﻿153 
  

  

  3iours, 
  60,000 
  oysters. 
  That 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  was 
  immediately 
  

   bnoyeJ, 
  and 
  no 
  more 
  fishing 
  allowed 
  during 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  Having 
  then 
  seen 
  what 
  is 
  considered 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  by 
  European 
  nations, 
  and 
  why 
  it 
  is 
  neces- 
  

   sary, 
  the 
  question 
  is 
  how 
  we 
  can 
  best 
  use 
  their 
  experience. 
  

   The 
  best 
  remedy 
  for 
  any 
  evil 
  is 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  cause, 
  and 
  

   the 
  beds 
  in 
  Tangier 
  and 
  Pocomoke 
  Sounds 
  are 
  suffering 
  from 
  

   over-dredging 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  brood. 
  Un- 
  

   til 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  production 
  and 
  the 
  proportion 
  between 
  the 
  

   number 
  spawned 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  reaching 
  maturity 
  is 
  de- 
  

   cided, 
  only 
  a 
  specified 
  number 
  should 
  be 
  taken 
  oft' 
  of 
  each 
  

   bed 
  in 
  the 
  Sounds. 
  If 
  observations, 
  both 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  

   removed 
  and 
  the 
  increase 
  or 
  decrease 
  of 
  the 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  

   square 
  yard 
  were 
  continued, 
  a 
  basis 
  might 
  be 
  found 
  for 
  the 
  es- 
  

   tablishment 
  of 
  the 
  maximum 
  number 
  to 
  be 
  removed. 
  Until 
  

   that 
  number 
  is 
  established 
  no 
  working 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  should 
  be 
  

   permitted 
  between 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  April 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  No- 
  

   vember, 
  and 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  Pocomoke 
  Sound 
  should 
  be 
  

   dredged 
  over 
  at 
  all, 
  except 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  clean 
  

   them. 
  There 
  should 
  be 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  of 
  oyster 
  guard- 
  

   boats 
  to 
  superintend 
  the 
  dredging, 
  both 
  in 
  general 
  and 
  when 
  

   for 
  cleansing 
  purposes 
  ; 
  to 
  CQllect 
  statistics 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  

   •of 
  young 
  and 
  mature 
  oysters 
  removed, 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  all 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  proportion 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  yard. 
  They 
  might 
  

   also 
  collect 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  useful 
  information 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  

   beds. 
  During 
  September 
  and 
  October 
  they 
  should 
  examine 
  

   the 
  beds, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  young, 
  and 
  

   those 
  beds 
  having 
  a 
  large 
  proportion 
  should 
  be 
  reserved 
  from 
  

   dredging 
  operations 
  until 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  resist 
  the 
  ac- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  dredge. 
  No 
  oysters 
  below 
  a 
  certain 
  size 
  should 
  be 
  

   taken 
  off" 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  punishable 
  to 
  have 
  those 
  

   under 
  the 
  specified 
  size 
  in 
  possession. 
  Whenever 
  it 
  is 
  judged 
  

   that 
  any 
  bed 
  open 
  to 
  general 
  fishing 
  is 
  being 
  worked 
  beyond 
  

   its 
  capacity, 
  the 
  oyster 
  guard 
  should 
  have 
  power 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   any 
  further 
  dredging 
  on 
  it. 
  When 
  any 
  bed 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  young 
  upon 
  it 
  is 
  open, 
  either 
  the 
  packers 
  or 
  fishermen 
  

   should 
  be 
  compelled, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  to 
  return 
  the 
  shells 
  to 
  

   the 
  beds, 
  or 
  the 
  hard 
  bottoms 
  surrounding 
  them, 
  within 
  a 
  cer- 
  

  

  