﻿OYSTERS 
  AND 
  METHODS 
  OF 
  OYSTER-CULTURE. 
  295 
  

  

  DESTRUCTION 
  OF 
  NATURAL 
  BEDS— 
  CAUSES 
  AND 
  REMEDIES. 
  

  

  Until 
  a 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  date 
  our 
  supply 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  drawn 
  

   almost 
  entirely 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  beds, 
  which 
  were 
  originally 
  so 
  vast 
  that 
  

   it 
  was 
  a 
  common 
  saying 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  inexhaustible. 
  The 
  fallacy 
  of 
  

   this 
  view 
  has 
  been 
  abundantly 
  proven, 
  and 
  wherever 
  reliance 
  has 
  been 
  

   placed 
  upon 
  natural 
  beds 
  solely 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  decreasing- 
  supply 
  to 
  

   meet 
  an 
  increasing 
  demand. 
  Many 
  causes 
  have 
  been 
  cited 
  to 
  account 
  

   for 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-beds, 
  but 
  wherever 
  

   unprejudiced 
  investigation 
  has 
  been 
  brought 
  to 
  bear 
  upon 
  the 
  subject 
  

   the 
  verdict 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  that 
  the 
  fishing 
  upon 
  the 
  beds 
  has 
  outgrown 
  

   their 
  fecundity. 
  

  

  Vast 
  as 
  is 
  tlie 
  production 
  of 
  spawn, 
  the 
  chances 
  against 
  its 
  growth 
  

   to 
  maturity 
  are 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  limit 
  the 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  Much 
  of 
  

   it 
  fails 
  of 
  fertilization. 
  Most 
  which 
  passes 
  that 
  critical 
  stage 
  becomes 
  

   a 
  prey 
  to 
  enemies 
  or 
  falls 
  upon 
  unsuitable 
  bottom, 
  where 
  it 
  fails 
  of 
  

   attachment 
  and 
  sinks 
  in 
  the 
  ooze. 
  Even 
  after 
  the 
  vicissitudes 
  of 
  

   larval 
  life 
  are 
  passed 
  the 
  infantile 
  spat 
  may 
  be 
  buried 
  in 
  an 
  accumu- 
  

   lation 
  of 
  organic 
  or 
  inorganic 
  sediment, 
  or 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  devoured 
  by 
  

   enemies 
  against 
  which 
  it 
  can 
  present 
  no 
  adequate 
  defense. 
  Storms 
  

   may 
  tear 
  the 
  adult 
  oysters 
  from 
  their 
  attachment 
  and 
  cast 
  them 
  upon 
  

   the 
  shore, 
  or 
  they 
  may 
  become 
  covered 
  by 
  sand 
  and 
  seaweeds 
  drifted 
  

   in 
  by 
  the 
  waves 
  ; 
  or, 
  again, 
  excessively 
  cold 
  weather 
  may 
  cause 
  their 
  

   death 
  in 
  exposed 
  places 
  by 
  freezing. 
  

  

  Numerous 
  as 
  are 
  the 
  perils 
  which 
  beset 
  them 
  under 
  their 
  natural 
  

   surroundings, 
  they 
  have, 
  upon 
  the 
  whole, 
  found 
  the 
  conditions 
  favorable 
  

   for 
  their 
  maintenance 
  and 
  increase 
  until 
  civilized 
  man 
  began 
  his 
  syste- 
  

   matic 
  attacks. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  before 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  man 
  

   upon 
  the 
  scene 
  they 
  had 
  disappeared 
  from 
  regions 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  

   formerly 
  found, 
  but 
  upon 
  our 
  coasts 
  such 
  cases 
  are 
  isolated 
  and 
  rare. 
  

  

  Without 
  here 
  going 
  into 
  the 
  evidence, 
  it 
  maj^ 
  be 
  asserted 
  as 
  a 
  dem- 
  

   onstrated 
  fact 
  that 
  overfishing 
  is 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  depletion 
  of 
  our 
  

   oyster-beds, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  produces 
  its 
  damaging 
  effect 
  in 
  several 
  ways: 
  

  

  1. 
  It 
  removes 
  the 
  adult 
  oysters, 
  which 
  are 
  either 
  spawning 
  or 
  are 
  

   capable 
  of 
  spawning, 
  and 
  thereby 
  reduces 
  the 
  reproductive 
  power 
  of 
  

   the 
  bed 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  

  

  2. 
  It 
  removes 
  the 
  shells, 
  and 
  therefore 
  decreases 
  the 
  available 
  points 
  

   of 
  attachment 
  of 
  the 
  spawn. 
  When 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  not 
  culled 
  on 
  the 
  

   beds 
  this 
  effect 
  is 
  aggravated 
  by 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  shells. 
  

  

  3. 
  Spat 
  and 
  young 
  oysters 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  the 
  adults 
  are 
  

   removed 
  from 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  impracticable 
  in 
  many 
  cases 
  to 
  

   detach 
  them 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  necessity 
  destroyed. 
  

  

  4. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  oysters 
  taken 
  and 
  destroyed 
  from 
  the 
  several 
  

   causes 
  mentioned 
  is 
  greater 
  than 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  permitted 
  to 
  annually 
  

   grow 
  up 
  to 
  take 
  their 
  places. 
  

  

  Many 
  causes 
  have 
  been 
  assigned 
  as 
  tendin 
  ; 
  to 
  deplete 
  the 
  oyster- 
  

   beds, 
  and 
  many 
  remedies 
  have 
  been 
  proposed. 
  Various 
  phases 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  