Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-17
POTOMAC OYSTER
BEDS EXHAUSTED.
Survey Shows Bars So De-
pIeted Continued Use Is
Not Warranted.
The patient oyster of the lower Poto-

The patient oyster of the lower Poto-
mac is at the end of it's patience.
For centuries it has endured uncom-
plainingly its fate of being eaten and
year after year has left behind its thou
sands of lusty sons and daughters to be
eaten in turn.
Now the Potomac oyster beds, from
which Washington receives large part
of its annual supply, are exhausted, &C.
carding to survey just completed by
DR.. R. H. Luce of the United States
Bureau of Fisheries. All but two of the
oyster bars which year after year have
poured a seemingly endless stream of
the bivalveS into the Washington and
Baltimore markets, says DR.. Luce, are
in such condition that they cannot
continue as source of supply without
extensive artificial paintings.
Even the two exceptions, he says, are
so depleted that their continued use is
not warranted. The rebuilding of the
beds, he insists, will require about five
years of well directed effort. 1t has
been case of working willing horse
oysters on the exhausted bars. but the
point has been reached where the death
rate exceeds the birth rate. The oyster
not only is subject to the same popula-
ton laws which govern higher forms
of life, but becomes a rather tempera-
mental animal when pressed to the
limit He is fusSy about his food, the
temperature of the water and the
amount of salt in solution.
Urges Closing Bars.
The extreme upper limit for the mol
luscs in the Potomac, says DR.. Luce, is
Popes Creek and the beds continue
down the river to Chesapeake Bay. The
requires that they be treated as barren
for the time being, that spawning bed
Of large oysters be put down In shallow,
quiet water on each bar and that clean
shells be planted about these spawn
ing beds at the rate of about !, 900 shells
to the acre.
In addition, he urges the planting OF
seed oysters on the remaining portions
of the beds and closing the bars to
dredging for three years.
At the same time the oyster popula-
ton of Chesapeake Bay below the Poto-
mac also is decreasing This is pointed
out by r. v. Truitt of American Uni
versity, as the result of survey. The
production has dropped from peak
about 100000 bushels annually to
slightly more than 100000 bushels in
1928.
The reason for this, it is pointed out,
is found in the general biology of the
oyster. Under ideal conditions, Mr..
Truitt says, the oyster should be an
extremely productive animal, a single
female examined in the laboratory
yielding approximately 100000 eggs.
Between the egg and the edible oyster,
however. there is a time of great NOR
tality. The temperature must be just
right, 81 degrees minimum, before the
eggs will hatch After Matching the
oyster is a tiny, free-swimming animal
for from Is to Is days. At the end of
this time, when it is about one-seventy-
fifth of an inch long, it decides that the
time has come to settle down and be-
come a solid citizen of its community.
Grows for 10 Years.
So it attaches itself to a clean, hard
surface by means of lime SecretionS from
its body and never moves again, depend
ing on the tides and currents to bring 1t
food and oxygen essential for life. It
grows rapidly and in two years reaches
an edible size, hut continues to grow for
about 10 years If left alone. During the
second year extremely few eggs are de-
posted, considering the slight chance
for Matching and the heavy mortality
Of the young, SO that the likelihood is
remote that an oyster sent to market in
its second year has left any successors.
Once oysters are "set" the death rate
L. lsxv, -
is left undisturbed. Growth Is very
to the surface the almost microscopic
little creature has increased 1900 per
cent in size and at one year it ranges
around inches long.
The oyster is a glutton for food. In
fact during its sedentary life it is little
more than an eating machine, taking in
and digesting food almost constantly.
1t rests barely hours out of a. It's
food consists of nanoplankton, micro
scopic plant and animal organisms in
the water. The Atlantic Coast line
waters supply a plentiful supply through
drainage from the Appalachian range.
The Bureau of Fisheries is about to
undertake fish population census of
Chesapeake Bay to determine whether
the fish most valuable In commerce are
holding their own.
The fish will not actually be counted,
any more tahn the Potomac oysters
we're counted, but sample studies will be
made and stress laid on the age and
size Of the fish caught. From these
figures tables will be made up to de-
term:ne whether too great a proportion
Of Young fish are being caught. This
would indicate that the fish are losing
ground.