A Comprehensive Review Of The Commercial Oyster Industries In The United States

Excerpt from A Review of Oyster Culture and the Oyster Industry in North America As indicated earlier, oystermen in Massachusetts and Long Island Sound currently receive and respectively, per bushel of high-quality oysters, i.e., those destined for the half-shell market. The average price for Delaware River oysters is only to per bushel, although those culled for the half-shell market may receive to per bushel. These make up a very small percentage of the total, however, as the majority of the oysters harvested are shucked rather than sold in the shell. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Among the various marine species presently considered appropriate for intensive and controlled culture, the oyster is perhaps most prominent. Ryther and Bardach (1968) have described certain biological criteria that should be satisfied in order for a species to be adaptable to culture: responsiveness to efforts to effect reproduction under captive conditions; tolerance of eggs and larvae to the culture environment; nutritional requirements that may be easily satisfied in this environment; and a relatively rapid rate of growth from egg to maturity. To a large extent the oyster satisfies these criteria, and it possesses other favorable qualities as well. The oyster is sedentary rather than fugitive; its lack of mobility subsequent to the planktonic larval period obviously eliminates certain problems in management associated with fugitive species. Since it is herbivorous, the oyster's nutritional requirements are more readily satisfied, and at greater efficiency, than are those of a carnivore. The oyster is highly fecund, a single female being capable of producing many millions of eggs at a single spawning. Finally, and of considerable importance with respect to economic considerations of aquaculture, oyster culture protentially is highly profitable and is a traditional industry in the majority of coastal states. Therefore, certain marketing and institutional constraints that might apply to the commercial culture of other species are, in the case of the oyster, avoided. The mation contained in this report was obtained by means of personal interview with members of the industry and with scientists involved in oyster research, and by a review of pertinent literature. In view of the large number of oyster culture and research operations and investigations being undertaken in North America, only representative groups and agencies could be contacted during the period allocated for this study. The interest and cooperation of those who provided this information are acknowledged in an appendix to this report.

This fascinating report by Ernest Ingersoll delves into the history, production, and current state of the oyster-industry in America. Ingersoll provides insight into the methods of cultivating oysters and the daily work of oyster farmers, as well as the ecological and economic impact of the industry. A must-read for anyone interested in the seafood industry or American history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.