﻿324 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  being- 
  the 
  St. 
  Mark 
  Bars. 
  The 
  oysters 
  from 
  these 
  bars 
  are 
  very 
  large, 
  

   and 
  (luring 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1895-96 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  lots, 
  when 
  shucked, 
  

   yielded 
  about 
  1^ 
  gallons 
  of 
  meats 
  to 
  the 
  bushel. 
  

  

  In 
  1895 
  and 
  1896, 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  

   HawJc 
  made 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-grounds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Apalachi- 
  

   cohi. 
  The 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  investigations 
  appear 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  Report 
  for 
  1896 
  (pp. 
  187-221). 
  

  

  While 
  natural 
  agencies 
  have 
  undoubtedly 
  done 
  some 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  

   oyster-grounds, 
  excessive 
  touging 
  without 
  any 
  efforts 
  to 
  replenish 
  the 
  

   beds 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  potent 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  decrease. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  practice 
  

   of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  oystermen 
  to 
  move 
  out 
  into 
  deep 
  water 
  to 
  cull 
  their 
  

   catch; 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  all 
  the 
  spat 
  and 
  small 
  oysters 
  adhering 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  

   shells 
  are 
  destroyed, 
  by 
  being 
  covered 
  with 
  mud, 
  and 
  the 
  beds 
  are 
  

   further 
  damaged 
  by 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  materials 
  to 
  which 
  new 
  spat 
  

   may 
  adhere. 
  This 
  api)ears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  done 
  in 
  violation 
  of 
  law, 
  as 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  statute 
  prohibiting 
  the 
  culling 
  of 
  oysters 
  anywhere 
  except 
  

   over 
  the 
  bed 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  taken. 
  

  

  While 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  say 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  the 
  oyster 
  supply, 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  those 
  interested 
  think 
  

   differently, 
  and 
  the 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  substantiate 
  

   the 
  latter 
  view. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  oysters 
  taken 
  in 
  Franklin 
  County 
  in 
  

   1895 
  was 
  only 
  27 
  per 
  cent 
  that 
  in 
  1890. 
  This 
  decrease 
  was 
  in 
  part 
  due 
  

   to 
  a 
  reduction 
  in 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  canning 
  business, 
  which 
  consumes 
  a 
  

   large 
  quantity 
  of 
  oysters. 
  There 
  were 
  two 
  canneries 
  in 
  operation 
  in 
  

   1890 
  and 
  only 
  one 
  in 
  1895, 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  reasons 
  for 
  shutting 
  

   down 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  canneries 
  was 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  supply 
  was 
  not 
  sufli- 
  

   cient 
  to 
  keep 
  both 
  canneries 
  running 
  on 
  full 
  time. 
  The 
  manager 
  of 
  the 
  

   cannery 
  now 
  in 
  operation 
  states 
  that 
  no 
  difficulty 
  is 
  experienced 
  in 
  

   getting 
  enough 
  oysters 
  for 
  his 
  purposes, 
  but 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  compelled 
  to 
  use 
  

   a 
  quality 
  that 
  is 
  inferior 
  to 
  that 
  previously 
  utilized, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  deple- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  grounds. 
  No 
  attempts 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  cultivate 
  

   oysters 
  in 
  this 
  county, 
  but 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  very 
  favorable 
  for 
  oyster 
  

   planting, 
  and 
  the 
  Commission's 
  investigations 
  have 
  shown 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  

   suitable 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  

  

  In 
  1895 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  and 
  Carrabelle 
  gave 
  

   employment 
  to 
  168 
  persons; 
  of 
  these, 
  128 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  tonging 
  

   and 
  40 
  in 
  the 
  canning 
  business 
  or 
  in 
  other 
  capacities 
  on 
  shore. 
  The 
  

   oyster 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats 
  numbered 
  56 
  and 
  were 
  valued 
  at 
  $8,935. 
  

   The 
  apparatus 
  with 
  which 
  oysters 
  were 
  taken 
  (93 
  pairs 
  of 
  tongs) 
  was 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $635. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  oysters 
  taken 
  was 
  60,389 
  bushels, 
  for 
  

   which 
  the 
  oystermen 
  received 
  $14,101, 
  an 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  23 
  cents 
  a 
  

   bushel. 
  In 
  1890 
  the 
  oyster 
  output 
  of 
  this 
  county 
  was 
  218,326 
  bushels, 
  

   having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $36,971 
  — 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  17 
  cents 
  a 
  bushel. 
  

  

  The 
  sponge 
  industry. 
  — 
  Tbe 
  sponge 
  fishery 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  is 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  by 
  a 
  small 
  fieet 
  of 
  vessels 
  and 
  decked 
  boats, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  

   less 
  than 
  6 
  tons. 
  Only 
  7 
  of 
  the 
  fleet 
  in 
  1895 
  were 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  take 
  

  

  