152 MARINE FISHERIES OF NORTH CAROLINA 



Caldwell, Shellfish Sanitarian, over 27,000 acres of shellfish growing areas 

 were restricted during 1948, chiefly in areas that are heavily populated. 



FOOD VALUE OF THE OYSTER 



Shucked oysters are one of the few animals that can be eaten in their 

 entirety, either raw or cooked. In nutritive value, the oyster is fairly close to 

 milk, which is often called the most nearly perfect food. Both are nutri- 

 tionally balanced and contain the three classes of food stuffs: fats, carbo- 

 hydrates, and proteins, but in different proportions. One pint of milk with a 

 caloric value of 310 calories very nearly equals in caloric value (340 calories) 

 one pound of high grade oyster meats (Pease, 1932). A combination of the 

 two foods as in an oyster stew containing six oysters and eight ounces of milk 

 contains Y^ of the vitamin Br, y^ of Vitamin B2; ^ of the calcium; % of 

 the phosphorus; % of the iron; and % of the vitamin A daily requirements 

 (Bowes, 1943)- 



In addition to the organic foodstuffs and minerals, the oyster is a good 

 source of vitamins, of which the present generation has become increasingly 

 conscious. From the food the oyster gathers out of the surrounding waters, 

 it stores and accumulates in various amounts the following vitamins : vitamin 

 A, thiamin, riboflavin, ascorbic acid and vitamin D. The amounts of the 

 various vitamins have been reported as follows per half pound of oyster meats 

 (Newcombe, 1944): 



Vitamins A B^ Bg C 



Fresh Oysters 0.3 mgm 0.56 mgm 1.04 mgm 6.8 mgm 



The nutritional value of oysters has perhaps been over-publicized as in the 

 case of many other foods. There are many foods or synthetic preparations 

 which would supply far more vitamins and minerals than oysters. 



OYSTER CULTURE 



Through the application of oyster culture, thousand of acres of once barren 

 or unproductive river or bay bottom have been converted into valuable 

 oyster producing areas. Many acres of potentially productive bottom under- 

 lying the waters of North Carolina are suitable for oyster culture. 



The cultivation of oysters was practiced as long ago as the time of the 

 Roman Empire and has been practiced in countries such as France, Holland, 

 Australia, and Japan. It is not definitely known when or where oyster 

 culture was first attempted in America, but as early as 1840 grounds were 

 taken up in North Carolina for the purpose of growing oysters. Grave 

 (1904) states that a Mr. Hardesty bedded a small quantity of oysters in 

 the Beaufort region about the year 1840. Many other plantings were made 

 until about 1859, but these beds were chiefly used to provide small quanti- 



