Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-01-10
FISH AND OYSTER NOTES,

EiSH AND UYSlEK NUTE.
Alexandria got shad on the market
just 5 the New Year dawned.
The trial of Slant, the Norfolk dredo-
err, will begin Monday in Suffolk before
a Nansemond jury.
Mild weather has knocked the bottor,
out of the oyster market. Prices have
tumbled and "back orders" rushing in.
Fine herring very much like the
spring fish, but which the dealers saw
are winter herring, are being caught in
small quantities in Nomini and other
tributaries of the Potomac.
The State of Mississippi will expend
SIS, 200 in planting 100000 barrels of
oyster shells in the Gulf of Mexico. 1t
will be in the interest of the Missis-
sippi oyster industry and to foster the
packeries now on the Mississippi Sound.
The Tidewater Fishermen's protec-
tive Association, Of Maryland, are in
favor of bill prohibiting the market
ing of small fish. Other measures pro
posed and which have advocates are a
four-inch stretched mesh; not allowing
purse fishing above Annapolis, and for
the lifting of pound nets over SUNDAY.
Before Justice Cary Percival at Water
view, last Thursday, one Norris (color-
ed was fined $50 and costs for having
bagged small oysters; G. H. jenkins
fined $25 for buying small oysters, and
Roche Kelley (colored) $40 for catch
ing small oysters. Will Henderson (col-
ored) settled out of court fine placed
last year for buying small oysters for
A. E. Tull & Co.
In reviewing the year just closed, one
can see that the oyster industry has
made forward strides. Our own State.
under the supervision of our intelligent
Board ofFisheries, has made marvellous
progress. Other oyster producing states
have kept step in the march of progress.
While the output of marketable stock
has been limited the prevailing prices
were never higher. In the consumption
OF the bivalve the year 1907 will prove
a record breaker. The Oysterman.
When the oyster or clam industry is
attacked each season, the dealers all
agree something must be done" 1t
is the same old cry, yet nothing is done,
and the attacks continue. Any other
class of men would get to work and ac-
complish something. There
seems to be something lacking some
where, harmony or something else. All
should work together for mutual pro-
lection instead of allowing petty jeal-
ousies to influence. The attacks would
cease If concerted action was taken to
protect the industry. Fishing Gazette.
Commander 7. c. B. Howard. of Bal
timore, has been called upon MANY
times recently to decide whether the
law forbidding the use of steam vessels
IN dredging for oysters applies also to
vessels where other power is used.
The schooner George S. Cripps, of Balti-
more, was using gasoline as its motive
power. Commander Howard ordered
the captain of the Grips TO remove the
propeller of the vessel, his interpreta-
ton being prohibition against any
form of steam power icing used to pro-
pei oyster dredging vessels. He believes
the law intended that only sail or oars
be used to propef dredge boats.
Pursuing machines have been in use
Tor several years up North, and having
given satisfaction have been adopted by
nearly every vessel in the mackerel-sein-
ing feet. Previous to their introduction
the work of pursuing up" occupied
from thirty to forty minutes and re-
quired the united efforts of the-15 men
IN the boats crew. With one of these
machines 6 men can now do the work
in less than half that time and much
more easily. 1t is now proposed to use
them with menhaden purse-nets. The
machine consists of set of cog-wheels
fixed to shaft and geared so as to ad-
NIT of considerable speed, and at the
same time powerful enough to with
stand heavy strain. To each end of
the shaft is attached crank. the han
die of which is long enough to permit
three men to work abreast. When the
seine has been set around q school of
fish the ends are brought together in
the usual manner, the purse davit ship
ped, the purse line rove through the
snatch blocks fore and aft, and the
seine is pursed by hand until there is a
perceptible strain on both parts of the
purse line, which are then led to the
machine and placed around the drum. a
man being stationed on the port side of
the boat to coil the line as it is hove in
and also to slack away if necessary.
The men working the machine are re-
lieved at intervals of a few minutes
and by the time two or three shifts
have been made the seine is pursed.
LEGISLATIVE D0INGS.