Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-02-07
FISH AND OYSTER NOTES.


Senator German introduced resolu-
tiSn In the Maryland Legislature ask
ing $4,000 appropriation to cover
the deficit of the Maryland Fishery
Force last year.
Coming up the bay Sunday midnight.
in the face of heavy nor'wester.
oyster police steamer shipped heavy
seas which froze almost as they fell
The next morning young Goldfish was
found in the ice on the deck, evidently
shipped with one of the seas.
A man with fancy for figures has
calculated that if all the oyster eggs
laid were matured and brought up nor
NAL families, in five generations a
single pair could produce SO, 900, 900. =
600, O0O, 600, 600, 000, 600, OOO, 900 oysters.
Surely such an enthusiastic antirace
suicider as the oyster deserves kind
word from headquarters Washington
Herald.
The sloop George w. Woodward, Cap
tain Sommers, belonging to James M.
Sommers, of Accomac county. was
captured Monday by police steamer
Accomac and the owner charged
with dredging on Bird rock, Pocomoke
sound. The sloop was towed to Oman
cock and at hearing before Justice
Parker the captain and crew were held
for the grand jury. Bail was furnished
for the crew and vessel by the owner.
Capt. B. A. Croasdale, leading fish
erman of lower Lancaster, writes that
his people hope the Legislature will do
nothing towards making the trap fisher
men Gull the small fish, as they are on
posed to it and think it would be an
impossible thing to do. We NAV saw
that the Board of Fisheries decidad last
week that, as the sentiment was diyi-
ded on this point, and as the Iepisla-
ture was about half over, they would
not offer this and other recommends
lions to the fish laws. For six months
the Board has been trying to perfect the
oyster laws and only last week got
them ready for the Legislature.
After bitterly fought legal battle
Captain William B. Slant, accused of
illegal oyster dredging, was fined SIS and
sentenced to pass one hour in Suffolk
jail. The verdict carries with it the
forfeiture of his vessel, the Jack Pow
hataR IN which he was run down nv
the Commodore Maury, flagship of the
Virginia Oyster Navy. The prosecu-
ton was directed by w. Mcdonald Lee
for the State Board, and Senator E. F.
Holland, assisted Commonwealth AFT
torney Burgess for the State. John G.
Tilton, Commonwealth's attorney of
Norfolk, defended Slant. The prison.
er's mother and sister sat beside him
during the trial and also gave testi-
mony. The case created intenseinte
The supply of oysters at present is
larger than the demand, but it has not
created any glut, as most of the houses
mere have little stock on hand and are
glad to get chance to lay in a few
hundred bushels for the balance of this
week, When very likely there will be
different weather and no stock coming
here. BY all reports some packing
houses IN Chesapeake Bay are selling
now standards at lower price than
Norfolk dealers can produce them: at
the same time it seems to be an ac-
knowledged fact, that the selects shin
ped from here this season are the finest
that have ever been produced in Vir-
glnia. Norfolk Report in Fishing Ga
zette.
The Fish Commission of Massacbus-
etts VIII, with the cooperation of the
Legislature, endeavor to reduce the
ravages of the ''dogfsh' by expert |
ments in utilizing them for the market
or otherwise. 1t is thought they could |
be made marketable, for they contain
more or less valuable oil, and the
flesh could be used as fertilizer.
Replying to an inquiry from Virginia
as to whether it would be possible to
establish trade in American
oysters at Paris, Consul-General
Frank II. Mason reports as follows:
French people, at least Parisians. are
very iond OF raw oysters, but they know
or care very little about cooked or pre-
served oysters in any form. Thew
therefore demand oysters which are
fresh and in the shell. Oysters that have
been opened and canned fresh are. so |
iar as can be ascertained, practically |
unknown in Paris, and it is doubtful |
whether they could be introduced with
much chance of success. Unfortunate
iy' two or three attempts have been
made to introduce in Germany, France. |
and other European countries an infer.
Tor grade of American oysters which
had been protected against deterioration
oy the use of salicylic acid, which de-
stroyed the natural flavor and subjected
them to suspicion as 'doctored goods -,
Fishing Gazetta