The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-05-29
OYSTER INDUSTRY
GRIFFIN BAY LAGOONS MAY b e
HATCHING STATIONS
Eastern Oysters Being Extensively Plant
ed on the Samish Flats-How They
Propagate - Great Value of Oyster
Lands.

Two car loads os eastern seed oysters
have peen planted this month on the
Samish flats and it is the intehtion to
plant six car loads more this fall and
ten car loads next spring. Many ma
tive oysters have also been planted
there. The eastern seed oysters are oh
tained at Fairhaven, Conn, and cost
out here about 81 800 per car. The ma
tive oysters are obtained at Willapa
| harbOr.
The Bellingham Oyster Company
owns 700 acres of oyster lands on the
flats, and the Samish Oyster Company
owns over 800, while Tie Oyster Creek
Oyster Company has large holdings
and there are individual holdings. All
have done more or less in the way of
planting either eastern Or native oys-
ters, bat the Bellingham Oyster Com
pany is the pioneer in eastern oyster
culture on Puget Sound. Their expert
ments will be watched with great in
terest, as, if successful, it means the de-
velopment of a great industry i'm the
state. The state owns 5000 to 10000
acres of oyster lands, and is therefore
deeply interested in the question of
oyster culture.
With reference to the prstection and
development of oyster lands the state
fish commissioner is quoted in the
Post-Intelligencer as expressing the
opinion that isolated holdings should
be sold and the natural beds protected
against depletion. Private individuals
and companies engaged in the culture
of native oysters secure their seed oys-
ters from the states oyster beds. This
state of things, If allowed to continue,
would in a few years exhaust the sup
ply.
TO guard against this the fish COM
missioner deems it advisable that the
state sell seed oysters, instead of allow
ing them tb be carried away without
money and without. restraint, and the
proceeds derived from such sales be
applied to the protection of the beds
against poachers. The taking of the
seed oysters and of oysters for the mar
ket being thus placed under state su-
pervision would insure continuation
Of the supply.
The state experimental station is en-
gagged, and has been for tno or three
years, i'm efforts to solve the problem of
propagating eastern oysters in the wa
ters of the Sound, but so far without
any marked success. Should the effort
along this line meet with success it
would give great impetus to the in
dustry. Unlike the native oyster,
which reproduces in the mother shell,
the reproducing elements of the eastern
oysters meet and the, ova becomes fer
tilized outside the mother shell and
the spor is at the mercy of tides and
currents for four or five days before it
settles down to attach itself. In that
period of time it may be carried far
away from the oyster grounds and set
4 tie where the conditions for tile devel-
opment of the oyster are unfavorable.
On San Juan island there is a lagoon
which is said to offer ideal conditions
for the propagation of the eastern oys-
! ter by reason of the waters being pre-
| tected from tides and currents. Com
missioner Kershaw and party will in
spect this lagoon and If found suitable
for the purpose arrangements may be
made with the owners for using it as a
station to conduct experiments in re-
producing the eastern bivalve. Oyster
producing lands in this state are worth
from 81 900 to $500 per acre and are
assessed at 81 900.
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