Morning journal and courier., 1881-05-24
American Oyster Beds.

A writer in the last number of Lippin-
colts Magazine directs attention to the
fact that the oyster beds of this county are
rapidly being destroyed, and urges imme
diate legislation and action with view to
their rescue. Some of the facts in evidence
of the probable extinction of the native
American oyster within a generation are
as curious as they seem conclusive. In Great
Britain and France the extinction of what
had been thought absolutely inexhaustlble
natural beds of oysters followed close upon
the construction of railways; the rapid means
of transportation greatly augmented the de-
mand, and this led at once to the over dredg
ing of the beds Those of France were ex-
hausted in about twenty five years; those of
England in rather less than twenty years
France, through a commission of men of
science and the command of unlimited means
supplied by the government, restored her
beds in ten years; England gave no govern
ment aid, but large private companies. by
taking advantage of the Information and pro-
cesses devised by the French commission,
have increased the supply nearly to the pre-
sent demand, drawing on America for what
is lacking, Our natural beds at the north
have long been exhausted; they are now mere
ly the fattening beds into which the Virginia
oyster is planted to prepare it for the large
markets. Our sole dependence now is on
the Virginia beds; and figures are given to
show that these are being rapidly depleted
The area of Virginia waters in which the
oyster was found was estimated by Governor
Wise in 1860 at 1,6S0. 900 acres; ten years
afterward the Norfolk Merchants Exchange
report placed it at only 640,O 600 acres. 1t is
expected that the forthcoming census reports
will give us later and more trustworthy sta
| tistics But the destruction of the beds is
hardly fact to be questioned We are
without doubt foolishly going ahead in the
| reckless way that France and Great Britain
did to their great cost, and are culpably ruin
ing the finest natural oyster in the world
| If some steps are not soon taken we shall
destroy great industry, and in the end we
shall be compelled to content ourselves with
| an inferior oyster transplanted from foreign
| beds.
The process by which France has restored
her beds is simple one. 1t is based upon
the principle of securing the fall of the float
ing ''spat'' or eggs in proper places instead
of leaving it to the mercy of tides to be
thrown on mud banks where it will not grow
or carried far out to sea where it is lost The
embryo oyster is then protected from it's nat
ural enemies of the sea and its unnatural ones
the dredg-rs who overfish out of season. It
is suggested that Congress should authorize
| investigation of the French system This
may not be necessary since the French pro-
cesses and results are well known. The sub
ject, however, deserves prompt and careful
action, and has already to some extent en-
gagged the attention of Professor Baird the
able head of the United States fish commits
sion, who seems fully alive to the present
condition of our fisheries, and has been re-
markedly successful thus far in his efforts to
restore them