Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-08-17
FISH and OYSTER NOTES

doing good work towards stopping de-
predations on public grounds during
the summer. In James River, where
robbery had heretofore been common
during the entire summer, it has been
practically stopped Several guard
boats loaned by the citizens, and man.
ned by the crews of the oyster navy,
have put an effectual quietus on James
River oyster thieves On the Seaside
more guards have been put on, and the
effect is already apparent. Several
violators have already been arrested
and punished. Capt. Chandler arrested
three last week. Mcdonald Lee, the
Chairman of the Board. is hustler, and
is moving around all over the oyster
section looking after matters. The
Secretary, S. Wilkins Matthews, is
usually with him. --Accomac News.
The value of the water products taken
and sold by United States fishermen in
1905 was approximately $50, $50, 600,
and this sum is exclusive of the very
considerable fisheries of insular posses
sions and the immense quantities of
fish taken for home consumption and
by sportsmen. The number of persons
who make livelihood in this industry
is about $4,000, and the capital in
vested exceeds $S2, 100000 The most
valuable of all the fishery products
is the oyster, in the output of
which the United States surpasses all
other countries combined. The crop of
1905 may be placed at 80, 900, 600 bushels,
with a market value of $l5, 760, coo.
Virginia has recently assumed the first
rank as an oyster producing state,
owing chiefly to the more general prac-
tice of oyster farming, the states yield
being now upward of $500, 900 bushels,
with value to the producers of $3,-
$50. 600. Pacific Fisherman.
The rock oyster is found only on the
coasts of Spain and of Oregon. To Ore
gonians, digging rock oysters is a regu-
lar pastime. In the early morning be-
fore the sun is high, crowds armed
with picks and shovels wend their way
to the famous rock oyster beds. It's
scientific name is pholas. Like all BIZ
valves it has right and left valves,
each having on its middle portion a
triangular, rasplike valve. 1t is this
rasplike organ that enables it to exca-
vate and keep its burrow open. The
rasp is not hard enough of itself to cut
the rock, but the hard quartz sand
that rests in the folds of the rasp grad
uaily wears away the stone as fast as
needed, corresponding with the growth
of the oyster. When the eggs are
hatched in the seawater they look like
small patches of jelly fish and for
several days swim about with the out
lines of their future shells forming
slowly about them. By instinct each
looks for vacant spot on rock sur
face and when found he backs against
it and goes into business. They are
preferred to all other bivalves for the
table, and as they are found only in
one place on the coast of Spain and at
Yaquina, they are an unparalleled at
traction.
Sharks often attain very large size
along the Pacific coast, especially off
the shores of Southern California. Very
recently, monster shark was captured
by two Italian fishermen in San Pedro
Bay, that is claimed to be the largest
fish of that kind ever caught in the
world. Beyond doubt it is certainly
one of the largest ever captured any
where. When drawn out of the water
and killed, this sea monster weighed
ID, 600 pounds. 1t measured from tip
to tip 81 feet, and the circumference of
the body just forward of the huge
dorsal fin was fifteen feet. Across the
fearful mouth : horizontally = when
opened it was "a feet, while from the
tip of the snout to the point of the
lower jaw it measured. 81 feet. The
huge mouth was large enough for two
children to be comfortably seated erect
therein The shark became hopelessly
enmeshed in some 800 feet of the fish
ermen's net. The net he speedily tore
into strips, but in the giant creature
efforts to escape, the strings and ropes
were wound many times around it's gills
and the shark was held fast prisoner
Despite its long and frantic struggle.
for freedom, the shark was finally
stranded and killed with harpoons
The struggle lasted for more than al
hour. The monsters stomach wa,
found full of fish. 1t was engaged il
robbing the net when it became en-
tangled. So far as here known, tn,
largest shark yet caught was % fee
long-10 feet shorter than the Sal
Pedro monster. In capturing the latte
the two fishermen had many marrow
escapes from being snapped up by th
creature. 1t made long, savage, an,
desperate struggle for it's life. TIL
shark was skinned and stuffed, and ha
been placed on exhibition.
The Italian process of oyster culture
in word, is first, corner posts, secon
web of ropes and various suspende
devices for orcollecting the young bivaives
and third, the growing, fattening an
storing of them. The corner posts ar
firmly implanted to mark the boundarie
of the park; at each corner they ar
in pairs. and inclined to each other ar
,