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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMI.SSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  These 
  beds 
  have 
  beeu 
  very 
  productive, 
  but 
  all 
  agree 
  that 
  the 
  deinaud 
  

   made 
  upon 
  them 
  has 
  been 
  too 
  great 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  much 
  more 
  diffi- 
  

   cult 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  boat 
  load 
  than 
  formerly. 
  Attempts 
  have 
  beeu 
  made 
  at 
  

   transplanting 
  by 
  Mr. 
  William 
  H. 
  Anderson, 
  of 
  Cedar 
  Keys, 
  and 
  the 
  

   results 
  were 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  until 
  stealing 
  the 
  oysters 
  from 
  his 
  bar 
  

   became 
  too 
  frequent. 
  The 
  laws 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  do 
  not 
  afford 
  adequate 
  

   protection 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  strive 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  natural 
  outj)ut 
  of 
  the 
  

   beds, 
  and 
  all 
  who 
  have 
  experimented 
  in 
  that 
  line 
  have 
  become 
  discour- 
  

   aged 
  and 
  given 
  uj) 
  the 
  matter. 
  The 
  recent 
  severe 
  freezes 
  and 
  the 
  great 
  

   storm 
  of 
  September, 
  1896, 
  also 
  did 
  much 
  toward 
  destroying 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   beds 
  of 
  this 
  region. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  beds 
  in 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  Spring 
  .Creek 
  Bay, 
  

   near 
  Shell 
  Point, 
  in 
  Wakulla 
  County, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  much 
  

   worked. 
  Small 
  beds 
  near 
  Carrabelle 
  are 
  fished 
  to 
  some 
  extent. 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  important, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  extensive, 
  oyster- 
  

   grounds 
  on 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast 
  are 
  those 
  in 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay 
  and 
  vicinity. 
  

   These 
  grounds 
  have 
  recently 
  been 
  carefully 
  surveyed 
  by 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  steamer 
  FisJi 
  Jlaivk, 
  and 
  are 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  report.* 
  

   The 
  most 
  important 
  beds 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  on 
  Sneeds, 
  Peters, 
  Bulkhead, 
  

   East 
  Hole, 
  Porter, 
  Korth 
  Lump, 
  Greenpoiut, 
  and 
  Lilly 
  bars. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  opinion 
  among 
  those 
  consulted 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  steadily 
  decreasing, 
  yet 
  there 
  are 
  those 
  who 
  

   deny 
  that 
  any 
  considerable 
  decrease 
  has 
  occurred. 
  The 
  causes 
  of 
  the 
  

   decrease 
  are 
  several, 
  among 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  freezes, 
  severe 
  

   storms, 
  and 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  fishing. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  are 
  said 
  

   to 
  be 
  out 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  extreme 
  low 
  tide, 
  and 
  a 
  severe 
  freeze 
  occurring 
  at 
  

   that 
  time 
  kills 
  the 
  oysters. 
  Recent 
  storms 
  swept 
  many 
  oysters 
  off 
  the 
  

   beds 
  on 
  to 
  mud 
  bottom, 
  where 
  they 
  smothered. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  dealers, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  oystermen, 
  are 
  

   in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  leasing 
  the 
  beds 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  desire 
  them. 
  By 
  

   this 
  means 
  they 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  yield 
  can 
  be 
  greatly 
  increased. 
  

  

  Valuable 
  oyster-grounds 
  exist 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  west 
  of 
  Aijalachicola, 
  

   the 
  most 
  extensive 
  being 
  in 
  St. 
  Andrews, 
  Escambia, 
  East, 
  and 
  Perdido 
  

   bays. 
  Considerable 
  quantities 
  of 
  oysters 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  St. 
  Andrews 
  

   Bay, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  very 
  thin 
  shells 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  shipped 
  to 
  

   distant 
  points, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  consequently 
  used 
  locally 
  or 
  at 
  

   Pensacola. 
  Ko 
  particular 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  these 
  beds 
  has 
  

   occurred. 
  The 
  important 
  oyster-grounds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Pensacola 
  

   have 
  suffered 
  greatly 
  from 
  natural 
  causes. 
  The 
  principal 
  beds 
  were 
  

   almost 
  wholly 
  destroyed 
  in 
  July, 
  1890, 
  by 
  a 
  storm 
  which 
  swept 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  reefs 
  clean 
  and 
  flooded 
  others 
  with 
  mud; 
  an 
  accompanying 
  

   freshet 
  did 
  further 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  surviving 
  oysters. 
  The 
  demand 
  in 
  

   this 
  section 
  is 
  in 
  excess 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  supply, 
  and 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on, 
  although 
  to 
  only 
  a 
  limited 
  extent. 
  This 
  

   business 
  would 
  doubtless 
  develop 
  much 
  more 
  rapidly 
  if 
  the 
  planters 
  

  

  "Report 
  of 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  regions 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound, 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay, 
  

   and 
  St. 
  Ge()rj>;e 
  Sound, 
  Florida. 
  «v 
  Lieut. 
  Franklin 
  Swift, 
  U, 
  S. 
  N. 
  (Report 
  United 
  

   States 
  Fisb 
  Commission, 
  189t;, 
  pp. 
  187-221.) 
  

  

  