The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-19 00:00:00

OYSTER FISHING ON THE EAST

COAST.

A discussion of some interest has taken place in
the Colchester Town Council in regard to the
management of the local oyster fishery. Mr. W.
W. Hawkins, who formerly represented Colches-
ter, brought the subject forward, and argued that
with better management the revenue which the
town at present derives from the fishery (£750
per annum) might be considerably increased. The
beds were not sufficiently worked, and there were
large tracts of good oyster ground uncultivated.
The oysters of the present season had been dete-
riorated by the non-removal of oysters which had
died in consequence of the severity of the weather
last winter; they should have been dredged up,
laid upon the mud until the shells were elean, and
then returned to the bed of the river as " culch," in-
stead of being permitted to remain emitting noxious
gases to poison healthy fish. Great as was the
quantity of brood abstracted from the highly-
favoured spot known as Pont, an open water 16
miles in length and three in width, outside the
limits of the Colne fishery, no oysters had ever
been known to have been brought there. The
Colne Fishery Company had purchased no brood
from the locality for many years past, but the
major part was purchased for oyster companies in
Kent. The price of spat, or brood, varied from 4s
to 5s 6d per wash; in 1859 and 1860 it was as
low as 3s to 4s per wash, but even this depreciated
price did not induce the purchase of a single wash
for the Colne Fishery Company, and the fishermen
of Rowhedge, Wivenhoe, and Brightlingsea were
entirely at the mercy of the Kent companies. Of
late years the greater part of the oysters from the
Colne fishery had been shipped for Ostend and
other continental towns, as they were too under-
sized for the London market, as well as inferior
in quality to the Kent supply. The last few years'
sa
fro
m 5,000
sth;oo t Coo 6,0001nF bushels
ry tsse average
dto
be
price
30,000 or 3
ricebeing 6sst o 38s per bushel; aatinannduwmME: h
r. Hawkins
contended that the
quantity might be increased
t
bushels
and that a considerable quantity of the more cheap
and common oyster might also be raised to ad-
vantage. The Whitstable Oyster Company received
last year £50,000 for natives, and a further sum of
£12,000 for the common kinds, and Kent oysters
were now worth 42s per bushel in the London
market, while Colne oysters, almost unsaleable in
London, only brought 36s per bushel on the Conti-
nent. This year the Colne Company would raise
7,000 bushels, but even assuming that these oystersb
realised 40s per bushel, the total proceeds would
yield
£70,000, £14,000, while 35,000 bushels would
£70,000, secure £3,500 per annum to the Colchester
town council, and give the dredgermen and
only
ielded
com-
pany £66,500. At present the fishery
onwhiych was
the
the council 21 per cent. upon the stock,
obtainedestimatedfetro
thebe ws,oorotohec£r3eos
council, after some discussthieon,
g
art of the company
, 0.0
foofi ,
hwhilenn
the
ground. no
cr
oe
course
rt s wase o
The f
which it was contended on
the whole question.
' Ipswich
tt
oh at th
eit a
pd
pi do i
nt st
mb
ee
ns tt t
oo f
Tdahe
eve e
mo peili tt ht
ee e
Tt
to
Town fishery,
investigate
co uagreed
nci
l
devoting attention to the production of
oystershas bbeen
e in the
The Orwell,o Orwell
havingel
l a
hee
year
believed
expended
to £5,245
edyeadtrhs t
e y
suited hoi
g ht
hlfore
object.
he development of y
a fishery, and having
beentat wfeoll cleaned is now much better adapted for
receiving the spat.
amount of £l,BOO were raised, but damage was done
to the beds by too early dredging. Further opera-
tions are contemplated so as to form a bed for small
oysters.