In Europe the oyster spat or set is collected by allowing 

 attachment of the free -swimming larvae on coated tiles. The attached 

 spat are then removed from the tile and planted on growing beds in 

 deep water, from which they are dredged for market, or allowed to grow 

 on frames and trays in selected localities. 



In the Itaited States the methods are varied. For the most 

 part the spat are allowed to attach themselves to old shell on the 

 bottom. The seed oysters are then dredged or tonged and transplanted 

 to growing beds. "Bie adult oysters are taken for market from the 

 bottom by dredging in deep water and by tongs in shallovr water. In 

 some instances they are gathered by hand when they are exposed along 

 the shores at low tide. Wooden frames holding metal trajrs have been 

 used in the United States with some success in sheltered waters. These 

 have been described in detail by Nelson (1934) and by Evans (1943) • 

 The frames are expensive to construct emd the handling of the seed 

 oysters in the trays makes the cost of the oysters high. 



According to a Japanese method, large oyster shells with a 

 hole drilled though each are placed in suitable locations to catch 

 an oyster set. The shells bearing the young oysters are strung on 

 wire separated from each other by bamboo spacers about 4 to 6 inches 

 long. These are then suspended from a wooden float, some 20 by 40 

 feet, held up by drums or wooden barrels. After a period of growth, 

 the oysters are taken up and marketed. 



In Australia "stick" cultivation of oysters has become popular. 

 The sticks are from the black mangrove, which proves very successful, 

 as the bark does not deteriorate during the growing stages of the 

 oysters. In some methods the sticks are placed on racks, rocks, 

 shell beds, and in galvanized wire trays. These latter methods 

 provide for the growth to a marketable size of the oyster spat caught 

 in one place and transferred and placed on the trays. Some discussion 

 of certain aspects of the stick methods are described by Thonson (1948). 



In the waters of the islands of the Caribbean methods for the 

 growing of oysters must be developed experimentally. Possibilities 

 of growing market oysters from seed planted directly on the bottom 

 are very limited and possible only in few locations. The growing of 

 the seed on trasrs in the sheltered lagoons seems promising. This 

 latter method seems particularly advantageous in the Virgin Islands 

 where bottoms suitable for oyster culture are lacking. 



From our survey of the waters of Puerto Rico, we believe that 

 experimental oyster plantings can be made best in the lagoon of 

 Booueron Bay, known as Cam de Boaueron, emd in the inlet on Vieques 

 Island known as Port Mosquito. 



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