Evening capital., 1907-02-04
THE SHELLFISH COMMISSION
Board Confronted By Much WOrk-Pre.
pairing PIats Required By Law
Resumption Of Work In
The Spring.


The Shellfisn Commission, with its
scientific aud practical assistants. is
now confronted with n large amount
OF work drawing the lines which sep
arate the natural and barren bottoms
under the definition which has been
adopted by IL. This work. with the
placing of buoys, as far as possible,
the preparation Of the plats required
by law and the annual report, with
the various works of recording, etc,
will give the commission and its
working force plenty to do until a re-
sumption of surveying work is possi-
BILE in the spring.
Ii is not generally understood that
the lines between the natural and bar
rem bottoms can be drawn without
further surveying and testing work.
This, however, is a fact, and the in
formation is now possessed by the
Commission and plated or filed in
sucn a manner that all the lines can
be drawn by means of Office work, as
distinguished from surveying work.
The investigation of the Commission
and its working force as the charac-
ter of the bottoms in the different Sec
tions and the quantity of oysters or
spat that it contains has been very
thorough and its filing ut the ON CO
of the Shellfish Commission very
accurate and comprehensive. The
information was gained during the
survey by means of apparatus de-
signed for the particular purpose as
certaining tae presence and amount
of oysters on certain bottoms and
this work was verified and enlarged
by the use of practical oystermen,
whose services were secured whenever
necessary.
The information gained this way
has been filed by the Commission and
it is possible TO tell from the plate
and records now in its POSSESSION the
quantity OF oysters OF every section
of oyster ground which has now
been surveyed, being those continu-
Gus TO Anne Arundel county. In this
way the separation of the natural and
barren beds in NIagothy river has al
ready been accomplished and the.work
is being carried on as fast as pos
sible.
A result of the exhaustive work of
the Commission along this line has
been that the presence of oysters has
been made known in places not known
TO the practical oystermen of the sec
tion. A number of oystermen have
been shown the plats of the grounds
as markked off by the Commission and
have always stated that the survey
treated them with perfect fai ness
andhave even expressed surprise a
the extent of the beds reserved TO the
oystermen who work on the natural
beds. -
Engineer Swepson Earle has brought
fe, l.ss Il
the existence of certain little known
oyster grounds which play most inn
portant part in the production of the
oyster. These are prolific beds situ
ated near the chanuel of the bay in
from 30 to 40 feet of water but on bot
tom prohibited To dredgers. 1t is
largely from these beds that the
spawn which forms the catch on
many of the most extensive and pro-
fitable natural beds in this State de-
velops.
As these beds are forb idden TO
dredgers and are situated in such
deep water that longing is impossible
they arc virgin beds, assuming that
the law against dredging has been
obeyod, and are almost sure TO remain
so. These beds will not be the subject
of leasing, but in the course of nature
will remain as perpetual replenishers
of oyster grounds, which would other
wise become depleted.
4 number of these beds exist under
the waters of the bay just of OF the
mouths of South and West rivers. IN
this county. Between them and the
shore are the Lulu and Three sisters
oyster grounds whcre many oyslsriuen
gain their livelihood and 4 great
quantity ~ oysters Is caught annually
It is undoubtedly ewing ta tne nn-
disturbed existeuce ~ tte eeie -
deep water that fhf a8arent Es
more shallow matar MrN FU#M
year - year.