OYSTERS: A LEADING FISHERY PRODUCT 
223 
growers in some sections is to transfer 
oysters from salt water to brackish or 
less dense water for a short time before 
shipping to market, with the object of 
making them take on an illusive appear¬ 
ance of fatness by the rapid absorption 
of fresher water, while the more saline 
fluids in the tissues slowly pass out. This 
process, known as plumping, floating, or 
fattening, results in a swelling of the 
oysters to the full capacity of the shell, 
but adds nothing to their nutritive value 
or flavor. On the contrary, it extracts 
certain nutritious ingredients and re¬ 
places them with water. Chemical tests 
have shown that this sadly misnamed 
process of “fattening” deprives the oys¬ 
ters of lo to 15 per cent of their food 
value, while increasing their weight from 
10 to 20 per cent. A similar result is 
seen when oysters are placed in fresh 
water or brought into contact with 
melting ice after removal from the 
shell. 
OYSTERS ON THE PACIFIC COAST 
More serious, however, than the loss 
of nutritive properties is the danger 
from contamination by pathogenic bac¬ 
teria when the floats are situated within 
the range of sewers or other sources of 
pollution. It is well known that oysters 
imbibe disease germs with their food, and 
such germs may be taken into the human 
body with their vitality unimpaired and 
give rise to sickness. Epidemics of ty¬ 
phoid fever have been definitely traced 
to “floated” oysters which were un¬ 
doubtedly innocuous when taken from 
the saltier water. 
It will thus be seen that this feature 
of oyster growing is* not commendable, 
and is necessarily prejudicial to the best 
interest of the industry. The growth 
of the practice has been due to the igno¬ 
rance of the public; its continuance after 
its undesirable nature has frequently 
been shown is a sad commentary on our 
intelligence. 
While the entire east coast of North 
America has but a single species of oys¬ 
ter, the Pacific coast has five or six 
native species, and has been further en¬ 
riched by the one from the Atlantic. 
The most abundant of the native spe¬ 
cies, found in all the Pacific States, is 
very small and has a strong flavor. It 
is never served on the half shell, but is 
eaten in bulk, one hundred or more 
oysters often being a “portion” for one 
person. The largest and best occur in 
Willapa Bay, Washington. 
During the past 40 years immense 
quantities of Atlantic oysters have been 
transplanted to the Pacific coast, and a 
large business has sprung up which sur¬ 
passes that in the natives. It is neces¬ 
sary, however, to renew the supply an¬ 
nually, particularly in Oregon and 
Washington, where the water is of too 
low a temperature to permit the eggs of 
the transplanted oysters to develop. 
This difficulty may eventually be over¬ 
come, and an oyster fully equal to that 
of the Atlantic may be produced by the ac¬ 
climatization from the coast of Japan of 
a large oyster that is able to spawn in 
relatively cold water. Experiments to 
this end have been undertaken with 
promising results. 
In the warmer water of San Fran¬ 
cisco Bay the conditions for oyster cul¬ 
ture are different, and there a very 
extensive and peculiar kind of oyster 
farming has sprung up. The grounds 
are surrounded by stockades, principally 
for the purpose of protecting the beds 
from the inroads of strong-jawed sting¬ 
rays, which at times enter San Francisco 
Bay in schools, and would crush and de¬ 
vour large quantities of marketable oys¬ 
ters unless excluded by the stockades. 
Within the inclosures the planting, trans¬ 
planting, growing, gathering, and culling 
are done under ideal conditions. 
A large oyster, similar to our Atlantic 
species, grows in great abundance in the 
Gulf of California, and is eaten in lim¬ 
ited quantities in the adjacent parts of 
Mexico. The grounds are virgin, and are 
capable of supporting a large industry. 
HOW OUR GOVERNMENT AIDS THE 
OYSTER FARMERS 
The Federal government, as repre¬ 
sented by the Bureau of Fisheries, does 
not hatch oysters artificially and dis¬ 
tribute them by the billion for the stock¬ 
ing of public and private waters as it 
does food fishes. A much more potent 
way to increase the oyster supply is the 
one that has been followed for many 
years, to the entire satisfaction of the 
oyster-growing communities. 
This consists in practical aid to the 
States and cooperation with them in de- 
