The Rise And Decline Of The Olympia Oyster 



available their unpublished manuscripts; also to W. J. 

 Waldrip for important data; to Professor Trevor Kincaid 

 and others. 



Under title "Recent Decline of the Native Oyster Fish- 

 ery" they give data showing the production of Olympia 

 Oysters from 1910 to 1946 inc. This data was secured 

 from actual production records of the growers and ship- 

 pers, and confirmed by the statistics of the fisheries. 

 This data I have also confirmed by the use of the records 

 in my possession, during the many years when the Olym- 

 pia Oyster Growers were advertising and paying 

 assessments on a bushel or sack basis by its members. I 

 believe them to be substantially correct. 



In 1910, the production was about 24,000 bushel. In 

 1915, it had increased to 36,000 bushel. In 1916-17, there 

 was a very heavy freeze. The beds were then only partly 

 under dikes, and the loss was heavy. Production 

 went down in 1917 to about 18,000 bushel. From then on 

 to 1924, there was a steady increase to approximately 

 50,000 bushel. It remained rather constant until 1926. 

 From 1926 to 1932 it declined to 19,000 bushel, only 43% 

 of the peak in 1924. From 1932 to 1936, it had climbed up 

 again to about 25,000 bushel. From that time to the end of 

 1946 there was a decline to the 1910 level of 16,000 bushel. 



The story from that time on, I have secured from the 

 records of the principal growers, as well as my own per- 

 sonal contact with the industry. It remained fairly 

 steady, on an average, although there were ups and 

 downs of a few hundred bushel, until 1948 when there 

 was a decided downward trend. By 1952, it had de- 

 creased to about 7,500 bushel, and during 1955, to about 

 3,500 bushel. 



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