350 GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES. 



120. SMITHTOWN BAY. 



This great bay is an indentation of the Sound into the sbore line extending from Sugar Loaf 

 liock on the west to Crane Neck Point on the east, a distance of 7 or 8 miles in a line from point 

 to point. It is not at all land locked. The Nissequague River empties into it, and Stony Brook 

 Harbor, with its long inlet stretching east, called " Porpoise Channel," affords shelter for small craft. 

 Formerly a number of pound-nets were set in the bay, near its eastern end, but on account of the 

 scarcity of fish in this part of the sound they have been taken up. The fishing in the bay is done 

 chiefly by men from other localities. 



SMITHTOWN. The are no fishing interests here worth noting, if we except the trout ponds of 

 Mr. Aaron S. Vail and Mr. John M. Tyler. Mr. Vail is one of the oldest trout breeders in the 

 country. 



SAINT JAMES. There are two or three fishermen here, but their catch is consumed at home. 

 A fisherman from the next village estimated the products at 800 bushels of oysters ; 500 bushels 

 of hard clams; 900 bushels of soft clams, and 10,000 pounds of fresh fish. 



STONY BROOK. Eighty men, fifty of whom are married, live by fishing in the bay. With their 

 children there are three hundred persons dependent on the fisheries. There are 10 sloops, aggre- 

 gating 110 tons, used here, none of them being over 10 tons; $10,000 are invested in boats and tools 

 and $20,000 additional in oyster beds. The shipments all go by boat; 20,000 bushels of hard clams, 

 30,000 bushels of soft clams, and 18,000 bushels of oysters were sold last year. About 20,000 pounds 

 offish, including flounders, bluefish, and other species found in the sound, were caught last year, 

 the entire quantity being consumed locally. 



121. CONSCIENCE BAY AND VICINITY. 



Conscience Bay, and Setauket and Port Jefferson Harbors, lying between Old Field Point and 

 Mount Misery Point, are practically one fishing ground, and it is almost impossible to separate the 

 interests of the different villages. Port Jefferson Harbor is a favorite wintering place for pleasure, 

 yachts of the first class on account of its depth of water and its being securely land-locked. 



SETAUKET. Six men from this place devote their attention to oystering and clamming. 

 John Sharpe and his son Charles buy soft clams at 40 cents per bushel, taking them across the 

 island to Patchogue, where they sell them for $1. About 200 bushels were handled by them last 

 year. There are two oyster planters, George E. Hand and William llisley; they secured 3,000 

 bushels of oysters last year. They employ two sloops of 500 bushels capacity. The catch is sent 

 to Bridgeport, Conn. 



EAST SETAUKET. Fifty men from here are engaged in oystering in Port Jefferson Bay. 

 Fully $25,000 are invested in oyster beds. The oyster business was not good this year; the oyster 

 spat has not "set" well for four years. Thirty thousand bushels of oysters and 5,000 bushels of 

 soft clams were marketed. Hard clams are plenty, and not less than 20,000 bushels were shipped. 

 Eels are taken in pots of basket-work; 15,000 pounds were marketed. Twenty thousand pounds 

 of fresh fish were taken for home consumption. 



PORT JEFFERSON. Thirty-five men from this town are engaged in the work on the bay; 

 twenty are married and one hundred and thirty persons depend upon their industry. All ship- 

 ments go by boat. Hard clams are taken in summer and soft clams in winter. Sometimes scal- 

 lops are taken here, as well as crabs and lobsters. Many soft clams and oysters go from this place 

 to Norwalk, New Haven, and Bridgeport, Conn. In former years oyster beds were free, but 

 they are now leased by the town at $3 per acre, 4 acres being the limit allowed to one person. 





