Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-10-25
FISH AND OYSTER NOTES.

Massachusetts beaches have been
strewn almost knee deep in dead herring.
driven ashore By schools of dogfish,
(small shark.
Louisiana gets something over $780,
OOO per annum from her frog industry.
The frogs are shipped alive i'm barrels.
packed in moss. Over l, 900, 600 barrels
are shipped yearly-some going West
as far as California Most of these
frogs are carefully raised and fattened.
being fed on bread, meal and cracklings.
The Hampton Monitor makes this
suggestive comment: The present oys-
ter season in Virginia is being watched
with a good deal of interest in this
state. 1t is stated that the yield of the
public rocks is more or less a failure.
VI course this will not so materially
AFFECT the private beds, except that
there is a great scarcity of seed oysters
Tor "replenishing the BEDS All of
which means that the public rocks are
passing and the average longer has
himself to blame.
oysters are coming in plentifully, SAYS
the Baltimore News, and dealers alono,
Pratt street say that the supply is
greater than the demand. The great
abundance has not reduced the prices.
as oysters are still selling for 40 cents
bushel and upward, according to the
quality. The best oysters are coming
from around Drum Point and the Pa
tuxent river. The dealers are studying
the question of what to do with the
| ing.
1t was thought that the supply of
oysters In the Chesapeake Bay was
practically exhaustless and this belief
continued even after the destruction of
beds In New England waters. But the
limit, as in all earthly things. was
reached Now the question comes how
TO protect what remains. =
w. j. Chandler, who was in the
employ of our Board of Fisheries as
policeman for the seaside, saws there
was plenty of young growth this sum-
mer but seeing he could not prevent
the stealing he reslgned.-The OYSTER
man.
Judge Wright, at Tappahannocl,
on Monday heard the proceedings of
mandamus of certain planters to compel
inspector Neale to post notices of their
application for Ridge Rock, which it is
claimed is not within the Baylor survey.
The court decided that a mandamus
would not lie, and dismissed the pro-
ceedlngs on the ground that the Board
OF Fisheries had not yet determined
that the ground was assignable. Chair
man Lee, of the Board, and Inspector
Neale opposed the mandamus, and were
represented b. Messrs. Saunders.
Stubs, Newbill and Evans.
DR.. Caswell Grave, member of tho
Maryland Shellfsn Commission. has made
public some startling figures showing
the decrease in the acreage of the pro-
ductive oyster rocks of Pocomoke Sound
within MarylanD, which has been sur
veyed and plotted by the commission.
In 1880, when the sound was surveyed
by Lieutenant Winslow, It had about
IS0O acres of natural oyster beds. In
1891 there was another survey.
when the acreage was decreased to
about 5, 40. The last survey shows a
productive acreage of 1 ,4OS. These fig
ures show that the depletion of the
| oyster beds in the sound from 1880
to 1891 was at the rate of 112 acres per
annum. Since 1891 the depletion has
been at the rate of 232 acres per annum.
The books in the State Auditors.
office show most gratifying returns
from the Board of Fisheries. The
fiscal year ending September SOth, and
the receipts of this year indicate an in
crease over the previous year of $24, S56
and makes the total receipts for this
year 800, 600. 90 in round numbers. 1t
is stated that taking out all expenses
and also 5000 which was allowed for
the purchase of new boat, there is a
net profit turned into the treasury of
the State of $66, 1000. These sec, 900
will go into the funds and expenses of
the State and will never again smell
the breath of salt air on the Chesapeake
and its tributaries. Chairman w. Nc
Donald Lee argues well when he states
that the returns of none of these profits
to the industry is not right. Unaues-
tionably some of the earnings of this
great industry should come back into
its Golfers to reclaim and foster it.
The poor oyster beds have been hit on
all sides. They have been tonged ,and
raked almost to depletion and the
money which has been turned into the
State for the privilege of almost raking
the bottoms out of existance is directed
out in another chanrel. Chairman Lee
and his energetic Board have made
good the pledge that the purchase Of
new boat would mean more revenue
from the industry if not pay for the
boat. The result has been astounding
and the extra appropriation has been
more than repaid. There could be no
sounder argument than these facts and
they should certainly have some weight |
before the next islature, which will
no doubt make very liberal appropri-
arion for the preservation and increase
of this greatest of Virginia s industries.
Hampton, Va.