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Virginia. Auditor of Public Accounts (1776-1928). Board of Fisheries Records, 1898-1927. Accession APA 113, APA 114, APA 115 [cite specific APA number and series]. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.
Transferred from the Auditor of Public Accounts in 1913.
On 25 March 1875 the General Assembly authorized the governor to appoint three commissioners of fisheries to coordinate conservation activities with the federal government and to oversee the duties of local oyster inspectors. The number of commissioners was reduced to one by an act passed on 8 March 1877. The Office of Fish Commissioner was abolished by the General Assembly on 7 February 1898 and replaced by the Board of Fisheries. The board also assumed the functions of the Board on the Chesapeake and Its Tributaries.
On 5 February 1900 the General Assembly passed an act authorizing the Board of Fisheries to employ county surveyors to resurvey the oyster planting grounds and any part of the survey made in the 1890s by James B. Baylor that needed revision. On 12 Mar 1908 the General Assembly changed the name of board to the Commission on Fisheries. In 1968 the name of the commission was changed to the Marine Resources Commission.
The Board of Fisheries records include Horizontal Angle Books, 1901; Oyster Reports, 1898-1927; and Reports of Oyster Inspectors, 1898-1927. These records document surveys of oyster beds in Isle of Wight County, and the collection of fines, fees, and taxes by Inspectors of Oysters.
Counties covered in these records include: Accomack, Charles City, Elizabeth City, Essex, Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Nansemond, New Kent, Norfolk, Northumberland, Princess Anne, Richmond, Stafford, Warwick, Westmoreland and York, as well as Norfolk City and Portsmouth.
The records are arranged into 3 series. This collection consists of several Auditor of Public Accounts (APA) accessions that, while identified separately, all pertain to the same category of records. Since the specific APA accession numbers have been used and referenced over the years it was decided that each series would reference it's specific APA number, but one finding aid would describe the entire collection.
Horizontal Angle Books, 1901, consist of 8 volumes and contain notes concerning surveys of oyster beds in the James River in Isle of Wight County that were created in conjuction with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The observations of P.C. Warwick, Jr. are mostly related to surveying measurements, but occasionally plats and diagrams are recorded.
Arranged chronoloically.
Oyster Reports, 1898-1927, consist of 38 volumes and include information of fees, fines, rents and taxes collected by Inspectors of Oysters. These reports cover the years 1898-1904 and 1920-1927. Volume numbers were supplied at the time of processing.
The 1860 Code of Virginia authorized county courts to appoint inspectors of oysters to enforce oyster laws and collect fines and fees. The General Assembly passed an act on 3 March 1866 amending the code's provisions and requiring the oyster inspectors to report their collection periodically to the auditor of public accounts. Although it was revised several times, the system remained in place until the office of the auditor was abolished in 1928.
These monthly reports to the Board of Fisheries and Auditor of Public Accounts contain the name and residence of each person paying the fine, fee, rent or tax, the location and assessed value of the oyster ground, and the type, amount and date of payment. May also include information boat registration, tongs registered and oysters sold, and later volumes include information on crabbing, clamming, and fishing/nets.
Arranged chronologically.
Reports of Oyster Inspectors, 1898-1927, consist of 11 volumes. These volumes contain summary statements of the total amount of fees, fines and taxes collected from the clam, crab, fish and oyster industries. The statements include the name of the inspector, district and county, date, and the amount and types of revenues collected. These volumes may also include information on the number of dredging boats and the number of acres of planting grounds assigned. Volume numbers were assigned at the time of processing.
Arranged chronologically.