﻿158 
  KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [2] 
  

  

  under 
  water 
  controlled 
  by 
  this 
  company 
  lies 
  close 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  

   the 
  bay 
  near 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Greenport 
  and 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  tidal 
  

   current 
  flowing 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time; 
  consequently 
  the 
  oysters 
  get 
  plenty 
  

   of 
  food, 
  and 
  show 
  this 
  by 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  fine 
  growth. 
  At 
  least 
  all 
  of 
  

   those 
  we 
  examined 
  showed 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  increase 
  in 
  size 
  since 
  they 
  

   were 
  laid 
  down 
  in 
  December, 
  1884. 
  In 
  many 
  instances 
  this 
  increase 
  

   was 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  2£ 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  proportionately 
  in 
  width. 
  For 
  

   many 
  years 
  past 
  the 
  only 
  oysters 
  obtained 
  from 
  Peconic 
  Bay 
  and 
  

   vicinity 
  were 
  of 
  the 
  class 
  known 
  as 
  single 
  oysters, 
  found 
  scattered 
  here 
  

   and 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  sand, 
  and 
  among 
  the 
  pebbles 
  of 
  various 
  portions 
  of 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  and 
  gathered 
  principally 
  by 
  the 
  clammers 
  when 
  

   raking 
  for 
  clams, 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  scollopers 
  when 
  after 
  scollops. 
  But 
  it 
  was 
  

   known, 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  beds 
  of 
  old 
  dead 
  oyster-shells 
  found 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  bay, 
  that 
  formerly 
  the 
  bay 
  was 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  this 
  

   bivalve, 
  and 
  laws 
  were 
  passed 
  by 
  the 
  legislature 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  in 
  1883 
  

   authorizing 
  the 
  towns 
  located 
  upon 
  the 
  bay 
  to 
  appoint 
  commissioners 
  

   to 
  survey 
  such 
  lands 
  under 
  water 
  as 
  were 
  thought 
  suitable 
  for 
  oyster 
  

   cultivation, 
  and 
  to 
  deed 
  such 
  lands, 
  in 
  small 
  allotments, 
  to 
  those 
  de- 
  

   sirous 
  of 
  planting 
  and 
  cultivating 
  oysters. 
  Our 
  pilot, 
  Mr. 
  Monsell, 
  was 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  commissioners 
  thus 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Southold, 
  and 
  

   after 
  the 
  land 
  had 
  been 
  surveyed 
  in 
  several 
  localities, 
  most 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  

   taken 
  up 
  by 
  those 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity, 
  and 
  then, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   facilitate 
  work, 
  these 
  parties 
  formed 
  themselves 
  into 
  oyster 
  companies. 
  

   There 
  are 
  consequently 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  plots 
  of 
  land, 
  of 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  ex- 
  

   tent, 
  now 
  under 
  cultivation 
  in 
  Peconic 
  Bay, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   planted 
  with 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  within 
  a 
  year 
  past, 
  

   and 
  everywhere 
  the 
  growth 
  has 
  been 
  all 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  desired; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   yet 
  too 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  enterprise 
  to 
  enable 
  any 
  one 
  to 
  tell 
  

   whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  oysters 
  will 
  fatten, 
  and 
  be 
  well 
  flavored 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   grow 
  fast. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  outlook 
  is 
  thus 
  very 
  bright 
  for 
  the 
  planters 
  in 
  the 
  Peconic 
  

   Bay 
  region, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  mere 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  is 
  concerned, 
  they 
  

   have 
  one 
  very 
  serious 
  evil 
  against 
  which 
  to 
  contend, 
  and 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  

   starfish. 
  In 
  certain 
  sections 
  we 
  found 
  these 
  pests 
  in 
  immense 
  num- 
  

   bers, 
  and 
  they 
  undoubtedly 
  are 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  dead 
  shell-beds 
  of 
  

   the 
  bay 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  so 
  few 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  native 
  in 
  these 
  

   waters. 
  Against 
  these 
  animals 
  the 
  planters 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  make 
  war 
  

   incessantly 
  or 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  have 
  any 
  oysters 
  to 
  need 
  protection. 
  But 
  

   if 
  by 
  concerted 
  action 
  the 
  planters 
  get 
  rid 
  of 
  the 
  major 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  star- 
  

   fish, 
  and 
  then 
  by 
  constant 
  watching 
  and 
  working 
  keep 
  them 
  in 
  sub- 
  

   jection, 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  as 
  if 
  Peconic 
  Bay 
  might 
  become 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  

   rich 
  oyster 
  region, 
  especially 
  as 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  comparatively 
  stable, 
  and 
  

   there 
  are 
  thousands 
  of 
  acres 
  where 
  the 
  soil 
  is, 
  for 
  oyster 
  culture, 
  equal 
  

   to 
  anything 
  the 
  most 
  ardent 
  oysterman 
  could 
  desire. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   employed 
  for 
  seed 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  the 
  bay 
  are 
  brought 
  from 
  Connecticut 
  ; 
  

   a 
  few, 
  however, 
  are 
  brought 
  from 
  other 
  localities. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  planters 
  

  

  