CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS 3 



spat, and he claimed it was quite possible for a fairly intelligent man, 

 a man who would be interested in oyster culture, to determine quite 

 definitely the time at which the spat would be deposited and therefore 

 the proper time for putting out cultch to which the spat would become 

 attached and, in time, develop into the mature oyster. 



In connection with that work, he was asked to prepare a somewhat 

 more lengthy statement and that statement was issued by the Commis- 

 sion as a report entitled The Canadian Oyster. That work, how- 

 ever, was also rather technical and perhaps not quite so much in a 

 practical way came from the paper of Dr. Stafford as we hoped for. 

 At that meeting this resolution was carried: 



" Resolved that the Dominion Department of Marine and Fisheries 

 be urged to carry on demonstration and research work looking towards 

 improved methods of oyster culture, especially with reference to the 

 proper time of putting out cultch in order to procure the necessary 

 supply of spat, and also to carry on further demonstration work in 

 connection with the formation of oyster beds in grounds not now 

 productive of oysters and t:o assist in the introduction of improved 

 methods in live oyster beds." 



As I suggested, very little has been done with respect to the first 

 part of that resolution, the ascertaining of the proper time of putting 

 out cultch, and the further extension of Dr. Stafford's paper with the 

 idea of its practical application. The latter part of the resolution, the 

 demonstrations in connection with the formation of ■ oyster beds in 

 grounds not now productive of oysters, has perhaps come somewhat 

 under the domain of the work carried on by Capt. Kemp, who is an 

 employee of the Federal Dept. of Fisheries, and it might be suggested 

 that more work along this line be done through the special activities 

 in connection with the Dept. of Fisheries. The matter of further 

 resolutions in this connection or further consideration of the subject 

 of oyster culture might naturally come before this Committee when 

 the time for resolutions is at hand. 



A second topic discussed during the meeting in 1912 

 Trawling ^^^ ^^^ matter of the employment of steam trawlers 



in connection with the fisheries on the Atlantic coast. 

 It was suggested that it would be advisable to limit the field of opera- 

 tion of these trawlers and that they should be prohibited from inter- 

 fering with the work of the shore fisheries. It was felt that the 

 contention of the fishermen, with respect to the injuries by steam 

 trawlers, was not altogether borne out, and that their opposition was 

 largely due to the fact that steam trawling interfered with their occu- 

 pation rather than to any damage to the fisheries themselves. Although 



