Oyster Dredge Invention

Leopold B. Taliancich was born in Igrane, Dalmatia, Croatia where he attended and finished grammar school. He arrived to America 1908 and went directly to New Orleans, Louisiana. He worked oyster beds for twelve years and was the first fisherman to use drag mechanical instruments on his boat, and that helped to take out the oysters much faster and with less strain. The introduction of motorboats meant that oysters from more distant areas could be harvested and still taken to market in New Orleans. Finally, in 1905, Leopold Taliancich developed and installed the first oyster dredge. All of these improvements led to Louisiana's becoming the number one state for oyster production. Soon after, many fisherman did the same thing, and because of this they were able to sell more oysters. He was a member of the Slavonian Society of New orleans. He also organized the Oyster Association. He was married 1920; two brothers and his parents lived in the old country. He opened a successful meat market and also sold oyster in big quantities. (Pejovic, L. 1935)