of Mont St. Michel in Normandy. It was also the plan followed for nearly 

 half a century to assure the prosperity of the common oyster grounds of the 

 great oyster culture centre of Arcachon. Each year the administration 

 examines the Cancale beds and decides the period d'uring which free fishing 

 shall be permitted. Immature oysters and all cultch have to be returned 

 immediately to the beds and the time allotted to fishing is very limited. In 

 the case of the Arcachon beds it never exceeded a total of three hours in any 

 one year between 1883 and 1900 and no fishing whatever was allowed for 

 10 years out of the series of 18. 



113. In order to control the regulation of the" 1 beds a preliminary essen- 

 tial is the preparation of a sketch plan of the creeks showing the position and 

 relative extent in square yards (say by means of symbols) of all the beds now 

 existing. Quite a rough sketch plan will suffice. When this is prepared, the 

 creeks should be visited once each year and the condition and the approximate 

 number of the oysters of marketable size, noted. This annual examination 

 will provide the data necessary in deciding which beds shall be fished and the 

 number to be taken from each. 



114. Breeding reserves. One or more patches should be reserved for 

 this purpose in each of the creek systems of which the Kuranji, Jhiri, Piti, 

 Khudi, Khai, Pitiani and Dubba form the main channels. A good healthy bed 

 should be chosen in each case, the larger the better. When a series of patches 

 occur up a side creek as in the case of the Dumbri branch detailed on a 

 preceding page, those furthest up the creek should be the ones reserved. 



115. Size limits. The present regulation may be retained, although it is 

 of small relative importance compared with the two preceding rules. The 

 market may be trusted to look after its own interest in rejecting any very 

 young or small oysters and with regard to the maximum limit, there are few 

 if any of such size now existant certainly there are none on the patches which 

 have been regularly visited by the oystermen. Yet as it may happen that 

 some hitherto unworked patches may yet be found in remote creeks it is well 

 to retain the rule in order to afford protection to the large sized oysters seeing 

 that individuals of 6 inches and more in length are of extremely high breedino- 

 value ; where a 3-inch oyster may give out 1 million of ova, a female of double 

 this length may be trusted to afford 3 or 4 millions at least. 



116. Cultching. The mention of the vast quantities of spawn emitted 

 by oysters suggests a caution to prospective oyster oultnrists not to be misled 

 by this wonderful fecundity of the oyster into limiting the reserves of breeders. 

 In England it has often been said when arguing in favour of the unrestricted 

 dredging of oyster beds, that as it is impossible to dredge up the last oyster 

 from the banks, the few left, out of their prodigious fecundity, are sufficient 

 to repopulate the bank. No greater mistake could be made. The fertility of 

 the oyster is correlated with an almost equally prodigious mortality during larval 

 life ; the proper statement of the mutual relation of these two facts is to make 

 the fecundity a consequence of the waste the risks during larval ' life are so 

 immense that to maintain the species, to ensure two of the progeny of any two 

 oysters attaining maturity, a million or more ova have to be produced by the 

 mother oyster. The chances against surviving to maturity are roughly a 

 million to one ; the actual chance is probably a very great deal less. This is 

 said of oysters in the natural condition; when they and the beds are under culture 

 of any from whatever, much may be done to improve the chance of a larger 

 proportion surviving, indeed this is the great aim of the oyster farmer. Any- 

 thing which tends to afford a greater area of clean surface for spat attachment, 

 whether by cleaning of the cultch already present or by increasing the quantity 

 available is of prime importance in this connection, hence recommendations 4 

 and 5. If the vital necessity for extensive cultching be once recognized and 

 operations on a large scale be intelligently carried out, the oyster industry on 

 the Siud Coast should eventually arise Phoeuix-like and flourish once more. The 

 suggestions numbered 4 and 5 have the advantage of necessitating no other 

 expense to Government than that of general supervision ; 1 cannot advise that 

 direct expenditure be incurred upon cultching, at least not till progress has been 

 made with the spat collection advocated below under the head of culture. 



