Indeed, as reported by Ernest Ingersoll in his 1881 volume, The Oyster Industry: Tenth Census of the United States, 250 schooners imported 2 million bushels of oysters to New Haven’s Fair Haven oyster shops in 1858. Kochiss notes in Oystering from New York to Boston (1974), “the commerce in oysters from the Chesapeake…was confined in Connecticut almost exclusively to New Haven, where the largest oyster shops were located.” Before oyster cultivation began in local waters, shortages of “natural growthers” led some oystermen to buy their “catch” in New York, the Delaware Bay, and the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, the laws that had been intended to protect the beds failed to stop overfishing in southern Connecticut. Demand for Shellfish Creates Need for Importation In 1766, the use of “draggs” (bottom-scraping dredges) was outlawed to further protect the natural beds. In 1762, a law passed at a New Haven town meeting prohibited oystering during the spawning months from May through August to allow oysters time to mature and reproduce. In about 1750, the General Assembly voted to permit shore towns to enact bylaws regulating the taking of shellfish in each town’s adjoining waters.
In the early 18th century the first colonial laws regulating the taking of oysters in Connecticut waters appeared, and some of the earliest town records (in Stonington and Groton, for instance) relate to the separation and designation of individually parceled oyster grounds. This activity triggered a depletion of the natural beds and threatened the existence of the species in local waters. Broadsides M 188- R878g - Connecticut Historical Society Early Oystering Leads to Fishing Lawsĭuring the colonial period, many Connecticut fishermen began to focus their labors exclusively on the collection of wild, or naturally occurring, oysters. have over 600 acres of the best native oyster ground, and furnish the best oysters in the country … Fair Haven, Ct.
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