Oysters have been a prominent part of life on the Chesapeake Bay since before Colonial times, and harvesting them has long been an important occupation. As oysters in shallow water were depleted, harvesting tools evolved to reach deeper water. Oysters were first gathered by hand in shallow water, then by hand tongs with long handles that could reach oysters in up to about 15 feet of water. Hand tonging was physically demanding and was limited by how much a harvester could lift. Patent tongs overcame limits of both depth and capacity by being lowered and raised on rope or cable of virtually any length, first with a hand winch and later with a powered winch. Later refinements included hydraulic cylinders that opened and closed the jaws, allowing much greater capacity. Early patent tongs also used a self-actuating latching mechanism that held them open while they were lowered and allowed them to close when they were raised, with tension on the rope or cable keeping the latches engaged during descent and a slight curvature in the arms letting the latches disengage when the tongs hit bottom and the cable tension relaxed.