The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1901-08-13
NOW THE
OYSTER
Bivalves Possible
at Pearl
Harbor.

- great leal VI dNt'hN''h 1850
those who have homes al the PENN
sula MIR. Henry Waterhouse and Act
ing Governor Cooper being especially
interested.
When the subject was brought up
several months ago a resolution Was
drawn up and circulated about lhe
city. being in the following terms:
I'VE, the undersigned, being desirous
of preventing the wanton destructioh
Of the food fisheries living in the waters
of the food fishes living in the waters
ing that much can be done TO increase
the, number of fishes fit for FOOD both
nv the intelligent propagation of the
species now living in these waters anu
nv a iudicious importation of other
s1.,cies from the waters of the Main
land. do hereby agree to form ourselves
into an association under such constl-
tuition and bylaws as may hereafter be
.dopted nv the subscribers hereto.
over eighty Of the leading business
men of the Territory signed the paper
the list being H. AIDED by Acting GOV
,rnor Cooper and the subscribers later
formed themselves into society Tor
the PURPOSES named. While no definite
action has heretofore been taken in the
matter, the interest has not decreased
and activity is now contemplated oS
the subscribers
Some time ago Mr. Cooper sought the
advice of Mr.. Allan Herbert, the ex-
pert authority on fisheries, who was
for great many years honorarily 'oh
nected with the local agricultural De
partment Mr.. Herbert has just re
turned from the Coast, where he mas
been making observations OF the san
Francisco and other oyster grounds
and is very anxious to see the matter
OF oyster planting taken up. with TINS
in view he has complied with Mr..
Cooper's request for Information, and
below is given a part of his report 10
the society mentioned above
In regard to oyster culture in these
Islands, | should say that there are few
places more favorable to it. The con-
ditions at Pearl Harbor are particular
ly suited to oyster growth and the
millions of old shells there show that
at one time It was a prosperous natur-
al bed for oysters, The theory that the
oysters were destroyed by some con
vulsion of nature is mistake, it being
more probable that overCrowdng kill
ed the oysters, the surviving oysters
being left above the water by recedinE
tides. as they cling to the tops oi
other shells and thus the species was
eXterminated.
To-day the oyster interest Is one OF
the most important industries in Eu'
rope as we'll as in America; 1t gives
employment to thousands of persons
and millions of dollars of capital are
invested in it. There is constantly
growing demand for oysters. BY th'
application of modern methods tn,
oyster grounds are made to produce AZ
almost unlimited quantity.
In my early days when boy of tel
years, sixty years ago, the creeks ant
iniets along the sea coast of New forE
State abounded with a fine quality o
oysters. My good wife often tells M
how at her birthplace on Staten Isl
and when she was little girl, she
with other children. used TO wade GU
at low tide and pick UP oysters anc
open them with two stones, for thei
luncheon, until the fishermen drove
them away. and how the people use'
to store them In their cellars 10
Christmas. The rapid increase in tn
population OF Staten Island was chief
iy due to the encouragement ant
growth Of the oyster planting industry
AT Princes Bay, on the island, =
long ago as 1858. there We're 5000 Of tn
Inhabitants OF that island depending
upon this business for support,
The expectation of seed oysters fror
Chesapeake Bay for planting In Con
necticut was carried on for n numbe
Of years In 1879 $50 900 bushels Of see
oysters were taken from Chesapeake
bay to be planted in Connecticut, an
three years of good management
brought about such change that /
the spring of 1883 one firm shipped I
MN .saA
ters which had been reared on tn
Connecticut oyster farms. and wer
used for planting on the Pacific Coas
Il happened to b. I'm San Francsc
in 1883 when this shpmcnt arrived
and brought a few hundred here. w
planted them at Kalihi, but heav
freshet from the stream covered ther
up.
The oyster is enormously prolih
single one giving birth in one sea
son to many millions of young, Cnd,
a state OF nature, millions Of oyster
are born for each one which grows
maturity The young oysters a
swimming animals, and they are di
charged into the water in countle
numbers, to be swept away great di
tances by the currents. At this tin
they are too small To be seen witho
microscope; thus, when shells a
placed in the barren spaces the sp
or young ones VIII cllnG 10 them.
Oyster planting is placing OF sma
or seed oysters, upon bottoms whiC
are favorable to their growth. The
are many bottoms whore there are
natural oysters, simply because the
is nothing for them to fasten upon.
because the spat hao not been CARR,
there. Planting also adds very great
to their value, as they grow more RAJ
idly, and are of better quality.
THE whole secret of oyster culture
to furnish proper bodies for the a
tachment of the young. Many metho'
Of doing this have been devised al
employed. The following method
still employed In Sweden: Upon Il
blackish mud are constructed here a,
there rockeries Of rough stones, throw
into heaps sufficiently elevated to
protected from deposits OF mud
slime. Upon these rocks oysters a
depoaited. Each rockery Is snrronn