THE OYSTER. 77 



abled them to withstand the attacks of the oystermen 

 for a much longer time, but all who are familiar with 

 the subject have long been aware that our present sys- 

 tem can have only one result extermination. 



An estimation of the effect of excessive fishing may 

 be formed by examining its results upon such beds in 

 England and France as have records upon the sub- 

 ject. The most instructive of these are the records of 

 the production of the beds of Cancale Bay, on the 

 northwest coast of France, which extend over a period 

 of sixty-eight years from 1800 to 1868. The beds 

 in the bay comprise an area of about 150 acres, and 

 from 1800 to 1816 produced from 400,000 to 2,400,- 

 ooo a year. This, however, was the period of the 

 Napoleonic wars, and the fishing was much disturbed 

 by the presence of the English cruisers. During this 

 time the beds became so thickly stocked that the oysters 

 were said to be a yard thick in some places. After the 

 close of the war the fishing improved, and the oysters 

 were removed in larger and increasing numbers until 

 1843. From 1823 to 1848 it was supposed that the 

 dredgers were living upon the oysters accumulated 

 during the period of enforced rest from 1800 to 1816. 

 In 1817 the number of oysters produced was 5,600,000, 

 and until 1843 there was a constant increase, the num- 

 ber taken in the latter year being 70,000,000. In 1848 

 it was 60,000,000 ; thenceforward there was a constant 

 decrease. From 1850 to 1856 the decrease was from 

 50,000,000 to 18,000,000, supposed to be the effect of 

 overdredging. From 1859 to 1868 the decrease was 



