﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  333 
  

  

  however, 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  very 
  large, 
  uot 
  even 
  enough 
  being 
  taten 
  to 
  

   meet 
  the 
  demands 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  market. 
  Owing 
  to 
  excessive 
  toiiging 
  

   and 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  storms, 
  the 
  supply 
  has 
  been 
  steadily 
  decreasing. 
  

   The 
  heavy 
  storm 
  of 
  July 
  7, 
  1890, 
  was 
  especially 
  destructive, 
  and 
  nearly 
  

   effected 
  the 
  ruin 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  both 
  bays 
  by 
  sweeping 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   reefs 
  clean 
  and 
  by 
  flooding 
  the 
  others 
  with 
  mud. 
  Accompanying 
  the 
  

   storm 
  was 
  a 
  heavy 
  rainfall 
  which 
  caused 
  the 
  Escambia 
  and 
  other 
  rivers 
  

   emptying 
  into 
  the 
  bays 
  to 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  height, 
  making 
  the 
  water 
  on 
  

   the 
  oyster- 
  grounds 
  so 
  fresh 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  that 
  had 
  survived 
  

   the 
  storm 
  were 
  killed. 
  The 
  greatest 
  damage 
  was 
  done 
  in 
  Escambia 
  

   Bay. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  winter 
  of 
  1890-97, 
  almost 
  the 
  only 
  places 
  where 
  

   oysters 
  could.be 
  secured 
  were 
  in 
  East 
  Bay 
  and 
  Blackwater 
  Bay, 
  an 
  off- 
  

   shoot 
  of 
  East 
  Bay, 
  where 
  the 
  beds 
  were 
  somewhat 
  protected. 
  

  

  Perdido 
  Bay, 
  which 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  dividing 
  Florida 
  and 
  Alabama, 
  at 
  

   one 
  time 
  contained 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  good 
  oyster 
  beds 
  which 
  yielded 
  a 
  large 
  

   supply 
  each 
  year. 
  The 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  bay 
  from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  is 
  quite 
  tor- 
  

   tuous 
  and 
  some 
  years 
  ago, 
  in 
  an 
  effort 
  to 
  straighten 
  it 
  by 
  cutting 
  new 
  

   channels 
  through 
  several 
  points, 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  made 
  

   too 
  salty 
  and 
  the 
  oysters 
  died. 
  The 
  few 
  oysters 
  still 
  surviving 
  do 
  not 
  

   pay 
  for 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  tonging. 
  

  

  The 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  

   institution 
  of 
  oyster-culture, 
  and 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  business 
  

   of 
  the 
  future 
  will 
  dej)end 
  largely 
  on 
  cultivation. 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  

   oyster-planting 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  began 
  in 
  1888, 
  when 
  one 
  person 
  planted 
  

   about 
  6,000 
  bushels 
  on 
  prepared 
  ground 
  in 
  Escambia 
  Bay 
  and 
  Santa 
  

   Eosa 
  Sound; 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  following 
  years 
  7,500 
  and 
  12,000 
  bushels 
  of 
  

   seed, 
  respectively, 
  were 
  planted. 
  The 
  seed 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  Escambia, 
  

   East, 
  and 
  St. 
  Andrews 
  bays. 
  From 
  this 
  the 
  business 
  increased 
  until 
  

   now 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  persons 
  having 
  beds 
  of 
  cultivated 
  oysters 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Pensacola. 
  The 
  bottom 
  on 
  nearly 
  all 
  sides 
  of 
  lOscam- 
  

   bia 
  Bay 
  is 
  from 
  G 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  mud 
  

   that 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  oysters. 
  

  

  No 
  difficulty 
  has 
  been 
  experienced 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  except 
  that 
  of 
  

   keeping 
  poachers 
  off 
  the 
  beds. 
  The 
  steaHng 
  of 
  oysters 
  became 
  such 
  a 
  

   nuisance 
  and 
  caused 
  so 
  much 
  loss 
  that 
  owners 
  of 
  cultivated 
  beds 
  joined 
  

   together 
  for 
  mutual 
  protection 
  and 
  had 
  seveial 
  trespassers 
  arrested 
  

   and 
  convicted. 
  Lately 
  the 
  legislature 
  ])assed 
  a 
  law 
  providing 
  that 
  the 
  

   owner 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  front 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  who 
  can 
  establish 
  an 
  artilicial 
  

   bed; 
  he 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  I'OO 
  yards 
  of 
  shore 
  extending 
  out 
  to 
  the 
  

   main 
  channel. 
  As 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  along 
  these 
  bays 
  belongs 
  to 
  

   nonresident 
  persons 
  who 
  purchased 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  timlier 
  ;nul 
  who 
  have 
  no 
  

   inclination 
  to 
  engage 
  in 
  oyster-culture, 
  this 
  law 
  renders 
  unavailable 
  

   considerable 
  good 
  bottom. 
  The 
  planting 
  of 
  oysters 
  ami 
  the 
  claiming 
  

   of 
  ownership 
  in 
  the 
  beds 
  so 
  planted 
  is 
  not 
  pojjular 
  among 
  the 
  tongers 
  

   of 
  Pensacola, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  suflicient 
  i>rotection 
  is 
  not 
  

   afforded 
  by 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  artiticial 
  beds 
  suffered 
  ecpially 
  with 
  the 
  

   natural 
  grounds 
  during 
  the 
  storm 
  of 
  July 
  7, 
  1890, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  

  

  