﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISHERIES. 
  45 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  States 
  in 
  1912 
  there 
  were 
  800 
  persons 
  engaged 
  

   in 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry, 
  and 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  wages 
  paid 
  was 
  $260,895. 
  

   The 
  output 
  was 
  213,579 
  bushels 
  of 
  market 
  and 
  seed 
  oysters, 
  having 
  a 
  

   value 
  of 
  $676,243, 
  of 
  which 
  157,243 
  bushels, 
  valued 
  at 
  $659,430, 
  were 
  

   from 
  private 
  grounds. 
  

  

  In 
  California 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry, 
  including 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  and 
  the 
  oyster 
  trade, 
  centers 
  in 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  and 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   grounds 
  are 
  located 
  chiefly 
  in 
  San 
  Francisco 
  Bay, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  

   oyster 
  grounds 
  also 
  in 
  Tomales 
  and 
  Humboldt 
  Bays. 
  In 
  San 
  Fran- 
  

   cisco 
  Bay 
  sting 
  rays 
  are 
  abundant 
  at 
  times, 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  protect 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  from 
  them 
  stockades 
  are 
  built 
  around 
  the 
  oyster 
  grounds. 
  

   These 
  are 
  usually 
  made 
  of 
  pickets, 
  2 
  by 
  3 
  inches 
  in 
  size, 
  and 
  from 
  14 
  to 
  

   16 
  feet 
  high. 
  The 
  oyster 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  is 
  all 
  obtained 
  from 
  

   private 
  grounds, 
  and 
  the 
  season 
  extends 
  practically 
  through 
  the 
  entire 
  

   year. 
  The 
  yield 
  of 
  oysters 
  was 
  68,037 
  bushels, 
  valued 
  at 
  $280,344 
  

   of 
  wliich 
  all 
  except 
  600 
  bushels 
  of 
  native 
  oysters, 
  valued 
  at 
  $1,800 
  

   were 
  eastern 
  oysters 
  grown 
  from 
  seed 
  oysters 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  coast 
  and 
  planted 
  on 
  the 
  local 
  beds. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  and 
  native 
  oysters 
  produced 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast, 
  market 
  oysters 
  

   from 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  are 
  also 
  handled 
  by 
  the 
  dealers 
  at 
  San 
  Fran- 
  

   cisco. 
  

  

  In 
  Oregon 
  the 
  oyster 
  grounds 
  are 
  in 
  Yaquina 
  Bay. 
  The 
  product 
  

   of 
  native 
  and 
  eastern 
  oysters 
  in 
  1912 
  was 
  2,213 
  bushels, 
  valued 
  at 
  

   $9,050. 
  In 
  Washington 
  the 
  oyster 
  grounds 
  are 
  in 
  Willapa 
  Bay, 
  

   Grays 
  Harbor, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  bays 
  and 
  inlets 
  in 
  Puget 
  Sound. 
  As 
  in 
  other 
  

   States 
  on 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  these 
  oyster 
  grounds 
  are 
  usually 
  exposed 
  

   at 
  low 
  tide, 
  and 
  iu 
  winter 
  the 
  oysters 
  are 
  in 
  danger 
  of 
  freezing 
  when 
  

   the 
  tide 
  is 
  out. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  retain 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  grounds 
  dikes 
  have 
  been 
  

   built 
  in 
  some 
  localities. 
  Shells 
  have 
  been 
  planted 
  on 
  grounds 
  inclosed 
  

   by 
  dikes 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  rendering 
  the 
  bottom 
  suitable 
  for 
  oyster 
  

   planting, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  secure 
  a 
  set 
  of 
  oyster 
  spat. 
  Both 
  native 
  and 
  

   eastern 
  oysters 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  planting 
  purposes. 
  Some 
  Japanese 
  

   oysters 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  Willapa 
  Bay 
  about 
  10 
  years 
  ago. 
  In 
  1912 
  

   about 
  20,000 
  of 
  these 
  oysters 
  were 
  planted 
  as 
  an 
  experiment 
  within 
  

   the 
  dikes 
  on 
  private 
  beds 
  in 
  Hood 
  Canal. 
  The 
  oyster 
  product 
  of 
  

   Washington 
  amounted 
  to 
  143,329 
  bushels 
  of 
  native 
  and 
  eastern 
  

   oysters, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $386,849, 
  about 
  61 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  

   from 
  planted 
  grounds. 
  

  

  Following 
  are 
  detailed 
  statistics 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   Coast 
  States 
  in 
  1912: 
  

  

  22889°— 
  14 
  4 
  

  

  