THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL REPORT 121 



OYSTERS 



One of the earliest fisheries activities in California was the cultiva- 

 tion of oysters. Numerous attempts were made to establish and culti- 

 vate the eastern oyster in San Francisco Bay and other bays of the 

 state. To encourage the growing of oysters a law was passed in 1873, 

 under which persons could stake out tide land areas and record the 

 claim in the county recorder's office. Oysters planted on these claims 

 were the property of the person, and it was unlawful for anyone to 

 trespass thereon. 



It was found, however, that our waters are too cold for the successful 

 spawning of the eastern oyster, but that it w^as very profitable to 

 purchase the young oyster spat on the Atlantic coast, ship them out in 

 car load lots and plant them on the prepared beds in San Francisco and 

 Tomales bays. Althought the oyster could not be depended upon to 

 reproduce and thus make the business self-sustaining, the conditions 

 were favorable for the rapid growth of the spat. 



The business grew rapidly and the many small oyster companies were 

 later merged into two or three companies. The largest of these was at 

 one time doing an $800,000 a year business. Then this business began 

 to fail. The spat ceased to grow rapidly and the grown oysters were 

 inclined to be thin and watery. It was necessary to cease bringing out 

 the spat and, instead, they brought out the half-grown oysters. Even 

 this method was later abandoned and only the grown oysters were 

 brought out and the oyster beds have been used only for holding the 

 grown oysters until they can be disposed of as the market demands. 

 The once large oyster business shrank to almost insignificant propor- 

 tions and, except for recent signs of reawakening, has remained in that 

 condition. 



It was characteristic of the old oyster industry that experts or scien- 

 tific investigators were not employed, and then when the industry 

 began to fail it was not possible to determine just what were the 

 changed conditions which made San Francisco Bay unfavorable for the 

 eastern oyster. Records of temperatures, salinity or quantity of food 

 in the water had not been kept, so the real cause is only a matter of 

 conjecture. 



In the last few years the methods of science have been employed in 

 the oyster industry on the Atlantic coast and in Puget Sound region. 

 The U. S. Bureau of Fisheries has taken the lead in this work. Notable 

 work has also been done by the states of New Jersej^ and Washington. 

 The knowledge which has been gained in this work has revived the hope 

 that there is still a chance to build up an oyster industry of large pro- 

 portions in this state. While it is not probable that the eastern oyster 

 will ever be a success in California, there is now the best of evidence 

 that the little native oyster of the Pacific coast and the Japanese oyster 

 can be profitably cultivated. A recent survey, as well as experiments 

 in California waters by experts of the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, tells 

 us that we have within the state 5000 acres of tide land, exclusive of 

 San Francisco Bay, which are suitable for growing both the native 

 Pacific oyster and the Japanese species. On Puget Sound, where for 

 years the native Pacific oyster has been profitably cultivated, improved 

 oyster beds are valued at $2,000 per acre. As it costs on an average 



