The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-12-28
CONNECTICUT SHELL FISH.
SYNOPSIS OF ANNUAL REPORT
 OF THE COMMISSIONERS.

Poor Set for Four Years Causes Light
 ReceIpts-A Falling OH In Taxes and Gh .Amount of New Grounds soid-
 Shore Being Rapidly Taken by Pri-
 VRte or Corporate Owners.
 The report of the Connecticut shell fish commissioners for the year ending September 30, 1903, has just been issued. The commissioners are George c. Wal do, of Bridgeport, Christian Swartz, of South Norwalk, and William J. Atwa- ter, of New Haven.
 A list of the new laws is given in the report and statement of the efforts to arrange the laws governing the grow ing and taking Of shell fish and lobste being made by commissions represent ing New York and Connecticut.
 The financial report of the year shows that SS,29S.93 was collected and $6.117.44 expended by the commission, the latter not including $S07.OS ex- pended for mud-dumping. The taxes collected amount to s7,911-7S less than AnSt ySctIs IlSSS1plo ilGW SIOutiQS were small, only 27S.9O acres being sold. The poor set for four years is given as a reason for this. This also accounts for the fall in the number of boat li- censes to 240, as against 336 in 1900 Re- ceipts from this source were $S3.50. The report states that the list grows small CT as consultations occur, and those who fail to find the business agreeable drop out. s,
 The aggregate of grounds owned and under cultivation does not decrease much and is likely to increase to the extent of the unoccupied available grounds under improved conditions. Larger and better steamers are being built continually by leading planters. In 1894 there were 33S persons or cor porations holding 6S,6s6.S acres of oys- ter beds. To-day there are 1S1s persons or corporations holding 66,745 acres.
 The commission has arranged for an exhibit at the St. Louis Worlds fair next year. .,r... az...5........
 The report calls attention to the fact that the commission has found that the Connecticut shore is being rapidly talk en by private or corporate owners for private use, cutting off the public from places they have been accustomed to use. This has necessitated a rearrange- ment of oyster signals in many places. It is to be hoped, the report says, that, in case the state decides to reserve cer- tain portions of the shore for public use, the right to establish state signals upon them for the use of the oyster business will be reserved.
 "A year ago." says the report "it was the hope of the commissioners that the three years of partial and unsatis- factory set would be succeeded in 1908 by a full set which would re-seed the public grounds and restock Connecticut waters, but this has not been the case. In a few exceptional cases planters had a set on grounds favorably located this year, and some will be able to tide over the hiatus which four years of failure will make in the oyster succession. What difference four poor years will make to the planters can readily be im- agined and to the worker on natural grounds 1t is simply destruction. There is absolutely no set on the natural beds of the state, and the great Stratford and Bridgeport natural bed, which five years ago furnished over four hundred thousand bushels of seed oysters to the trade, will not furnish a bushel this year and has not been much better for three years."
 The report says that planters are locking into methods for artificial re- seeding and that there is reason to be- lieve that these Investigations will re- suit in conditions in time.