68 
OYSTER CULTURE COilMISSIOK—iLPPE^'DII. 
totally abandoned to shell-gettew, who are turning over its surface to procure a layer of shell from 6 inches to 2 feet thick 
under 1 or 2 feet of sandy mud. The bed is being rapidly destroyed for oyster-breeding, which for that purpose would bo 100 
times more value to the country than any value realised from shell-getting. 
Use of shell in cuUtire. —We fully agree with Mr. Black, that if dry bank-shell were strewn on banks or undcr-water- 
beds, at time of spawnins, being clean, spawn would as certainly fix thereon as on stone or any other substance accidentally 
thrown on banks, a fact which is forcibly brought to our notice each 8pa\vn-time. Besides, shell would be less costly to lay and 
handle, and easier to separate from spat, consequently it is the best material for the purpose; therefore ought to be conserved 
for use of fishery before it is too late. But at present Church and School Department, A. A. Company, and Government are 
alike disposing of them ns fast as possible. 
Spawning. —Deep-water oyster from middle Xovembor I o end December, and fully recovers by April; bankers and 
mangroves from 1st April to middle Jfay, recover by August. From this course we know no omission ; noTcrthclcss only two 
cases of prolific spawning have occurred within our knowledge, and neither of those were general. First, in November,'67, 
which densely covered peach-tree bed and all the other beds; thence up to the head of navigation in the Karvan and its 
several branches, very thick on the extensive ** middle bed." Second was November, ’72, but only on Sawyer’s Point, Connor’s 
and mussel beds. It will be perceived by map that several main beds were omitted, and none since opening of fishcij has 
been observed to settle in Liineburncr’s, Deep Creek, and in several of less importance. Notwithstanding, a douse covering of 
spat settles annually on botli mangroves, and mud on ^tnddy Ishind, Swan Buy,—a low soft mud fiat, covered with mangrove 
vegetation, and every tide flows over it. This islet alone would greatly assist in rc-stockiiig the exhausted l)ed3 if a system 
were devised to admit of it; indeed, every year it is found that spawn settles here and there cTerywhcrc on all beds, but nothing 
of importance. In fact, all the ground west of Sclmappcr Islancl may with truth be said to be one vast oyster-bed, for clumps 
of oysters arc found occasionally cverywlicre, both in deep and shallow water. 
The several facts instanced constrain the adoption of the following inferences :— 
(1.) Tliat, naturally, a prolific crap occurs at rare intervals, and by accident. 
(2.) That a bed bare of oysters cannot be expected to fix spawn as it rises. 
(3.) That spawn each year may readily, by means of shell used as above described, or other substances, be fixed in 
quantity to re-stock exhausted or supply artificial beds. 
Hence wo arc induced to suggest, with all due deference, the following conditions, conceived by us best adapted to 
encourage culture and secure its succcbs, viz. 
(1.) Long leases, say fifty years, rent encouraging j and for every future term, rent assessed by arbitration, tenant 
liaving option of re-leasing. 
(2.) In all eases lessees must reside on leasehold. 
(3.) That improvement of leasehold, in a given degree, must be compulsory on pain of forfeiture, on notice given, and 
without appeal, and without itompcnsiition. 
(4.) That the first few years, at least, tenant to possess the privilege of procuring, free of cost, stock off natural 
beds, also shell for clutch off dry-bank beds. 
(5.) A “close season” to protect natural bods, and at proper time enable tenant to collect spat for stock, also other 
necessary o^icrations of eiilturo not convenient in open season. 
(6.) Licences ought not/ to be graiiUnl; such nould be clirrct encouragement of “ skinning,” as practised heretofore ; 
besides, it would be impossible jirevcnt the plunder of private beds. Liccncccs would in the nature of things 
mostly bo the untlirifly class of dredgers picked up in town by Sydney dealers for payment of license fee and a 
dredger’.*} outfit, to bo re-paid, with interest as usual, by consigned oysters. 
(7.) Fishery townships would be essential for dwellings and general conveniences of fishery operations and trade. 
HENRY CURAN, Limobumcr’s Creek. 
JAMES JOASS, Swan Bav. 
JOHN HOLDOM, Sawyer’s Point. 
