OYSTER CULTURE IN FRANCE. 505 



been utterly ruined by "every kind of wasteful and impro- 

 vident fishing." At every point along the coast the same 

 thing has been going on. The " rapacity of the dredgers" 

 and the constant " disturbance of the young shell-fish have 

 led to the destruction of the beds," or else considerably 

 diminished the yield of oysters, and thus lessened the 

 value of the fishing grounds. And, in addition, poaching 

 goes on in these localities on quite an extensive scale. 

 But in spite of all this, the position of the Breton oyster- 

 beds, and the advantages they naturally possess for the 

 cultivation of this variety of shell-fish, are so great that the 

 French Inspector of Maritime Fisheries is of opinion that if 

 only decent care be taken to protect them, they would 

 speedily be made to flourish again. They only require 

 replanting and rest for a time, until the young spat estab- 

 lish themselves. Then, if none but mature oysters be 

 taken, and poaching be prevented, nature will do all that 

 is needful to maintain and replenish the stock. As to the 

 cost of keeping down poaching, the expense would be 

 more than repaid by the increased takes made by the 

 recognised dredgers. In proof of this, M. Bouchon-Bran- 

 dely points to the condition of the oyster fishery in the 

 neighbourhood of Vannes. There a little steamer regu- 

 larly patrols the ground, watching the beds, seeing that 

 would-be depredators are kept off, and the young oysters 

 are undisturbed by poachers and others. The result is 

 that there is a far more plentiful supply of oysters there, 

 and the beds are in a far more prosperous condition, than 

 in any other part along the coast. At Morbihan, where 

 some precautions have also been taken against over-dredg- 

 ing and improvident takes, the beds are reported to be 

 likewise in a less exhausted state than in Finistere. It is 

 evident, however, that the same causes which have been 



