IV-301 



Many areas of oyster production for human consumption are closed 

 because municipal wastes contaminate oysters with bacterial matter. 



Silting due to dredge operations has appreciably diminished the 

 quality of many former oyster-producing areas. The silt may actu- 

 ally smother the beds, or may so seriously disturb the estuary floor 

 as to cause deleterious effects from lowered amounts of dissolved 

 oxygen. This process, which has been observed in parts of Galveston 

 Bay, produces hydrogen sulfide and releases concentrated amounts of 

 toxic chemicals in bottom sediments. 



The decrease in production and consumption of oysters due to natural 

 or man-induced causes is exacerbated by changes in consumer prefer- 

 ence, lack of mechanized shucking and packaging procedures, and 

 increasing labor costs. Perhaps the most difficult problem is 

 presented by the legal labyrinth surrounding ownership and use of 

 oyster beds. Management and sound overall economic use of the oyster 

 resource is almost impossible under present institutional constraints 

 which range from public ownership in Massachusetts to a tangle of 

 leasing and private ownership in such areas as Georgia, the Chesa- 

 peake Bay, and James River estuaries. 



The future of a viable oyster industry, and the continued availability 

 of a delicate and nutritious food, is thus linked not only to the 

 quality of the biophysical environment, but to the workings of the 

 economic and institutional environment as well. 



