1080 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [2] 
and Zeeland. After some hesitation the government resolved in the year 
1870 to prohibit general fishing on the large Yerseke oyster-bed in Zeeland 
and on the large oyster-beds in the Lauwer Sea, and to rent out these 
beds in small portions. This measure was both warmly defended and 
bitterly assailed. It is natural that a person owning oyster-beds—even 
if it should only be temporarily—will take much greater care to keep up 
the value of his oyster-beds, and if possible to increase their value, than 
fishermen who take oysters wherever they please. These latter will of 
course endeaver to obtain in the shortest possible time the greatest pos- 
sible number of oysters, because they feel convinced that every oyster 
which they leave on the beds will increase the wealth, not of the oyster- 
bed, but that of the fisherman who comes after them. Many persons, 
however, viewed the subject from a philanthropic point of view, and 
maintained that it would be very hard for the “ poor” fishermen, who 
live on the daily result of their fisheries, if general fishing on the oyster- 
beds were prohibited, because it would require some capital, if ever so 
small, to rent a portion of an oyster-bed. But regard to the interests 
of the entire population gained the victory, and at the present time, 
when hardly ten years have elapsed since the introduction of that 
measure, every one feels thankful for it. In the beginning the rents 
were not too high even for fishermen of moderate means, especially if 
they went shares with some neighbors or friends. ‘Thus as early as 1870 
some fishermen of Tholen rented portions of an oyster-bed, and did a 
good business. 
But only the Zeeland oyster-beds have recovered from their conditions 
of decadence, and have attained to a formerly unknown degree of pros- 
perity. Oysters are occasionally fished on the Texel oyster-beds, but 
they are so few in number that itis hardly worth the trouble. The 
Groningen and Friesland beds in the Lauwer Sea have of late years 
been entirely abandoned, although they afforded good fishing in former 
times; principally because by the closing of the Reit Diep, a canal which 
communicated with the Lauwer sea, the Zoutkamp beds in the neigh- 
borhood of Vostmahan and in the Dokkuwerdiep have become entirely 
worthless. 
Besides the oyster-beds which are rented out, there are still in Zee- 
land some public oyster-beds which do not seem to have undergone 
any material change during the last few years. The yield of these 
beds is not the same every year, but in 1875 it was very good. 
During the summer months access to the oyster-beds is, at least ofti- 
cially, prohibited. But the police supervision leaves much to be de- 
sired, and in 1875 large numbers of young oysters were taken from 
these beds during the period of prohibition, and were sold to the les- 
sees of portions of oyster-beds for the purpose of restocking their beds. 
The rented oyster-beds, however, are the ones which deserve our 
special attention. This combination of oyster-beds forms the so-called 
Yerseke Bank in the eastern Schelde, between the coasts of South Beve- 
