FRENCH OYSTER FISHERIES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5438, 31 August 1878, Page 2 (Supplement)

FRENCH OYSTER FISHERIES.

(From the London Times.) Another report showing the wonderful productiveness of tho French oyster fisheries, or of those situated on particular portions, at least, of the coast, has been addre-sed to tbe LordLieutenant of Ireland by Major Hayes, one of. the Inspectors of Irish Fisheries. . Of the 15 principal oyster fisheries on the French .coast, beginning at Coutseullcs, at the mouth of the Seine, and ending at Arcachon, a few miles below the mouth of the Gironde, only four can, as Major Hayes points out, “ be justly regarded as important fisheries, and contributing sub: stantially to the oyster supply at the present time” —viz., Oancle, Auray, Vanues, and Arcachon. Out of 97,227,000 oysters taken in aU parts of France in tho year 1875, no leas than 83,481,000; ormnre thanßs percent., were taken at these four places. . These four fisheries are essentially breeding places for the oysters, most of the others being chiefly, if not entirely, devoted to fattening and preparing oysters for the market. The characteristics of these four localities are very similar. The report shows that while the public fisheries at Auray produced to the dredgers, in 1877,nearly 16,000,000 oysters, the privat econcessionaires managed to secure no less than 101,735,900 of spat on their 3,199,550 tiles; and at Arcachon, while the public beds in that year produced 22,000,000 oysters, the produce of the tiles, of which there ate between five and six millions, must have been still more enormous, land was estimated at 200 millions. The extraordinary harvest gathered in by the public dredgers at Arcachon, was collected on two days, on each of which only one hour’s fishing was allowed. As no fishing at all was allowed in 1875-6; only three hours’fishing in 1874-5; none in 1873-4; one hour and a-halfs fishing iu 1872-3; none iu 1871-2; and so on, as far back as 1862—this gives an average open or fishing season of an hour or so in every twelve months. From 1870 to 1877, inclusive, the time during which oyster-fishing has been permitted on the public beds at Arcachon has not exceeded eight hours altogether ; and yet in that short time about millions ot oysters were taken. In three of these six years no fishing at all was allowed. At Auray the restrictions on dredging are almost equally severe, large portions of the area being reserved as State beds, ou which no dredging is allowed, and fishing being only permitted on the other beds on 12 days in the year, for about an hour each day, and oven daring that period only one-fourth of the boats are allowed to dredge at a time, so that the actual fishing season for each boat is about three hours. A gun is fired as a signal to commence and.oease dredging. The oysters, both at Auray and Arcachon, are inspected, and all below a certain size—about 2in. —are thrown back again. Even the oysters taken from the private concessions must not be below this gauge, and parties refusing to allow packages to be examined m vy be imprisoned. Great precautions are taken in all cases to destroy whelks, crabs, star-fish, and other enemies of the oysters, or any debris that may bo dredged up, and the beds are subjected to a periodical “cleaning” to keep them free from vermin and dirt. The greatest pains are taken to protect tho oysters, both young and old, from natural enemies; boxes, called “ ambulances,” specially constructed for the young bivalves, are placed in certain parts of the beds, and the oysters, when detached from the tiles or other collectors to which they adhere as spat, are deposited in them till they are finally removed or have grown sufficiently strong shells to resist the attacks ot their enemies. The requirements of a good “fattening” oyster pare are different from those ot a “breeding” place. A certain amount of fresh water is required for rapidly getting tho bivalves into condition for tho market; and currents of sea water, which would wash away the young spat and prove fatal to any attempts to breed, are also found to beneficially affect their growth. Wo find, consequently, that at Courseulles, Marennes, and-La Tremblado, the principal fattening stations, thero are plenty of small streams, running into tho claircs or into tho natural beds, within the influence of which tho oysters are jilaced. At Arcachon, where no fattening is attempted, there is no fresh water at all. At Auray and Vnunes, on the contrary, there are some small streams running into the head of tho creeks, and iu these localities tho young oysters born lower down, and in the full influence of tho still salt water, are placed after attaining a certain size, the more readily to fatten for tho maikot, Tlicso facilities for

fattening, as well as breeding, have rendered the beds at Auray so valuable, and promise to increase tho importance Of" the adjoining fisheries in tho Bay of Morbihau (Vannes). At lie d’Oleron, again, some of tbo beds oa which fattening is carried on are within the influence of fresh-water streams and of strong tidal currents. The claires at Oonrseulles are bounded on three sides by a bend in tho course of tho river Seullos, close to its rnouth, and both fresh and salt water are admitted at will into them ; no purely sea water is ever allowed to enter. At Courseulles the oysters ore educated to undergo the hardships of travel iu barrels by being daily raked out of the water and left to lio exposed to the air for a length ot time, which is gradually increased, till they learn to keep their shells tightly closed to retain their natural juices, and a certain, amount of water, and so are enabled to travel long distances without deterioration.