64 
OTSTKll CTTLTUKK COMAEISSIOX — APPEN'DIX. 
As maybe inferred, this perhaps is the most inlcrosflng and inslmetivc Ushery in the Colony; accordingly I have 
eiatnined it most carefully, and as already said, every word of tliis report together with the statements can bo amply verilied 
I enclose plan of fishery, sent. It will bo perceived that such a thing is of no earthly use to me ; it ought to be on a larger, 
scale and much more accurate Ilian tliat is—many of the islands and the creeks are omitted. I regret to say 1 have been delayed 
be illness, but now recovered, and to-morrow staii for Port Stevens fishery. Towiisliip sites will bo needed hero, and T wonld 
strongly recommend the unalienated portion of the Forster reserves, Cockatoo Island and Wallis Island. Tliis will eventually 
become a first class general fishery. I have expended all the forms. 
I have, &c., 
A. B. BLACE. 
Manager Mr. John Ilughcs* Statement. 
Hearing in Sydney that Manning men had ** rushed ** Capo Hawke and wore making a fine thing, I started thither, and 
arrived December, 1869; found about twenty men had been engaged about four months, and oysters getting scarce. By P ohruary, 
1870, Manning men had left, and only I and tliroe other residents remained. By May these also were starved out, and I continued 
till mid June. Got first portion of time six bags weekly; latter jiortion only tlircc and four. Tliis was the average of tho others, 
while for two to three montlis of first working fifteen to twenty bags a day was a common thing on most of the beds, and as 
much as forty bags daily off Xos. 2 and 9 beds. Rakes and shovels were iLsed thereon. June 25th. tried Sraitlfa Lake, but 
oysters were scared, though lino quality. Got only fifty-sixbags in thirty-four days. Price during this time, 6s. Rccoimucnocd 
October, 1871. Carefully searchctl the beds. On stirts of beds found narrow hollows, each containing a bag or two of fine 
oysters wliich had escaped notice in the general scramble. These, together with oysters trodden into the mud by so many 
tramping over the beds, were now grown into fine oysters. Ivept four boats going at an average of ten weekly at first, to four and 
three by April, 1872. By this lime, however, two men bail gone sawing, the third, a Cliinaman, fell sick ; and end of April 
I engaged at punting. I do not bolievo fifty bags remained on all tbo river beds together. An idea has always obtained 
among oystermen that one or more deep water beds exist soniowhero, yet the district has been searched in vain. 
Phid December, 18/2, to the astonishment of every one in the district, us by magic, every bed on which oysters 
previously grew was more or less thickly covered with young oii^tcrs tho size of a threepenny bit; and September, 18/3, the 
fishery was Icasetl, and neither Government nor lessee knew aught of the valuable crop it contained. I M’.as engaged to 
manage tho same by Comjiauy at 3a. a bag, but at my risk till outside of bar. Company were anxious to realise, ami I was 
set to work end October, 1873. Chose No. 4 bed, as these were the largest. I do not know how many filled the bag, but 
two men were eight hours loading the boat, whereas in 1875 got saine quantity in four hours ; und in and now fill the 
boat with ten bags iii from two to tlirec hours. This, at least, shows that the spat of December, 18/2, arc still growing; 
and on none of the bods, although some beds grow larger oysters than others, have the oysters ever yet attained the full size. 
From middle October, 1873, to end April, 1874, t wo boats, two men each, sent lessees 735 bag.*?. From September, 
1874, to May, 1875, sent 1.170. From August, 1875, to iMay, 1876, sent 1,770. From^ July, 1876, to present date, 1,600 
bags. In addition to which about 300 bags spoiled on bar-bound vessels, allhougb s[>ccially careful thereof, as I rocoivo no 
pay for such. Nos. 2 and 4 beds, the latter small, Imvo as yet been very little worked, but all tbo others are nearly bare. 
However, these two beds, tliough inferior in quality and size may, together with the serainugs of other beds, yield 3,000 to 
4,000 bags ; and although tbo ajjawning of 1872, they have not yet attained full size,—chielly tidal oysters. 
