

  An 
  improvement 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  would 
  be 
  made 
  by 
  breaking 
  up 
  the 
  

   clusters 
  of 
  oysters 
  where 
  feasible. 
  

  

  OYSTER 
  BUSINESS 
  OF 
  APALACHICOLA. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  1836 
  to 
  18G1 
  a 
  few 
  thousand 
  barrels 
  of 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  in 
  the 
  shell 
  were 
  shipi)ed 
  each 
  season 
  to 
  Georgia 
  and 
  Alabama. 
  

   During 
  the 
  war 
  no 
  business 
  whatever 
  was 
  done, 
  but 
  at 
  its 
  close 
  the 
  

   shipments 
  were 
  resumed 
  and 
  continued 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  business 
  

   having 
  increased 
  in 
  later 
  years. 
  

  

  Before 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay 
  and 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound 
  were 
  prac- 
  

   tically 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  oyster 
  business 
  was 
  at 
  its 
  height, 
  

   120 
  to 
  150 
  vessels 
  were 
  employed 
  each 
  season 
  in 
  taking 
  oysters. 
  At 
  

   present 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fleet 
  of 
  12 
  vessels 
  obtaining 
  oysters 
  for 
  canning 
  pur- 
  

   poses, 
  and 
  20 
  for 
  raw 
  and 
  shell 
  shipment. 
  There 
  are 
  usually 
  three 
  men, 
  

   or 
  two 
  men 
  and 
  a 
  boy, 
  in 
  each 
  vessel, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  few 
  boats 
  

   with 
  only 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  men. 
  A 
  profitable 
  day's 
  work 
  in 
  favorable 
  weather, 
  

   for 
  two 
  men 
  in 
  a 
  boat, 
  working 
  — 
  as 
  is 
  usually 
  done 
  — 
  day 
  and 
  night 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  twenty-four 
  hours, 
  is 
  20 
  barrels. 
  

  

  