The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-09-01
Along the Shore.

BAY Head is said to have subscribed
upwards of $4,000 to build casino,
which would look as if it had outgrown
The yacht clubhouse as social center.
The Point Pleasant Beacon boasts
that their section is to have two big inn
in reality instead of in pros
pect-the canal from Bay Head to the
Squan River, and the trolley from Point
Pleasant to Lakewood.
Thomas Ray, one of the under game
keepers at the state game farm at Forked
River, who by the way is the son of
gamekeeper in Scotland and was brought
up to the job, has taken the place of
head keeper at the state game farm in
Delaware. His speciality has been rails
ing game birds.
Saturday at North Beach Haven the
Long Beach Township Committee re-
ceived bids for the building of the two
pieces of road necessary to connect Surf
CITY and Harvey Cedars with the new
bridge across MannahawlSin bay. The
contracts are understood to go to Grant
and Crammer of Beach Haven, the low
est bidders, upon their presentation of
the usual bond. This is conditional
upon the sale of the Long Beach town
ship bonds to an amount sufficient to
build the road, and the sale is believed
to have been effected.
SCARCITY OF CRABS.
Efforts will be made at the next SEES
e,sN e hn cl0ft IN nj ol.a-
ton looking to the preservation and con-
servation of the crabs of the state. In
formation which comes to the State
Bureau of Shell Fisheries is to the effect
that slowly but surely crabs are being
depleted in New Jersey. This is due to
the fact that no effort has ever been
made to preserve or propagate this tooth
some delicacy so popular in the summer
time. Everybody goes Grabbing at the
seashore and nobody has the slightest
notion as to the virtue of preserving the
crab for future growth and development.
The experience of Maryland and Vir-
ginia, the great centres for this shell fish
has been that without proper legis-
lation, the industry would long ago have
ceased to exist because of the utter dis
regard of those who take the crabs for
the necessity of cultivation. All sizes
and conditions of the shellfish have
been taken from the waters and ii
was found that even during the spawn
ing season, with propagation also in
progress, large quantities of the female
crabs were taken from the waters and
sent to market. No regard was had for
the sizes or conditions and the result was
rapid depletion of the waters with de
struction of the industry certain.
Those who foresaw the total disappear
ance of the crab in those waters took up
the question with the Legislatures OF
Virginia and Maryland and obtained
laws for the protection of the industry
which have resulted very materially in
the increase of production. 1t is ex-
pected, of course, that in New Jersey
those who have been in the habit OF
taking crabs of any size or conditions at
any time they are discoverable will pro-
test any effort to curtail the catch. 1t is
the same problem which confronted the
oyster industry of the State. Every eff
fort to prevent total humiliation met
with serious obstacles and opposition.
Chief Bacon, of the Bureau of Shell
Fisheries, is gathering information and
facts from other States and from this
State upon which he plans to base the
draft of bills for the preservation of the
crabs.