FISHERIES, GAME AND FORESTS. 59 



needed to make the State of New York the greatest Northern oyster-producing State 

 is liberal legislation and proper attention to oyster interests. 



The most important work in my department other than the settlement of these dis- 

 putes as to the natural-growth beds of oysters was the survey of Jamaica Bay. This 

 Bay, where 500 men make a living in the oyster business, is especially suited for the 

 growth of oysters for market. Oysters will not reproduce themselves in Jamaica Bay, 

 and must be brought there as seed ; but when transplanted, thrive wonderfully, and, 

 being of excellent flavor, are readily marketed. 



Oyster culture has been carried on for a long time in this bay ; the town granted a 

 form of lease which, while very good in its way, gave the oystermen but little protec- 

 tion, and the recent change of the law, and the opinion of the Attorney-General 

 having been obtained to the effect that the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game and 

 Forests could grant lands under water for oyster cultivation in the Kings county portion 

 of this bay, the oystermen at once made application for State leases. I immediately 

 caused a survey to be made, which is about completed, and which has been filed in the 

 office of the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game and Forests. This survey, a copy of 

 which will go to the State Engineer's Office, will be of great value to the State, not 

 only for the purpose of granting lands under water for oyster culture, but also in grant- 

 ing lands under water for riparian purposes by the Commissioners of the Land Office. 



About one hundred applications for leases of land under water in this bay have 

 already been received and a large number have been advertised and sold. There are 

 still a large number of applications pending, and the survey is still incomplete ; but it 

 can be very easily and cheaply finished, as the principal work is completed. In addi- 

 tion to this work, and pursuant to the same opinion of the Attorney-General, I caused 

 a thorough survey to be made of the shores of Long Island Sound and Westchester 

 county, and several applications have already been received from this territory. 



There is a large amount of excellent oyster land still unapplied for in Long Island 

 Sound, although the survey of the entire shore, as far as Orient to the eastward and 

 Throgs Neck westward, has been completed ; and the expense of the engineer's 

 department of the Shellfish Co'mmissi oner's branch of your work will be very slight 

 hereafter. I have caused a number of signals used by the old Commission, that were 

 of a temporary character, to be replaced by more permanent ones, and, in addition, 

 have repaired many of the old signals. As a result, the entire line of signals, both in 

 Raritan Bay and Long Island Sound, are now in excellent condition, and can be kept 

 so with but slight expense. In order that the people of the State may better compre- 

 hend the extent of the shellfish industry, I have caused a census to be taken which, 

 though necessarily incomplete, is still of great value. This census shows that 6,280 

 men, using 18 steamers, 9 schooners, 235 sloops and 1,435 boats and skiffs, are 



