68 
OYSTER CULTYEE COMillSSION—ATPEKDIX. 
8. I should judge in December and January. 
9. Moderately sized, long leases. 
10. 11, 12. Answered in other reports. 
13. Residents take much interest in the matter, and express a strong desire to engage in the pursuit if encourago- 
ment in shape of long leases and moderate rent is offered. 
I have retained these reports till now, expecting to have received plans of Bcllengcr and Nambuccra, at Port 
Macquarie, but not having come, therefore, I forward them without. 
I have, &c., 
A. B. BLACK 
PORT MACQUARIE FISHERY. 
1. It seems that before limestone was discovered at Piper Creek well up the Maria River oysters as well as shell from 
the immediate beds was largely used, and even afterwards to the time of leasing, as much less wood was required in tho 
process. Ilencc the beds were much injurt'd, as forty or fifty years residents, who themselves were so cra^iloycd, inform me that 
all the shallow beds, viz., those from tho ilaiu bed contiguous to town up to first point; that in the bend o])posito to said 
point, also from the entrance to Limebumcr's Crook, for about two miles up, moat of these could be picked up by hand in 2 or 3 
feet at dead low-water. Therefore the niuin beds now in first reach of river, being in 5 to 7 fathoms, eseuiK’d- However, these 
old people think that those beds were every few years smothered in silt, tlieu recovered to undergo a similar process of skinning. 
These shallow liod.s were complete mihrokcn masses of oystei*3 many tiers thick, and broke out in clumps of some dozcua— 
to use their expression—as big as a bucket. Tlieii on the decay of Port Macquarie oysters wore undisturbed and grew ajmee 
on many but not on all tho spots on wliieh they formerly grew. This continued till /G9, when ouo or two dredgers came by 
chance; their lurk drew many others, so tlmt towards tlie end of that year fourteen l>oats of two men were engaged on llmm, 
and for the two following yeara seldom less tlian ten to tAvclve l>oaU were employed, averaging ten bags a day each, and on tlio 
shallow beds at first as niucdi as twenty to twenty-five bags were got by one bonl and two men. Ibit in /Yd most of the boats 
left, as the catch had gradually dwindled down to three and four, with harder work and a longer day. However, it is very 
evident the beds got sucli a thorough skinning that they have not yet recovert'd, and in some unstances never will by natural 
means, t.e., in any misonahle tiine. Tliis oyster has a tendency to grow in latter cUimjis (ten to even twenty) tlmti in most 
other fisheries. A)idrt‘w Barber’s sintement clearly describes the quantity hitherto found to exist on a bed in its ()rigii)ul and 
natural state. And hero I reiterate tlmt in both America aud Xcw houth Wales 1 have always observed the i)od in its 
natural state to fonn in clusters, layer overbyer; as in some of the bays in tlje delta of ilississippi, when* it rises to 
obstruct navigation to u height from <> to S feet of water to the top as in the ease of eoml, but I ha\c invariably noticed 
that the living oyst er is not I'oimd below the eighth layer—probably in that condition the eighth veur is tho term of its natural 
life. 
2. From wlmt I hare written, it is evident the beds have bt'en seriously injured by over-working, also, a.s before 
observed, tho bow-dredge plays unmerciful havoc on the clutch as the bed becomes hare, nlthoitgli to bn.*uk into so compact a 
mass a bow-dredge heavily M'eight(Hl iiiay be necessary at first—but I have nason to suiipose not after the mass 1ms been 
thus thoroughly shaken, when a straight-edged dredge alone should be tolerated—and, of course, wciglitcd accoixling to 
depth of unter and strength of tide, uliieh runs at the rate of 3 or -I knots as here, iti a depth <tf 5 to (» and 7 fatlioins. I do 
not think that tlie l)etl has been injured since it 1ms come into possession of the lessee, but rather im])roved, from the faet that 
it has not jiaid to take oysters oU'it, on account of the thorough skinning in the yrars nuadioiitHl. 1 have bestowed three days 
dredging of ten hours «u‘h, both with niy own divdge and that of Barber’s, on tile main bed, ns marked in the sketch, and in a 
bushel of oysters, aged one and two years, could find only about eight or ten four yrar old oyslei*s—no inori’* in Limebunier’s 
Creek bed, but on the small jwiteli at entrance of tlio ^loirn, opposite the punf^ there may be about 300 bags very 
fine old oy.stcrs; here, however, the ground is rmJij and difliciilt to drodge, but by‘means of tlio tonga in a 
a depth of 8 to 12 feet, the depth of the bed, I could very easily manage where the ilredge eouIdnT work at all. T cftneludo 
from the foregoing remarks and general condition of the .several beds, that from the time of the skinnijig—say frmn /72 until /75 
—the s()at crop had failed, but has been very abundant both in /75 and /7G. but from the present nj»i)earance of the old oyster 
now dose on spawning, T frar the crop will l>e a verv* p(x>r one. I find none of the two-year-olds in sjtawii. Barber’s statement 
as to oysters dre<lgcd is amply confirmed by the testimony of many residents and a few former dredgers hungiitg alxmt here at 
other work, and lume believe that tlicbed has paid even the nmt since in .Tames’ hands. However, if strictly conserved, in the 
second year from tiow, I calculate within bounda that the present 2-1 year’s oysters wiHnmount t(> t wo or tliree tbousand hags, 
for a large area of the main bed is covered witli then^but only a single layer! I do not think it ]>osrible tbat floods, wbellior 
high or low, can have in any respect an injurious dfect on the‘deep-watcr'bcds in the reach from ojtposite Limeburnep’s Creek 
up to punt. 
