Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-01-18

r.. f,ilowing interesting description
. !, I Is oyster industry in Delaware Is con-
..ared bv Charles h. Gray oi tins city
ln.ss ls.t annual report OF the Bureau OF
VII FISHERIES in the state OF New Jersey:
0n,I ns,tbonph the oyster industry in lower
n'l-,,ore Is one of the most important
,be state. the Commonwealth has
.5s little effort to keep informed as TO
4 4. ~ortb and the State officials say it is
. i~,o..be for them to give any tangible
\ i-l.rmaiion about IL. The State has
- no proyision for learning anything
sbont the industry, and the laws are in
NH shane that nttle can be done by the
go officials until all the oyster laws
~ repealed and an entirely new set of
M. or laws passed. The State is not
|..rting in oyster laws. In fact, they
.'yer many pages OF the code and the
isr. of the State. But the trouble is in
,sfnr which laws are dead and which
sre alive.
In some form or other, oystering is en-
s.red IN by the people living on the bay
. sbore. from a point near Dover ON the
rortb 10 Rehoboth on the south. There
A M numerous small creeks and inlets all
. siorg the coast, and there is a different
Ihw governing each. creek and inlet or
rsrt Of inlet. In some of them the people
,ing nearby are allowed to take the
|or.,9r for their own use in certain sea
,r. Of the year. In other creeks the
r,siieBts are allowed TO tong or rake the
busters TO sell in their neighborhood, the
iA being limited to ten or a dozen
baskets a day for each man. All the
erser laws have been codified TO date,
N latest code being that Of 1893 As q
rs,ult Of the various amendments and
-ie failure TO codify the oyster laws, the
gate officials do not know Just waht
svs are standing, and little attention Is
ran % the oyster fishing in Sussex, the
f ouer county in Delaware. 1t is known
hat oystering is carried on on a small
|fnie The inhabitants are allowed to
hse the oysters from the creeks and the
fits on the bay shore and keep them for
bone consumption or to sell TO the small
|,ilhees or towns in the vicinity. There
,fg DO plantations in that county and no
bats engaged in dredging. The fisher
rn 90 out in their small puneys, and
De farmers living near the flats wade
gi in the water and rake in the oysters
uih large rakes.
What are considered the real oyster
grounds OF the State are in Kent county.
he grounds extend from Mahon's Ditch
b Milford creek, a distance of about
twenty miles, and out into the bay as far
b Bame's channel. The States control
wg the oystermen and the oyster
3 collector. the present incumbent being c.
George Wright of Dover, who was APP
pointed last March by Governor Lea TO
serve for a term of two years. He is paid
yearly salary of $3.50. In his charge
i9 has a guard or police boat, manned by
captain, a mate and two men who are
Stationed on the oyster beds at an times.
lae State pays for the maintenance OF
ihs boat
Laws governing the oyster industry Of
me State have been on the books for
hrty'hve years, and for that length of
time the State has had an oyster collec-
or Prior TO six years ago, the collector
vas paid in fees, which never in any one
year were to exceed 81 ,OOO The collec-
'oi is given great powers and can arrest
,ny vioator of the law and take him be-
Tore a magistrate for trial. He is given
authority to use force in running down q
boat and aresting the men on it. Upon
; conviction Of any violation of the laws
ne captain Of the offending boat can b
.'nlenced TO pay fines, ranging from S5C
slOO- and made to forfeit his boat
FAILURE to pay a fine means imprison
l5nt until the money is forthcoming.
IL Is estimated that the value of tn,