The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-02-04
A REPORT ON OYSTER
INDUSTRY AS SEEN
BY N. c. OFFICIALS
Continued Decline Shown in "a
Years Down to One-27+h
Part of 1890 Take
By WADE LUCAS

Morehead City, Jan. pa five
year study of North Carolina
oyster, clam, and escallop re-
sources by the Institute of FISH
cries Research, University of
North Carolina, has just been
completed.
The stuty, made under the prin-
cipal direction of DR.. A. F. Chest
nut, chief of mollusc studies for
the institute, discloses interesting
information about oysters, CLANS,
and escallops that grow and are
taken from North Carolina S
coastal waters.
DR.. Chestnut, who started the
study in 1913 at the request of
the State Department Of Conser-
walton and Development, turned
over the 66-page report and ap-
pendices this week to Cecil Nor
ris of Atlantic, chairman of the
State Board of Conservation and
Development's comerical fisheries
committee. Morris has supplied
members of his committee with
the report.
The ups and downs of these
species of shellfish over a period
of many years are set forth in the
report of Dr. Chestnut, who works
under the direction of William A.
Ellison, Jr., institute director, and
in cooperation with the CID De-
partment's Division of CONNER
cial Fisheries, headed by C. Gehr-
man Holland, acting commissioner
of commercial fisheries.
AS to the quality of North Caro-
lima oysters, DR.. Chestnut has this
to say: "In general, the oysters
growing in North Carolina waters
can be favorably compared with
oysters from other oyster produc-
ing areas. The fact that North
Carolina oysters for many years
have been shipped to the Balti-
more market and other markets
and resold under the various
brands cannot be ignored as evil
dence pointing to the desirable
market quality"
The oyster producing areas of
North Carolina, DR.. Chestnut
says, extend along the coast from
| Roanoke Island in Dare County to
the South Carolina State line
Brunswick county. The waters
consist of eleven sounds with
numerous tributaries. T h e
sounds from north to south are:
| Croatan, Roanoke, Pamlico, Core,
Bogue, stump, Topsail, Middle,
Masonboro, and Myrtle Sounds.
The important rivers are: Pam
leo, Neuse, Newport, White Oak,
| New Lockwoods Folly, Shallotte
and Little Rivers. Connecting the
sounds and rivers are at least D
inlets.
The most important oyster pro-
ducing area in the State is Pam
leo Sound with its tributaries,
bounded by the counties of Dare,
Hyde, Pamlico and Carteret on the
mainland and by the sand barrier
or "outer banks" on the seward
side. This body of water, some 70
miles long and 10 to 80 miles wide,
with it's tributaries comprises an
area of approximately 100000
acres and produces 80 percent of
the oysters marketed in the State,
DR.. Chestnut says.
In the report, DR.. Chestnut said
North Carolina first gained wide
recognition as an oyster producing
area in the decade of 1890 when
oystermen from the Chesapeake
! Bay area began to seek for addi-
tional sources of oysters. In re,
port made in 1904, DR.. Caswel
Grave wrote thot oysters shipped
from North Carolina to the Balti
more markets were sold as Chesa
peake Bay oysters.
"This is still true in man!
cases." DIR. Chestnut writes. Raw
shucked oysters are freqentl!
shipped to Baltimore, Maryland
and repacked under various trad
Names"
DR.. Chestnut writes furthe
that North Carolina has main
tanned rather modest position il
oyster production on a nationa
scale. The production figures SHOW
considerable fluctuation through
the years. The greatest production
ever recorded in the history of tn
industry was an estimate'
2,7O0,0OO bushels of oysters il
1890 reported by DR.. Caswel
Graves in his report of 1904"
In his report this week to C&I
Director Ben E. Douglas and tn
State Board of Conservation an
Development at Raleigh, Actini
Commissioner Holland reporte'
81, 730 tubs of oysters taken from
bubble beds in the State during
the last 81 months of 1854 agains
89,443 for the similar period Il
1853. Hurricanes-three of then