217 



environment by industrial and municipal pollution, by dredging and 

 filling, and by decreases in the quantity and quality of freshwater 

 inflo^ys. Although market demand and prices rose steadily from 1962 

 through 1966, and fishing pressure increased, the total Galveston catch 

 declined drastically from 4,192,900 pounds in 1962 to 1,941,000 in 1966. 

 Although a direct causal relationship between estuary degradation 

 and this decline in catch cannot be demonstrated at this time, it is 

 reasonable to conclude that the cumulative effect of degradation acts 

 to reduce available supplies of shrimp. 



Oysters 



The record of the oyster industry in the United States is a con- 

 tinuing story of depletion in absolute quantity and decline in the use- 

 fulness of remaining beds. Declines have taken place in nearly all 

 estuary areas that naturally supported oyster populations. Depletion 

 has occurred for many reasons, both natural and man-induced. 



Natural catastrophes have depleted the oyster beds over time. The 

 hurricane of 1954 in Narragansett Bay, for example, is considered the 

 prime factor in the destruction of beds and the decline of the secondary 

 processing industry in that location. By 1956 the oyster harvest from 

 Narragansett Bay had declined to 31,000 pounds, from 252,000 pounds 

 in 1953. In 1957, the last remaining oyster dealer went out of business. 



Most of the reduction in domestic oyster production, however, can 

 be attributed to man's activities in the estuaries. Examples of the 

 diminution or extinction of this resource are many. New Jersey's 

 Raritan Bay, an outstanding producer of oysters for the New York 

 market in the 19th century, is now almost barren of this shellfish, 

 mainly due to municipal and industrial waste discharge. A study in 

 Shelton, Wash., indicated that sulphite waste discharge from paper 

 pulp manufacturing almost surely brought about a serious decline 

 in the oyster population. 



Many areas of oyster production for human consumption are closed 

 because municipal wastes contaminate oysters with bacterial matter. 



Silting due to dredge operations has appreciably diminished the 

 quality of many former oyster-producing areas. The silt may actually 

 smother the beds, or may so seriously disturb the estuary floor as to 

 cause deleterious effects from lowered amounts of dissolved oxygen. 

 This process, which has been observed in parts of Galveston Bay, 

 produces hydrogen sulfide and releases concentrated amounts of toxic 

 chemicals in bottom sediments. 



The decrease in production and consumption of oysters due to nat- 

 ural or man-induced causes is exacerbated by changes in consumer 

 preference, lack of mechanized shucking and packaging procedures, 

 and increasing labor costs. Perhaps the most difficult problem is pre- 

 sented by the legal labyrinth surrounding ownership and use of oyster 

 beds. Management and sound overall economic use of the oyster re- 

 source is almost impossible under present institutional constraints 

 which range from public ownership in Massachusetts to a tangle of 

 leasing and private ownership in such areas as Georgia, the Chesa- 

 peake Bay, and James River estuaries. 



The future of a viable oyster industry, and the continued availability 

 of a delicate and nutritious food, is thus linked not only to the quality 

 of the biophysical environment, but to the workings of the economic 

 and institutional environment as well. 



