IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND FBANCE. 29 



Scotland. 



In Scotland the more important beds of the Forth and Lough 

 Ryan are private property, and have been preserved by a close 

 season and regulations against taking oysters under a certain size. 

 In the Forth dredging is prohibited from May 1st, to September 1st. 



In Lough Ryan only a limited number of boats are allowed to 

 dredge. A licence is taken out by each boat owner, for which he 

 is charged nine pounds. 



Some years ago important beds w 7 ere discovered in Wigton 

 Bay ; no restrictions were imposed ; in consequence they were 

 soon dredged out, and the oysters may now be said to be almost 

 extinct there. 



Wales. 



In Wales, particularly at Milford Haven and Tenby, a close time 

 of four months, and restrictions with regard to the size of oysters 

 allowed to be sold, had been enforced for some years. These 

 regulations had a beneficial effect, but the increase of dredging 

 boats has greatly diminished the quantity on the beds. At Mil- 

 ford there were only twenty-one boats dredging twenty years 

 ago. they frequently took 2,000 oysters in a day ; now there are 

 200 boats, the take in the day for each does not exceed from 100 

 to 200. 



These instances go far to prove the wisdom of maintaining some 

 regulations for the repression of indiscriminate dredging. 



Ireland. 



This Commission was appointed — 1st, to ascertain as far as pos- 

 sible the cause of the decline in the produce of Irish oyster fisheries. 



2ndly, To determine the means that should be adopted to 

 arrest further decay, and to promote their resuscitation. 



3rdly, To inquire into and report on the mode of artificial cul- 

 ture likely to prove most efficient for the purpose in view. 



More minute details will therefore be entered into in relation 

 to Ireland than were called for with regard to France and 

 England, as the only reason for investigating the subject in 

 those countries was to ascertain how far the information obtained 

 might usefully bear on the paramount object of the Commis- 

 sion. A large mass of information which w T as collected in the 

 course of the inquiry bearing on the English oyster fisheries, as 

 well as many recommendations which suggested themselves to the 

 Commissioners for their improvement, they have not considered 

 themselves warranted in putting forward, as this would consider- 

 ably swell the size of this Report, and would also subject the 

 Commissioners to the charge of travelling outside their province. 



on shore, in fact, the Jersey fishing appears to be almost ' dredged to death.' 

 This is a desperate state of things, which might have been prevented by active 

 measures at an earlier stage, but I fear no steps will be taken to remedy the 

 evil. .... All oyster fisheries should be worked under wise restrictions, 

 and under a certain size all should be thrown overboard on the dredging ground, 

 some breeding stock would thereby be left ; but now, in many places, it is a 

 case of ex nihilo nihil Jit, brood and mature oysters having been alike exhausted 

 by over dredging." 



