232 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
Table showing the number of longing licenses issued in Maryland during each season since 1865. 
[Figures in bold-face type indicate that licenses were issued to the men, in other instances the boats were licensed.] 
Tears. 
Somerset. 
Wicomico. 
P 
Talbot. 
Queen Anne. 
Kent. 
Anne Arundel. 
Calvert. 
St. Mary. 
Charles. 
£ 
Total number of 
boats. 
Total number of j 
men. 
1865-66 
267 
89 
243 
212 
116 
117 
162 
1 139 
229 
19 
65 
1,658 
1866-67 
263 
86 
251 
234 
103 
98 
193 
157 
220 
15 
64 
1,684 
1867-68 
234 
92 
220 
241 
146 
84 
218 
183 
284 
21 
80 
1, 803 
1868-69 
246 
110 
• 257 
246 
105 
93 
222 
189 
336 
22 
81 
1,907 
1869-70 
128 
115 
210 
202 
67 
77 
223 1 
180 
309 
16 
120 
1, 647 
1870-71 
178 
112 
331 
199 
115 
103 
234 
145 
267 
g 
(*) 
1,692 
1871-72 
252 
106 
441 
184 
119 
96 
240 ' 
146 
220 
12 
(*) 
1,816 
1872-73 
245 
195 
575 
274 
178 
95 
300 
324 
362 
48 
(*) 
2, 596 
1873-74 
125 
125 
405 
280 
183 
109 
421 
380 
307 
22 
(*> 
2, 357 
1874-75 
329 
172 
472 
294 
210 
120 
314 
237 
50 
291 
2, 523 
291 
1875-76 
239 
98 
280 
276 
172 
101 
396 
207 
272 
49 
241 
2, 090 
241 
1876-77 
72 
88 
212 
254 
146 
101 
250 
186 
244 
28 
193 
1, 581 
193 
1877-78 
59 
133 
182 
217 
139 
106 
348 
198 
197 
23 
170 
1, 602 
170 
1878-79 
2 
108 
142 
258 
144 
122 
343 
243 
212 
30 
211 
1, 604 
211 
1879-80 
2 
134 
199 
281 
145 
123 
301 
312 
183 
41 
106 
1, 721 
106 
1880-81 
37 
173 
291 
386 
391 
137 
310 
306 
297 
101 
237 
2, 429 
237 
1881-82 
17 
171 
317 
371 
389 
114 
342 
314 
350 
118 
300 
2, 503 
360 
1882-83 
25 
197 
353 
294 
511 
138 
364’ 
269 
386 
93 
333 
2, 630 
333 
1883-84 
106 
183 
387 
260 
501 
181 
358 
259 
366 
180 
336 
2,781 
336 
1884-85 
756 
296 
696 
457 
648 
250 
407 
392 
663 
176 
153 
4, 741 
153 
1885-86 
536 
300 
736 
453 
263 
267 
456 
367 
618 
136 
62 
4, 132 
62 
1886-87 
317 
344 
742 
430 
248 
245 
472 
317 
610 
130 
97 
3, 855 
97 
1887-88 
207 
340 
839 
450 
251 
262 
512 
359 
582 
112 
126 
3,914 
126 
1888-89 
191 
289 
861 
490 
284 
267 
560 
423 
558 
132 
110 
4, 055 
110 
1889-90 
176 
297 
948 
559 
364 
316 
607 
461 
626 
136 
145 
4, 490 
145 
1890-91 
355 
304 
1, 003 
1,237 
1.112 
769 
650 
521 
757 
155 
1S3 
3, 745 
3,301 
1891-92 
330 
333 
933 
727 
1,004 
862 
615 
531 
759 
122 
100 
3, 623 
2.753 
1892-93 
546 
649 
1,699 
1,199 
939 
741 
1,113 
808 
1,127 
188 
172 
9,081 
*Tongmen exempt from license system. 
Area and location of grounds . — The water area within the county limits of Mary- 
land approximates 1,025 square miles. Tonging is permitted on all of this area except 
certain small places reserved for private use, yet as scraping is authorized in Som- 
erset, Dorchester, and Talbot counties on 112, 118, and 47 square miles, respectively, 
and as the tongmen do not usually work on grounds frequented by men using more 
effective apparatus, only 748 square miles of water area are devoted exclusively to 
their use. Of this the area more or less covered with natural oyster reefs approxi- 
mates 131 square miles. Of the 1,334 square miles of “ State grounds,” 35 square 
miles containing some of the best reefs are reserved for the tongmen, 23 miles of this 
area being covered with natural reefs. This gives a total of 154 square miles of 
oyster beds on which tonging alone is authorized. The average annual product from 
this area during the last five seasons has approximated 4,850,000 bushels, for wh oh 
the oystermen have received $2,200,000, an average of 31,493 bushels and $14,269 to 
the square mile. 
The reefs situated within the tonging areas are usually smaller in extent and not 
so continuous as those in the dredging and scraping areas. The ground is not so 
level, the oysters occurring more in heaps. These reefs are located principally along 
the Anne Arundel shore, in the Patuxent Eiver, Chester Eiver, Eastern Bay, and the 
small tributary waters of Choptank Eiver and Tangier Sound. They are all close in 
shore where the water is shallow, usually not exceeding 26 feet in depth, and averag- 
ing from 10 to 22 feet. In a few localities, however, as in the Patuxent Eiver, much 
greater depths are found; but in those places a form of tongs suitable for deep water 
is employed to some extent. 
