OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 7 



fixed. They can, us a whole, produce but a more or less definite 

 maximum (l[uantity of oysters, and experience in other places has 

 shown that this maxinnnn is soon reached in the development of the 

 fishery, and that thereafter the productiveness of the beds decreases 

 by reason of the intensive fishery which the demands of the markets 

 induce. The natural beds inevitably tend to depletion despite all 

 efforts at their protection. 



It can not be definitely stated that the maximum productiveness of 

 the natural beds of Louisiana has yet been attained, but there is 

 reason to believe that this is the fact in some localities. In Terre- 

 bonne Parish, according to observations made incidentally during 

 the term of the present exi^eriments, but more especially as shown by 

 the studies made by Mr. L. R. Gary °' in 1906 and 1907, certain reefs 

 highly productive in 1898 are now depleted or barren, mainly as a 

 result of overfishing. 



AMiereas at the time of the investigation of 1898 practically all 

 oysters from this parish came directly from the natural reefs, it is 

 stated that the greater part of the product now comes from the 

 planted beds. Most of this product, however, has its prime source 

 in the natural beds, whose oysters are transplanted or bedded for a 

 year or less on the private grounds. By this method of planting the 

 drain on the natural beds is maintained or even accelerated under 

 the present system of granting permits to take unculled oysters for 

 planting j^urposes. 



PERMITS TO TAKE UNCULLED OYSTERS. 



Under the laws now in force the oyster coumiission is empowered 

 to issue special permits to take rough or unculled stock from the 

 public beds for planting purposes, provided the leased bottoms to 

 which they are removed are over 6 miles distant from known natural 

 reefs. This provision was incorporated in the law for the purpose 

 of encouraging the establishment of seed beds on bottoms presum- 

 ably too far removed from spawning oysters to allow them to receive 

 a natural set of spat on planted cultch, the issuance of the permits 

 being optional with the oyster commission. 



It is a common practice for those to w^hom such permits are issued 

 to take up not only large and small oysters, but quantities of shells 

 also, or, in other words, to remove, bodily, portions of the reefs them- 

 selves. The reefs are thus depleted not only of their oysters, but of 

 the bottom to which they are attached, and recuperation is prevented 

 by the loss of the shells which under normal natural conditions furnish 

 the only places for the attachment of fresh generations of young. 

 There is thus reduction in both actual and potential productive- 



« A preliminary study of the conditions for oyster culture in the waters of Terrebonne 

 Parish, La. Bulletin 0, Gulf Biologic Station, Cameron, La. 



34455—10 2 



