The Rise And Decline Of The Ol'^mpia Oyster 



As to the opened fresh oysters, while many people 

 coming from the east preferred them, yet transportation 

 in those days was slow and refrigeration methods poor. 

 About the only Eastern oyster coming into the Puget 

 Sound country came during the Christmas period, when 

 a group of wholesalers would join in the shipment of one 

 or more refrigerated car loads. But as the Olympia Oys- 

 ter became more popular, and production increased to 

 where demands could be supplied, heavy losses were sus- 

 tained by spoilage of part of the car load shipments 

 before they were disposed of. Therefore, the need was 

 felt for another type of large oyster that was more hardy 

 than the Olympia Oyster, that did not require the high 

 state of cultivation necessary to grow the Olympia Oys- 

 ter, and that could be grown on our own tide flats where 

 the native or Olympia Oyster were in abundance. 



Briefly, after som.e experimental test plantings, it was 

 found that seed from Japan of species Ostrea gigas, 

 could be successfully grown here. The first commercial 

 plantings were made in Samish Bay in 1921. At first, 

 these oysters were accepted very slowly on the markets. 

 There were none planted in the Olympia Oyster areas for 

 many years. The Olympia Oyster remained the favorite, 

 even though the price was much higher. Finally a few 

 test plantings were made and in 1936, these oysters had 

 grown to maturity and spawned. A set of seed took place, 

 mostly along the upper side of the diked areas. Any that 

 had caught among the Olympia oysters were culled out, 

 and those above the dikes were disposed of. There has 

 been no set since that time in southern Puget Sound, 

 either on or near the Olympia oyster beds. 



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