The underwater leases would continue until the late 1990s. Eventually Ockers made enough money to invest in schooners, employing Dutch immigrants to harvest the oysters. In 1879 he was granted another lease for $3 per year. ![]() In 1865 Jacob Ockers was granted an underwater lease from the Town of Brookhaven for 16 acres at a rate of $16 per year for 3 years, to harvest oysters and other shellfish off West Sayville and Oakdale. While most of the operations centered on West Sayville, there were other commercial oyster operations throughout the estuary. The oyster houses of Great South Bay employed hundreds of residents during the 19th century. For recent economic and environmental data about commercial fishing, the New York Seafood Council= offers recent studies on sales, seasonal calendars, fish market locations and other helpful information. In this section we will explore the traditional commercial fishing activities of area baymen and fishermen. Elaborate transportation systems including the Long Island Rail Road provided convenient ways for fishermen to transport their catch, proceeded by ferry boats and followed by roads and highways. Throughout the history of the south shore, commercial fishermen and baymen have caught these fish in the bay and the ocean in order to sell to the market or for their family meal. ![]() ![]() Fluke and flounder, clams and crabs, and bait fish such as killeys, bunker and spearing are just the tip of the ecosystem’s inhabitants. The south shore is world famous for the many species of fish and shellfish that live year round, spawn or give birth, or rest on their way to warmer or colder habitats.
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