Enter the Oyster

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 44, 14 May 1927, Page 14

Enter the Oyster

| TEST OF SAMPLES FROM | I AUCKLAND BEDS IS EX- I | CELLENT THIS YEAR. AFFECTED BY THE SUN Think kindly of the oyster, Be gentle when you meet one And give a sympathetic squirm Every time you eat one. The poet has very few followers just now. Already the thoughts of most Aucklanders are turning to oyster suppers and the like. The season will open early next month, and from all accounts it will be a good one. Yesterd y Senior-Inspector F. P. Flinn, Captain C. B. Daniel (Inspector of Fisheries) and Mr. J. H. Fletcher (manager of the Government Oyster Depot), returned with a number of samples from the oyster beds from which Auckland draws its marketable supply. Each year, before the season opens, the officials obtain a number of oysters from each of the beds and put them through a test for colour, size, etc. In this way they are able to gauge the progress of the shell-fish and the supply which will be available during the season.

Captain Daniel'stated that a fairsized oyster will be obtained from the Great Barrier, but not in large quantities. Good supplies are expected from anywhere north of Auckland, but he has not yet obtained samples from the southern beds. The quality will be superior to that of last year, and in the opinion of Captain Daniel the oysters will gradually improve in quality until 1930, when they will be at their best. Do you know that to a certain extent the sun controlled the quality of the oysters? To the man in the street this is a rather remarkable statement. According to Captain Daniel the strength of the sun is really a great factor in the size and quality of these table delicacies. Scientists say that the weather changes every 11 years. In 1919 the weather was good, but since then it has gradually become worse. According to this theory the temperature of the water has become colder, with the result that it has affected the food supplies of the oysters. The oysters have fallen off very much since 1923, but they are now improving.

By 1930, when the 11-year cycle ends, the oysters will be back to their best form, and then, one supposes, they will gradually fall off again.

But bad season or good, the oyster is always welcome. No doubt many supper parties are already being arranged to celebrate the opening of the Auckland season.

Last year 7,000 sacks were picked from the beds round Auckland.