31 



If a series of bundles be deposited in a suitable place at ten-day intervals from 

 say 1st July to 15th October and these be examined and the attachment or not 

 of spat noted carefully at regular intervals, it will be easy to determine with 

 approximate accuracy the date of general spawning. Once this be ascertained, 

 spat collection on a much more extensive scale should be attempted in the 

 following season. If the ground be well consolidated, parallel rows or walls 

 of loose tiles 3 or 4 tiers high may be employed. The rows should run parallel 

 with the direction of the channel, so that the tiles may be laid at right angels 

 to it. Or the crates referred to above may be used ; these are particularly 

 useful on soft or muddy ground. 



128. If the experiments prove successful and a large harvest of spat 

 be obtained, the brood oysters should not be removed from the tiles till they 

 attain a diameter of f or f inch. Under the favourable conditions for growth 

 found in India, this will probably be attained within a month or 5 weeks from 

 the date of attachment to the tiles. When this size is reached, the oysters 

 should be stripped from the tiles and laid out on firm bottom protected by 

 palisades from fish and the transporting action of tidal currents. Once it be 

 demonstrated that oyster spat can be obtained by the outlay of a comparatively 

 smalt expenditure of labour and expense, there should be little difficulty in 

 persuading those interested in the oyster trade to enter upon the simple form 

 of culture here advocated. Particulars of how to treat the growing oysters, 

 how to protect them from crabs, fishes, and passive enemies are given in detail 

 in my Madras Bulletin so that it is needless to recapitulate these here. 



129. With every extension of culture in the Nawa Nar neighbourhood, 

 the richness of the spat fall will increase. At Arcachon the whole of the annual 

 production, averaging over 350 millions of saleable oysters, is the product of 

 spat emmitted by oysters under cultivation. The physical characters of Karachi 

 backwater are not unlike those of Arcachon and I see no reason why a very 

 extensive culture production should not be yielded by the western section 

 of the former. I believe too that the cost of oysters reared there, from 

 spat artificially collected, should compare very favourably with the expenses 

 now involved in sending boats and men to the creeks to collect from the 

 natural beds. 



130. One great advantage over French culture grounds possessed by 

 Karachi is the greater rapidity of growth which characterises oysters in India. 

 From my observations in the creeks, I am fully assured that marketable size is 

 attained in about two years from the date of being spawned, and possibly this 

 period may be reduced under cultivation. In the extreme south of India the 

 growth is much more rapid than this I have note of oysters which have 

 attained a size 2'90 X 2'70 inches within the incredibly short period of seven 

 months and others which measure over 4 inches by 3 inches within 9 months 

 the latter a suitable size for market. Such pbenominal growth I do not expect 

 to occur at Kardchi, but if fat, well-grown oysters can be reared within 2 years 

 as I am certain can be done, there should be a fine future in store for Karachi 

 oyster-culture. 



131. Administration. I trust it will not be considered presumtuous on 

 my part if 1 round off this report with the recommendation that the whole of 



. the actual work of surveillance and experiment be entrusted to the officers of 

 the Sea-Customs, the general direction of the operations to be undertaken 

 resting with the Collector of Karachi. There are two cogent reasons for the 

 Customs Authorities being entrusted with all executive duties relating to 

 coastal fisheries in the case of Sind. In the first place they maintain already a 

 preventive staff whose duties involve the patrolling of the coast line and 

 so give them unrivalled opportunities to ascertain and to control air fishing 

 operations in the creeks and backwaters. If the Customs be given charge of 

 this work, any extra establishment to be entertained will be most modest. 

 The supervision and inspection of the creek oyster beds may indeed be 

 dovetailed very largely with the ordinary duties of the Customs Preventive 

 Staff. A second reason is that the Chief Collector of Customs is already in 



