TRANSPLANTING OYSTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 October 1915, Page 11

TRANSPLANTING OYSTERS.

When next the Government steamef rliiienioa goes south along the West Coast, probably within the next three weeks, she will take from the Manukatt' Harbor a quantity of oyster rock, which' is to be distributed in suitable localities in the Marlborough .Sounds. This repre«, scuts (says the Auckland Herald) part of an, experiment which is being carried} out by the fisheries Department, undflp the supervision of Mr. L. F. Ayson, wita a view to inducing oysters to grow in the Sounds. The proposal, which ha* been under consideration for some time, is to introduce both Auckland rook Qjrs* tcrs and the large Bluff oysters to thai Sounds, where it is believed they "Kill grow satisfactorily.

'Mr. Ayson, who has been in Auckland for some days, has made a selection -ol oyster rock from tho rocks near Onehunga for -shipment South. He inspected certain parts of the Marlborough Sound* last December, and the rock formation, there is very similar to the conditions existing in tho Hauraki Gulf. The elk atic conditions, too, appeared favorable. However, the whole matter was in ail experimental stage, aa it had to be discovered whether the oysters would spawn, and whether the young oyrteni would fix themselves to the rocks.

After enquiring fully into the matter Mr. Ayson has decided that it is too lata in the season to attempt to tranaplaiit the Bluff oysters. The southern bivalves are of an entirely different character to tho rock oysters and do not remain out of water very long before Biey die. In view of the approach of the hot -wectfasi and the fact that the oysters may hsra readied the spawning period when they are moved, it has been decided to pout, pone the attempt to transplant thafanfl variety until about next May, '"