8 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 



ness, and the ultimate result of the policy which permits it is not diffi- 

 cult to see. It must inevitably be the accelerated depletion of the 

 natural beds. 



The purpose of the provision is meritorious, but it rarely should be 

 necessary to put it into effect under the conditions obtaining in Louisi- 

 ana. Outside of Barataria Bay there were very few places suitable 

 for oyster culture which were at the time of the enactment actually 

 more than 6 miles removed from spawning oysters, either natural 

 or planted; and even in that region the planting of brood oysters is 

 no longer necessary, since the establishment of this Bureau's experi- 

 mental plants and the commercial oyster culture which they have 

 encouraged furnishes an ample supply of spawning oysters. 



The authors have received the impression that these permits have 

 been issued rather too generously for the best welfare of the natural 

 beds, for not only have they been granted to practically all applicants, 

 but it is understood that they have been issued to the same persons in 

 consecutive years. Even in cases in which it is necessary or advan- 

 tageous to grant to a planter permission to take unculled material 

 from the natural beds, the practical end contemplated by the law is 

 served by one permit, which wdll allow the establishment of a self- 

 perpetuating colony of brood oysters, sufficient for all time, unless de- 

 stroyed by crevasses, the inroads of enemies, or other accidents. If 

 the oysters do not thrive under the general environment to which 

 they are transplanted, that in itself is evidence that the locality is for 

 some reason ill chosen and additional experiment in the same place 

 is likely to prove futile. If the bottom is to be used merely as a bed- 

 ding or fattening ground, to be planted with oysters year after year, 

 the issuance of the permits is unnecessary. 



The present practice not only injures the natural beds, but it tends 

 to discourage the planting of shells and other cultch, without which 

 the oyster industry of Louisiana can never reach its full productive 

 development. For both reasons it appears advisable that the issuance 

 of these licenses or permits should be restricted and their necessity 

 subjected to stricter scrutiny. In those cases in which permits to 

 take unculled oysters appear desirable the oyster commission may 

 with advantage assume the power, Avhich would appear to be legally 

 within its discretion, to designate the reefs from which such oysters 

 may be taken. 



In some cases natural beds are so situated with respect to the 

 sources of supply of fresh water that they are peculiarly liable to 

 damage from freshets and crevasses, their oysters being frequently 

 killed before they have had time to grow to marketable size. Such 

 beds are often prolific spatting grounds, and the only way in which 

 the abundant product of young oysters may be utilized is by using 



