Premium
The Past and Present Status of Off‐bottom Oyster Culture in North America
Author(s) -
Shaw W. N.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1969)98[755:tpapso]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - oyster , bay , fishery , chesapeake bay , tributary , geography , biology , archaeology , estuary , cartography
Off‐bottom culture of oysters has attracted great interest by various agencies along the coasts of the United States and Canada. The major commercial interest in off‐bottom oyster culture is now centered in the production of seed oysters. The present commercial centers for seed production are: Fishers Island, New York; Dabob Bay, Washington; and Pendrell Sound, British Columbia. At Fishers Island and Pendrell Sound, seed oysters are caught on shells suspended from rafts; in Dabob Bay they are caught on wire‐strung shells draped over racks, although some seed is also caught on shells suspended from rafts. Several small companies are rearing oysters (to market size) suspended from rafts and racks, in California, Rhode Island, and Washington. The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries evaluated off‐bottom oyster culture at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1956 and is now experimenting with off‐bottom culture in artificial ponds, natural ponds, and tributaries of Upper Chesapeake Bay. The present studies include catching of seed on shells suspended from rafts and growing oysters off‐bottom to market size. Many states conduct off‐bottom oyster culture studies which are partially supported by Federal funds under Public Law 88–309. New Hampshire, New York, Georgia, and Washington are developing techniques for catching seed oysters by use of rafts or racks; North Carolina is experimenting with artificial cultch suspended from piers; and Alabama is designing and testing rafts to produce market oysters. The future expansion of off‐bottom oyster culture depends heavily on present research by State and Federal agencies.