DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

128
Canada possesses oyster waters quite as exten4ve as the State of New York.
Those New York waters give 7,000 oystermen a permanent living, and a capital of
$6,000,000 is invested in culture therein. In the whole of Canada no one man makes
his whole living from oysters, but less than 1000 men give themselves occasional
employment in oyster catching, in a pci functory kind of way, and the total annual
product, at $3 per barrel, is no more than $187,580, of which Prince Edward Island
provides $109,324.
The point desigtated as the duty of Mr. Blackford, the New York superintendent
of oyster culture, were, first, to survey the oyster territory of the State; second,
to designate and set apart the natural beds of oysters; third, to ascertain the owners
and condition of all artifically planted beds; and fourth, to survey and definitely
locate artificial beds. These are the identical points that Oanada, sooner or later,
will have to attend to. I venture to offer these suggestions for the reason that
Prince Edward island contributes considerably more than one-half of the entire
Canadian catch, and hence has an interest in the development of' our oyster resources
larger than any other Province.
That the oyster fishing in Prince Edward Island is in a deplorable state,..—.
overfishid in places and in other places not producing enougb,—there is no doubt.
There are no regulations whatsoever, excepti ug a close season from 1st June to 15th
September, to prevent the ultimate ruin of the beds, as they are open to be fished by
everybody, and private culture has not been encouraged. Reckless fishing and
continued shell—digging threaten a ruin to the oyster fishery similar to that which,
from overfishing, has befallen the lobster industry. With the present demand new
adventurers from distant parts of the Province and even from the mainland, are
crowding to the beds and carrying off large quantities, not included in official
returns. For instance, fifteen schooners from nova Scotia, bringing their own me;
made descents on Orwell Bay this year and last, leaving the beds nearly exhausted.
Finding it pay, others will flock in, regardless of the future of the fishery. It is time
such piofligate misuse of public resources should be checked.
Scientists believe that, quite apart from over.fisbing the oyster beds in the Gulf
of St. Lawrence are perishing from natural causes, chiefly geological, and that, as
these causes continue, the mollusca in the Gulf will become extinct. In this view I
agree. It accounts for the vast deposit of oyster shells, soffietimes many feet in depth,
found today where no live oysters are. The process ofdying out is very slow but
none the less sure. No more forcible argument could be found in favor of artificial
planting and culture. Every natural oyster bed perishes, after a lapse of time, from
the necessities of its own growth, its increases in height and diameter, the oysters in
the interior of the mass are deprived of air, and are smothered. When the bed
reaches the ice level) the top perishes from cold, so that, practically, a natural bed
of even moderate size, is merely a core of dead shells with a thin layer of live oysters
outside. The reproduction of an oyster bed is by throwing off glutinous spat in an
ever increasing radius, but it is apparent that unless the ground around such bed is
clean and of sufficient consistency, the spat perishes and the bed becomes extinct
Such conditions of oyster life cannot exist where the ground is cut up by trenches
and filled with the slime of mud digging.
Nevertheless, the machinery for a complete organization of this most important
fishery is ready to the hand of the Department. All that is wanted is: 1. To reserve
certain natural beds for fishing by the public; 2. To offer liberal encouragement
for full development of the fishery under private culture; 3. It might not be
necessary, but power is provided for Uovernmenr to plant new beds and replant old
ones; all which machinery to be operated, of course, under competent supervision.
Sections 4 and 2 i—4 of the Revised Fisheries Act, gives the Minister power to grant
leases for culture and license for fishing; sections 14, 15, 21, 6-to protect the same;
and section 21.4, to plant, transplant or re-stock exhausted fisheries. Hitherto these
provisions have been a dead letter. Several applications have already been made
for leases for culture, which applications are on file in the Dpartment.