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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  oyster 
  business 
  have 
  been 
  cited 
  to 
  show 
  cause 
  why 
  they 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  

   curtailed 
  or 
  abolished 
  as 
  destructive. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  proposed 
  to 
  restrict 
  

   the 
  demand 
  by 
  prohibiting 
  canning; 
  to 
  prohibit 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  or 
  that 
  

   kind 
  of 
  apparatus, 
  or 
  to 
  interfere 
  in 
  various 
  ways, 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   legitimate 
  methods 
  of 
  meeting 
  and 
  increasing 
  the 
  demand. 
  

  

  'Jhe 
  attempts 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  demand 
  upon 
  the 
  beds 
  

   within 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  their 
  fecundity 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  been 
  failures, 
  and 
  such 
  

   attempts 
  are 
  also 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  illogical 
  when 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  

   reciprocal 
  measure, 
  increasing 
  the 
  supply, 
  is 
  perfectly 
  feasible. 
  

  

  The 
  dictates 
  of 
  sound 
  economics 
  require 
  that 
  no 
  effort 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  

   restrict 
  the 
  demand 
  until 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  that 
  efforts 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  sup- 
  

   ply 
  are 
  futile. 
  A 
  growing 
  demand 
  for 
  a 
  product 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  trustworthy 
  

   indication 
  of 
  an 
  industry's 
  prosperity, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  rational 
  manner 
  in 
  

   which 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  supply 
  and 
  demand 
  into 
  equilibrium 
  is 
  to 
  increase 
  

   the 
  former. 
  Only 
  after 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  all 
  efforts 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  supply 
  from 
  

   total 
  extinction, 
  should 
  a 
  restriction 
  be 
  placed 
  upon 
  the 
  demand. 
  

  

  The 
  close 
  season 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  favorite 
  measure 
  in 
  protective 
  legisla- 
  

   tion, 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  most 
  legislation 
  looking 
  to 
  the 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  

   game 
  and 
  fish. 
  It 
  is 
  usual 
  to 
  iix 
  the 
  close 
  season 
  during 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   months, 
  upon 
  the 
  theory 
  that 
  the 
  reproductive 
  act 
  should 
  be 
  allowed 
  

   to 
  proceed 
  unmolested. 
  It 
  really 
  matters 
  but 
  little 
  whether 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   is 
  taken 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  spawning 
  or 
  a 
  month 
  or 
  two 
  before; 
  the 
  

   effect 
  uijon 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  the 
  same, 
  as 
  in 
  either 
  case 
  the 
  bed 
  is 
  deprived 
  

   of 
  an 
  individual 
  capable 
  of 
  reproducing 
  its 
  kind. 
  The 
  only 
  effect 
  of 
  a 
  

   close 
  season, 
  whenever 
  occurring, 
  is 
  to 
  reduce 
  the 
  time 
  during 
  which 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  attack 
  from 
  the 
  oystermen. 
  Even 
  this 
  is 
  of 
  

   little 
  avail 
  with 
  the 
  sedentary 
  oyster, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  for 
  365 
  men, 
  

   fishing 
  ten 
  days, 
  to 
  as 
  effectually 
  "clean 
  up" 
  a 
  bed 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  

   10 
  men 
  fishing 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  This 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   practical 
  result 
  of 
  a 
  close 
  season 
  in 
  some 
  places; 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  days 
  of 
  

   fishing 
  removing 
  so 
  many 
  oysters 
  as 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  unprofitable 
  to 
  work 
  

   the 
  beds 
  during 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  methods 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  increased 
  demand 
  resulting 
  from 
  a 
  widen- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  markets 
  may 
  be 
  met 
  will 
  be 
  treated 
  of 
  in 
  another 
  connection. 
  

   It 
  may 
  become 
  necessary 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  this 
  country, 
  as 
  in 
  Europe, 
  

   to 
  reserve 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  for 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  seed. 
  Such 
  a 
  reser- 
  

   vation 
  would 
  naturally 
  excite 
  the 
  strenuous 
  opposition 
  of 
  the 
  oystermen 
  ; 
  

   but 
  should 
  the 
  industry 
  ever 
  be 
  reduced 
  to 
  the 
  desperate 
  condition 
  at 
  

   one 
  time 
  found 
  in 
  France, 
  correspondingly 
  desperate 
  remedies 
  must 
  be 
  

   invoked. 
  

  

  INCREASE 
  OF 
  SUPPLY 
  BY 
  ARTIFICIAL 
  MEANS. 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  countries 
  in 
  which 
  oysters 
  are 
  an 
  imj)ortant 
  item 
  of 
  food 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  found 
  necessary 
  to 
  give 
  nature 
  some 
  assistance 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   maintainor 
  increase 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  oysters 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  markets. 
  

   The 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  as 
  sistance 
  is 
  rendered 
  is 
  governed 
  by 
  local 
  

   conditions, 
  but 
  in 
  general 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  all 
  methods 
  of 
  oyster- 
  

   culture 
  depend 
  for 
  their 
  success 
  upon 
  the 
  modification 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  

  

  