OYSTER SEASON

Grey River Argus, 10 August 1937, Page 8

OYSTER SEASON

ENDS AT AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, August 8. r rhe oyster season ended on Saturday. There was a brisk demand for supplies from fish shops, restaurants and hotels, and smaller quantities were keenly sought by private purchasers. An official at the depot commented that the men could hardly bag the oysters fast enough to keep up with the demand. A final shipment of about 300 bags arrived on Saturday morning, and with this quantity disposed of, Aucklanders will have to wait until June of next year before they are able to enjoy their next meal of the local shellfish. Something like 4,000 sacks nave been handled by the depot since the season opened on June 3, but although this quantity is practically the same as last year’s, the demand has been phenomenal. According to an official at the depot, it was twice as great this year as last. Oysters delivered through the Government depot are obtained from the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands. Earlier in the season, supplies were taken from the Barriers, Whangarei and Coromandel, but the scheduled quantities had been picked toward the end of July, and latterly supplies have been exclusively obtained from the gulf and the Bay of Islands. Bad weather throughout the season has seriously affected the work of the pickers and at one stage it was considered that in no previous season had conditions been worse. The demand at the end has quite exceeded the supply.