CHARLES EVANS, Carcair l*oint, Swan Bay. 
t 
' nUXTEE BIVEK. 
It would require ten days at Ica^t for an eiamination of the Hunter equal to that bestowed on the iiorthcni fisheries 
reported on. However, what 1 could T have done in order to comply witli the directions contained in letter dated 13th^inst., 
and accordingly forward report to amve a.m., Saturday 21tit inst. 
These beds, and oyster-ground relatively to those of northern rivers, are contained in a much narrower space ; in form 
more compact; in shoaler water ; and seem to mo to be better disposed than the most of them, both as respects conformation 
of land or channel, producing a favourable run of tide, and no intervening obstruction (as high laud or heavy timber) to strong 
winds at spawning time, producing the nocessar}’ agitation of water to cleanse botli oyster and clutcli to a condition fittest to 
fix the rising spawn. 
This reason alone seems suflieient to account for not only a greater abundance of spawn generally settling each 
year in this river than seems tlio case in tliose more to the north ; also for some of the alleged anomalies of time of 
spawning, &c. 
Tlie state of cluteh-bods, in liills and hollows, shows to what extent the beds have been misused, and even now the bow- 
dredge drags up os mneh slicll us oyster. 
All the beds rest on old .shell-bods, hence are not so c.asily dejtraycd as those resting on less suitable bottom or on a 
thiner layer of shell: 
Condition of Ogsler-heds. —I tried all the bed-* in back-clmiuiels, but not all in main river, w'hile I closely examined the 
operations and dredged oysters of each of the eight boats disperaed dredging on the extensive bay or Fullerton Covo bed. 
The baek-chaniiel beds, considering the generally exhausted state of la'ds to the north, may be said to be fairly stockwl, and I 
think from inquiry judiciously worked. However, considerable yacant spaces exist wherever 1 tried; and in a “ flct*t” of 35 
fathoms not a half-dredgoful could in any ease bo got, while on the bay Ijod, in about same length and a dredge 4 feet wide 
about, as said, four to live l>ags daily arc got where formerly Ion, fiftoim, mid oxen twenty laigs under similar conditions were got, 
in five or six hours, insteoil of ten as now. .^^olwver, a great dciil of what is got are two and ono year old oysters, and com¬ 
paratively few eitiier mature or oi this season’s sjKiwning. 
Spatoning. —Over all the fislicry (save the few untried Imls) the oyster prasonts an apiiearanco of recovery from spawn* 
inq, which wouid corresjwml with the age, tlirec orfour months, of the relatively small quantity of this season’s sfwl observable ; 
Olid without an exeeption, tlio age of the raspeckive seasons’ spawning—namely, ’74, '75, and '70, are strongly marked and very 
perceptible on comparison, and none apptjar whieli may be classed at anj: intermediate age. Although all the dredgers n?ferrcd 
to seemed to he suspicious and accordingly very reticent, yet I ascertained that some time back, about or before CbrUtmas, 
oysters wore spawning, a fact, they said, clearly observable by the white spawn flowing from them as tumbled out of the dredge 
on tlieatcrn sheets of the boat. I beg to draw attention to these facts, as against the manager’s statement further on. 
It may fairly be inferred from the above that, while the respective crops of ’74 and ’75 were tolerably prolific, that of ’76 
i.c., this scjn?on’.q erap. was a very poor one. 
T liave not vet discoveivd any evidence to lead to the supposition, contrary to the general Jaw of nature and the current 
opinion of experienced men, that oysters spawn (us some few here allege) all the year round. It might, however, bo as has 
occurred in the rase of moreloamod men—-the young of one sjierics miglit be taken for that of another. Be that ns it may, it 
is a genorally acrepte<l fact that weather and it*i concomitant cffocH on tides, their tempcratiiro, &c., hastens or retards, as the 
case may be, spawning to the extent of even six or eight weeks, which no doubt alike affects ilredgc and tidal oysters ; tlie 
latter of which, if the case of Port Stephens bo takcnnis conclusive (a fact known to all experienced drixlgers) spawn on the 
average about four months later than the former; a change probably due, as observed in a former report, to dilFerenro of 
habitat, and not from difference of sj>ccios, as shown by the extensive experiment of transplanting mentioned in report on 
Port Stepliens fishery. 
However, 
