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)