THE OYSTER AND THE OYSTER INDUSTRY. 33 



of that locality. These inshore beds are practically exhausted now, 

 and dependence is being placed for set upon the oysters planted in 

 deeper water offshore. The deeper water warms up slowly, and the 

 oysters spawn so late that the crest of the warm season is over 

 before setting occui"S and very little set is obtained from them. In 

 Long Island Sound spawning beds should be placed in the shallow 

 inshore waters to take the place of the original natural beds. Cultch 

 beds shoidd be placed where they have been heretofore, outside or 

 in the lower part of the mouths of rivers^ outside or alongside the 

 oyster beds. 



In this connection, as stated earlier, the fact that certain waters 

 are contaminated with factory trade wastes must be borne in mind. 

 It has been found that the upper waters of certain harbors in Long 

 Island Sound contain such a concentration of trade wastes that 

 oyster larvje are at once killed by it. No adult oj^sters are now 

 found in such waters. As these wastes are carried out nearer to 

 the mouths of the harbors they are diluted and are at least not so 

 immediately fatal to the oysters, but ultimately the effect is cer- 

 tainly harmful. wSome of the wastes also probably contribute to 

 the green discoloration of tlio meats of oystere found in certain beds. 

 Vigorous efforts should be made to require the reclamation of trade 

 wastes by the factories and to prevent their discharge into wators 

 othenvise fitted for the maintenance of sea-foods. 



General desirability of 'planting cultch. — The method of oyster 

 culture by means of catcning set on planted cultch is the most 

 promising one at present. Small seed oysters may be placed on 

 bottoms where, due to improved conditions, the}" will grow faster, 

 acquire a more desirable shape, and thus bring a better price. But 

 by putting down cultch in places where there was none before set 

 may bo caught which otherwise would have perished. By this 

 method the actual number of oysters in increased. This method 

 should bo developed furthi^r in some such manner as suggested above 

 and brought into more general use. 



At several points on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts no cultch is 



Planted, the snells being burned for lime or used in building roads, 

 n some of these places the oyster bods are becoming seriously 

 depleted. Tliis is especially true of Chesapeake Bay. Investiga- 

 tions carried on there by the United States Bureau of Fisheries 

 during 1019 sliowed that, while there were abundant free-swimming 

 larvae during the spawning season, the vast majority of these perished 

 from lack of cultch upon which to attach thems('lv(^s. It would 

 seem highly desirable to cease disposing of the slieUs for lime or road 

 building and to clean up the oyster bottoms and plant the shells on 

 them to catch set. The general improvement of tne oyster b(^ds and 

 the consequent increase in revenue from them would far outweigh 

 the relatively small amount now received for the shoUs as at present 

 handled. 



PLANTING SEED OYSTERS. 



In the method of oyster culture by planting seed the start is made 

 with small or "seed" oysters instead of shells. Such seed oysters 

 may vary in size from set of a few months' growth, about tlu^ size 

 of one's nnger nail, to oysters of nearly marketable size in some cases. 



