INTRODUCTION 



The oyster industry of Puerto Rico is virtually non-existent. 

 Marketing of locally-produced oysters has changed little since the 

 beginning of the century. Soon after the island was acquired by the 

 United States, Wilcox (1900) reported that there was an abundance of 

 small oysters growing on the aerial roots of mangrove trees bordering 

 the lagoons and that occasionally a few of these were gathered and 

 sent in the shell to the largest cities where they were peddled through 

 the streets. Fishermen at the present time at Boqueron gather a few 

 of the larger oysters by cutting them from the mangrove roots with 

 their maohets. After sacking the oysters and placing them outside 

 in pure sea water for a few days, they are sold in the cities, almost 

 exclusively in San Juan. Figures available at the office of the 

 Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation of the Puerto Rioan 

 Deparlment of Agriculture and Commerce show a production of 50,000 

 oysters in 1940. 



Very recently the territorial government considered it advisable 

 to attempt development of an oyster industry in Puerto Rico and 

 thought was given to the introduction of the foreign species, Ostrea 

 gigas, which, it was hoped, would establish itself and give sizable 

 yields of a good marketable oyster. Actual importation has been 

 delayed, however, because of difficulties encountered in obtaining 

 the seed oysters and because of the desire to investigate more fully 

 the details of actual planting operations to be performed. 



T^ere is no marketing of locally produced oysters in the 

 Virgin Islands. Some may be gathered and eaten by residents who 

 live close to the few areas where oysters are found, but the majority 

 of the people do not know the local oyster and do not eat it. This 

 oyster is too small in sise to be a valuable food oyster and it is 

 not abundant. Frozen oysters are imported to meet the demand and 

 sold at a high price to a lir.iited number of consumers. 



The Government of the Virgin Islands is interested in the 

 promotion and development of small industries and agriculture in the 

 islands. The development of the tourist trade requires the establish- 

 ment of adequate hotel facilities, which in turn, poses the problem of 

 supplying certain foods and delicacies. The development of an oyster 

 industry would assist this program. 



The governments of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands requested 

 advice and assistance of the Fish and Wildlife Service in a study of 

 their respective oyster resources and of possibilities for the de- 

 velopment of an oyster industry through cultivation. The authors 

 were detailed to the survey in March - April 1949 and have reported 

 results and recommendations to officials of the two governments. 



