﻿14S 
  

  

  they 
  have 
  taken 
  off 
  on 
  the 
  oysters. 
  No 
  account 
  has 
  been 
  

   taken 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  mature 
  or 
  young 
  oysters 
  removed 
  by 
  

   the 
  tongers, 
  and 
  the 
  estimates 
  are 
  based 
  upon 
  observations 
  

   made 
  at 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  season, 
  when 
  the 
  

   prices 
  being 
  low, 
  a 
  smaller 
  number 
  of 
  dredgers 
  would 
  be 
  at 
  

   work 
  ; 
  therefore, 
  there 
  is 
  every 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  es- 
  

   timate 
  of 
  both 
  classes 
  of 
  oysters 
  is 
  under, 
  rather 
  than 
  above, 
  

   the 
  real 
  number 
  removed. 
  We 
  have 
  then, 
  aside 
  from 
  the 
  rav- 
  

   ages 
  of 
  the 
  drills, 
  a 
  yearly 
  destruction 
  of 
  over 
  64,000,000 
  

   young, 
  and 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  184,600,000 
  mature 
  spawning 
  oys- 
  

   ters 
  to 
  accoimt 
  for 
  tlic 
  deterioration 
  of 
  the 
  beds. 
  Whether 
  

   this 
  extensive 
  iishiug 
  is 
  beyond 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  or 
  

   not 
  cannot 
  be 
  accurately 
  stated; 
  the 
  only 
  information 
  on 
  the 
  

   subject 
  obtainable 
  being 
  the 
  statements 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-men, 
  that 
  

   the 
  beds 
  are 
  deteriorating 
  from 
  that 
  cause. 
  But 
  an 
  estimation 
  

   of 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  excessive 
  fishing 
  may 
  be 
  formed 
  by 
  exam- 
  

   ining 
  its 
  results 
  upon 
  such 
  beds 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  France 
  as. 
  

   have 
  I'ecords 
  upon 
  tlie 
  subject. 
  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 
  pe- 
  

   riod 
  of 
  sixty-eight 
  years 
  — 
  from 
  1800 
  to 
  1S6S. 
  The 
  beds 
  in 
  

   the 
  Bay 
  comprise 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  150 
  acres, 
  and 
  from 
  ISOO 
  

   to 
  1816 
  produced 
  from 
  400,000 
  to 
  2,400,000 
  a 
  year. 
  This, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  tlic 
  Napoleonic 
  wars, 
  and 
  tlie 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  much 
  disturbed 
  by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  cruis- 
  

   ers. 
  During 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  beds 
  became 
  so 
  thickly 
  stocked 
  

   that 
  the 
  oysters 
  were 
  in 
  some 
  phices 
  .a 
  yard 
  thick. 
  After 
  the 
  

   close 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  the 
  fisliing 
  improved 
  and 
  tlie 
  oysters 
  were 
  

   removed 
  in 
  larger 
  and 
  increasing 
  numbers 
  until 
  1843. 
  From 
  

   1823 
  to 
  1818 
  it 
  is 
  supposed 
  tliat 
  the 
  dredgers 
  were 
  living 
  upon 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  accumulated 
  during 
  tlie 
  period 
  of 
  enforced 
  rest, 
  

   from 
  1800 
  to 
  1816. 
  In 
  1817 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  produced 
  

   was 
  5,600,000, 
  and 
  until 
  1S43 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  constant 
  increase, 
  

   the 
  number 
  taken 
  in 
  tlie 
  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 
  efiect 
  of 
  over-dredging. 
  

   From 
  1859 
  to 
  1868 
  the 
  decrease 
  was 
  from 
  16,000,000 
  to 
  1,079,- 
  

  

  