THE SHOALHAVEX AND CLYDE EIVER OYSTEE FISHERIES. 71 



SHOALHAVEN AND CROOKHAVEN RIVERS OYSTER FISHERIES. 



Ill Bronglitoii Creek, a tributary of the Slioalhaven Elver, 

 are four separate beds ; tlie first, nearest to tlie entrance, is 

 about 100 yards long by 6 yards wide. Owing to considerable 

 deposits of silt which have occurred during the last three 

 or four years its producing capabilities have become much 

 impaired ; the bottom wliicli is rocky as most of the beds 

 in this district are, is covered by a depth of 12 feet of 

 water ; the oysters on this bed are large and cuppy. 



The second bed is about half a mile from the entrance and 

 is known as Praiser's bed ; a quarter of a mile further on is 

 the third bed, the fourth being situated nearly a mile above 

 it ; all of these were at one time heavily stocked with oysters, 

 but they have all suffered from ravages of the worm, and are 

 but little in repute at the present time. 



In the Crookhaven lliver there is practically but one bed ; 

 it is called the Dock Bed ; the bottom is rocky and is covered 

 by a depth of 10 feet of water ; there were other small 

 deposits in this river, on shelly bottoms, but they are now 

 silted up and useless. 



THE CLYDE RIVER OYSTER-BEDS. 



The principal oyster deposits in this river bear distinctive 

 appellations. There is the old heel nearest the sea some 300 

 yards long by 150 yards wdde, and covered by an average 

 depth of water of 12 feet — the bottom consists of hard mud 

 overlaid with dirt shells — -spawn does not fix to it nor 

 indeed to any of the others of its class, but brood, of which 

 there arc quantities on the adjacent shores, become, after 

 being placed in this bed for twelve or fifteen months, a 

 marketable commodity. 



JPeliccDi Island Bed is in the main channel just above the 

 old bed, it is one of the best in the river, 500 yards in length, 

 150 yards in wddth, has a clean shelly bottom, and is easily 

 worked. 



Schnapper Point and Uochy JPoint Beds, unlike the two 

 previous beds, have a broken and jagged bottom; being 

 formed of slate rock set on edge, they can be worked only 

 by the nippers or the double-shoe dredge. Spat caught in the 

 crevices of these rocks cannot for the most part be disturbed 

 even with this dredge, so that continual spatting goes on, 

 and the bed is unattended by any risk from exhaustion. 



