IJkh 



PHILIP H. PARKER 



600 pounds per acre per year for oyster production on 



the east coast of the United States; 8OO pounds per acre 



per year for conventional bottom oyster culture in 



Washington and estimates of l6,000 to 64,000 pounds 



per acre per year for floating oyster culture in Japan. 



This would seem to clearly demonstrate the tremendous 



food producing potential of floating oyster culture. 



"Finally, Table 2 puts some of these figures 

 together to make an estimate of the oyster producing po- 

 tential of Puget Sound. Using 221 square nautical miles 

 for the available area and 32,000 pounds per acre per 

 year (a median figure) as the yield, the calculated 

 potential yield from floating oyster culture v>?ould be 

 about 6 billion pounds of meat per year for Puget Sound. 

 To Illustrate the magnitude of this figure, I have 

 utilized data presented in Figure 3, taken from Larkin 

 (1965), illustrating annual total fisheries production 

 by various nations. I think it is particularly significant 

 to note that the total U. S, fisheries production, all 

 species, is noiv about 6 billion pounds per year or roughly 

 equivalent to the amount I have calculated for the potential 

 oyster production of Puget Sound. 



''I don't pretend to be able to forecast 

 whether or not this oyster production will ever be reached 



