The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-11-16
.SHELLFEH STOCK
 NOW SAFECUARDED
State Health Officials Co. operating With Local
 Officers on Dealers

Supervision by health authorities
 of marketing methods and sea waters
 in which the oyster develops Is car-
 ried out to make this highly nutri-
 tious bivalve Q safe food when pur-
 chased from retail markets supplied
 by licensed dealers, said Warren j.
 Scott, director, bureau of sanitary
 engineering, in the weekly broadcast
 of the state department of health.
 Local health officers in cities and
 towns are furnished with lists ot
 approved" dealers which enables
 them to check up on retail markets.
 restaurants and hotels to see that oysters are secured from safe sources.
 The oyster carries . great degree os value to the diet. It Is rich in iron and copper which offer protection against anemia; 1t contains protein of good quality and also . fair amount of vitamins, including Vita. min O: and 1t possesses c liberal amount of iodine which is needed for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. ...--
 The interstate nature of the oyster business - Connecticut products be- ing shipped not only throughout the country but elsewhere throughout the world - requires a uniform sys- tenn of approval of these products in the various states, Mir. Scott ex. plained. So-called approved" lists of oyster dealers who may ship their products interstate are issued by the U. s. Public Health Service act. ing as . coordinating agency. These approvals are based on the super vision of shellfish growing waters and shucking establishments by state health departments.
 Polluted waters are barred against the taking of market oysters and the of establishments where oysters are opened is checked, ac- cording to MT. Scott. The state health department has collected and examined thousands of samples of sea water and shellfish and has car- ried out extensive surveys to see; that water over shellfish areas is safe. Samples of shucked oysters are periodically collected for analysis in the department laboratories. Oys- ter shuckers must be examined each year as required by the state saiii- tary code to assure that they are free from disease, and . license num- n1er is granted each qualified oyster dealer SO that his shipments may be 
 The successful growth of oysters was described as q highly speciai- ized industry with modern market demands calling for an organized of sea farming. During the summer. MT. Scott explained, ma ture oysters give of their spawn which float about in the water until the embryo or baby" oysters secrete shells of sti6icient weight to cause them to sink. At the bottom of the sea, they attach themselves to q smooth substance and begin to grow, To furnish suitable place to which he oysters may cling, oyster shells Ire secured from shucking establish. ments by the oyster farmers and ,pread on the sea bottom each year, | Small particles of animal, mineral, md vegetable matter floating in the water furnishes the oyster with food. |
 In the winter time, the oyster hi- 'ernates and Is relatively inactive. .ut during the rest of the year 1t | iraws many gallons of water through its body each day. In this manner, the oyster is able to cleanse tself rapidly after being taken up 1, md laid down again in clean waters. | When the young oysters reach an | 'ge of . year or two, the clumps | Ire dredged from the seq bottom and | aid down on Q new location where | he individual oysters have sum. 'ient room to develop. In three oy our years, the mature oyster h eady for market. |