THE OYSTER AND OTHER MOLLUSKS 

 IN NORTH CAROLINA 



BY Alphonse F. Chestnut 



Institute of Fisheries Research, University of North Carolina 



THE OYSTER 



Ostrea virginica (Gmelin) 



INTRODUCTION 



Our native eastern oyster is one of nearly a hundred different species of 

 oyster found throughout the world. It is distributed from the Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence to Mexico and is the only species of commercial importance on 

 the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. In 1940, according to Federal statistics, the 

 harvest from these coasts amounted to 78.4 million pounds valued at 7.7 

 million dollars. Attempts to introduce the eastern oyster to the West Coast, 



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