Spawnintj. —Seven BoasoiiB have passed during my residence iiere, but T cannot say I have parlicularh^noticed any save this 
last; llmt of 1872 must Imvo occiured six weeks or more before I noticed tho spat, while that of 18/0, 1^74, and 1875, I 
noticed by the milky spawn flowing from them in the boat while bagging them, also by the falling off in condition consequent 
on spauTiing, yet this merely in relation to their safe transit to market, as in that slate they spoil in a week instead of 
keeping tlireo'and even four weeks ns at other times, and not in relation to reproduction. In 1876 I am sure no spjiwning took 
place, because tho oyster, for the first Umo'(save 1873, when I suspect it was too young) since my arrival showed neither 
signs of inikinesa nor falling off in condition throughout the whole season. Now this year tlic bareness of many of the lieds 
and the increasing demand for tho remainder, as well as the bamni results of every spawning season since that of 1872, 
aroused my anxiety respecting tho result of this season’s spamiing; accordingly I vvatehed narrowly, and observed on tho 
Ist February, about noon, tliat No. 2 bctl was sjmwning on an ebb tide and ligiit westerly wind. This must have occurred 
simulttmeously over the whole of tho beds. (Tho otlicr boat was working on No, 10 bed, and noticed llie ^utcr whiten and 
spawn flow from the oysters gathered anti in llic boat, about noon also.) Bed No. 2 is nearly untouched, probably 2,000 bags 
on it. There was at the time about one foot of water on the bed. The water all at once bccauio while, and drifted slowly 
down amongst the sand-banks which fill tho lower portion of fishery towards the bar. Numerous fish collected amongst it, 
seemingly to feed on it From tlio obvious abiiiulance of sjiawni, I expected a crop similar to that of 1872. However, except¬ 
ing under platform on edge of low-water in front of township on which oysters are bagged, I have looked in vain all over tho 
beds for a single spat, and 1 gather sixteen bags daily. It is also a fact that in each previous year, save 1872, the proportion 
of yearly spat has not exceeded ono to twenty older oysters. 
3. I am quite sure that on this fishery the oyster sjiawiis only onco a year, and in some years, as 1876, no spawning 
takes place. The months in wliich it generally takes place, at least since I have been here, are January and first week in 
February, excepting in 1872 — probably early part of November—as tlio aimt seemed to bo about six or eight weeks old when 
first observed. Now, considering tliis has been the onl}’prolific crop, may not early spawTiing be an advantage and latter 
spawning abortive ? 
Tho prevailing weather at time of respective spawning was in October, November, and December, 1872, unusually 
strong nortb-easters, frequently heavy gales, but dry, though dense clouds, and overcast seaward. Funts that Ecason were 
frequently windbound, and for days could only make progress at nigbt when wind moderated. 
1873 was wet and variablo; the other seasons were variable, and moderate easterly weather, and diy. 
Refpecting management of fisheries. — I. as well us other oystermen, felt deeply aggrieved, and unjustly treated when the 
beds were leased without due w'arning, more efipccially when a little reflection ^would have shown that it was a scheme 
calculated to exclude 03 sternieu, and throw tho whole of the fisheries into the hands of men who were notorious for unjust 
and unscrupulous dealing in erer^* relation with o^'stermcn. It threw a great manj’ men out of employment wlio found great 
difficulty at tho time to get other work, and manj* familich were starvcil in consequence. Yet 1 have no desire to return to a 
similar state of things, nor to a system of licensing as was projmsed ; for I huA c now seen enough of these beds, also from an 
experience of live years employment in the oyster trade in Sydney with Mr. G. Clarke, l^Iarkct-strect, about one year in a 
shop of my OAvn, South Head Road, also close on a year Avitli Oyster Company oX Jiatmain then six months at 
first opening tho oyster-berls, Brisbane, to feel assured that without a stricily enforced close season of four or five months 
licensing would he a mere change of name instead of a change of management: an encouragement of instead of stopping all 
the evils of skinning, i for one, and I also think most other oystermen, es|K;cially the 8tcad>’ men of the class, aro alrongly 
disjKJsed to engage in culture under a reasonably long and secure lease, especially if lease were made renewable under a 
system of assessment by arbitration on expiration of leiise; and in addition to the necessity* of preserving tho oyster and spat 
during the breeding season aud while the oyster is recovering from siniAvning, a close season also Avould bo an absolute neccsBity 
to enable, or it might be to compel negligent farmers to improve tlicir res|K*ctivc leaseholds; while at the same time tlio 
licensee, if licenses be granted, would be thereby restrained from dcslTO^'ing tlid young oyster at a tiiiio it is so extremely 
liable to injury; likcAvise the relatively few Sydney shop-keepers could very readily arrange to sell fried fish during that 
season, which is also a very profitable trade, though not perliaps so profitable as tliat of oysters ; therefore, it can by no means 
be deemed a hardship even in their case, Avliilc it would also have the effect of promoting tho interests of tho other fishery. 
Moreover, the **run'’ on tho oyster the first part of the open season would fully eompeusato any loss of trade likely to bo 
thereby sustained* 
Respecting licenses. — Suppose, for example, I and otherfl look leases for culture in Urn fishery, speculating on stocking 
our respective leaseholds with spat off tlie nearest beds, and oysters got scarce in the Manning, or Sydney dealers Avere short: 
Aviiat would hinder the Planning licensee coming acn^ss as before, or the Sydney dealer advancing cost of license, price of boat, 
provisions, &c., to any one they could pick up on tlio instant, taking care, according to custom, to exact to tho uttermost 
fartliing the sum s<) advanced out of the oysters first sent up ; and as the custom lieretofore, clearing off in a short time both 
marketable oyster with attached spat ? Is it at all likely either of those parties would sell young stock to us unless they got a 
price equivalant to that payed for marketable oysters ? Now the time requisite to Beparate the spat would bo, at least, per 