3. — 
(a) Banks, from dam, all round tbe bend between, are conqwsed of a Hub-stratum of the friable sandy, blackisli, 
mud rock, which seems to he general in these northern rivers ; over this soil of a clayey mixture, in some ])arts 
pipe-dnyey ; iu a spot or two drift sand, and one narrow spot in middle of said l)end (marked on skoleh), bard 
large boulders. The islet near said point is a black unctuous soil, overlying said friable rock, and over black soil 
a layer of drift sand—several kinds of trees tboroon. The lower part of reach ronnd the *))oint is clayey soil 
over said rock, tbenee a grayish black soil overlying said rock. This, in faet, is the general diaraeter of the 
banks of main ^treiim and tributaries, save the sandr spit at entrance, opposite the town, and a high bank 
2(X) yards long, m Limebumer’s Creek, about 1 mile up drift-sand over same khnl of rock, and the rock itself 
forms the bed of the river in that part—sandy, mud mixed nilh .shell,and in some parts shingU*—forms tljc bed 
of tlio river and ov.^ter ground. 
I oy.^ter ground. 
(i) Tliere are in most parts oysters on mangrove twigs and stone, and in great abundance in several spots on the 
same sandy mud shore, wbert- either shell or shingly eluteli ha-s gathered! 
(c) As before said, none of the beds are of pure mud, but tt (\)nsiderable admixture of sand with it seems to bo 
indispcnrablc, iit any rate sueb is the eomposition of every one of tlie beds on which oysters are found (lying on 
clutch of course) m any of these rivers wln'ch 1 have examined. ■■ ^ j ^ 
islands inarkod in .sketch are just awash at higli springs, and the two points ns well; those of the 
in Limeburner s Creek are also nwash, but I think the water i« not suitable for feed, at all events no <»vbters anpear on 
shore or mangroves above the jxiint marked. Islets an? unaliemUed, 1st point is sold, 2nd doubtful 
5. Searcely any four ycai-s an.l upwards, cxcq.ling about 300 bagfuls at ,»iut opiwsito •< punt”; all tl.o oli.ers aeed 1 and 
2 years. The qiudity is good Kxt. nt^^of inain-bed, J n,i e by Sm yards ; but all tlmt reach f.«m 1st ],.>int to 200 yards below 
”jmnt, exceptlug small imtclaw of soft mud, is a good elufcli-bed. composed of sandy mud, with a lufgo admixture of sbell of 
dUTerent kinds, and a portion ot large pebbles running to size of small boulders of 100 or 150 lbs., and a kind of bard sm d v 
crust, which the strong tide np]iears to oon.stantly keep clean. Liiiiobunier’s Creek bed orsters as on the other aged one and 
■ Latter in 
two years, but only about 200 yartls by 50 in area. Itoiind the islets on the ilaria oystom fonnerly abounded, also on opposUe 
shore, iind now at small cost that ground could be put in an equally good condition. From tlie dam all round the bi nd 
oysters are found in isolated clumps, where formerly they abounded. Tliercfore tliese latter may bo class,-d as Kood paxable 
tidtbei!^'''^' ’ it eltaiiee.s to bo driven 
G. ^lerc is not imicli shell anywhere on the banks. The first point, Limeburuer’s Creek, and a few on the left bank a 
mile up. However, a good deal ot both shell and gravel may bo jiickeil iq). 
^ 7. Oysters are now on the verge of spawning, and no evidence to show that spawning has occurred since about this 
time last year, aud tho old people already referred to say they think it occurs about December or January, but at no other 
tune. 
8. Consequently this account agrees with tliat of Messrs, Fraiscr aud Barber. 
9. Moderately sized areas. 
10,11. Already answered. 
12. 
