Appendix II: Shellfish of the Hudson River
Oysters were once plentiful in the area about the mouth of the Hudson River. By 1880 the annual harvest had fallen off to a point that the entire State production amounted to somewhat less than a million bushels (Table 1). About this same time a new development, oyster cultivation, was brought into practice, whereby seed oysters were purchased and transplanted from other producing areas to the once productive beds. These seed oysters are maintained under constant vigilance to protect them against their natural enemies, siltation and pirating for a period of 2 to 3 years. In their report for 1893, the Commissioners of Fisheries stated
"It is but six years since the first beds were planted and cultivation begun in Long Island Sound and Raritan Bay, and the first full crops were harvested only three years ago; yet already the oyster trade of New York has been entirely revolutionized."
A law was enacted in 1887 whereby State lands under water could be obtained under perpetual franchise. It was amended in 1893 to provide for leases for a term of 15 years. This added considerable impetus to the now common practice of oyster farming, and by 1912 in the areas of the Hudson River,, Raritan Bay and Staten Island Sound there were approximately 9,000 acres under lease or franchise to 87 individuals or companies. Rental rates were established on a bid basis, thus preventing speculators from obtaining control of the more desirable and productive areas. These rates varied from 25 cents to $2.00 per acre. Tables 2 and 3 give data in the acreage under lease or franchise for shellfish culture.
Oyster production increased and reached a peak in 1911. Since then total oyster production in the Marine District declined drastically to an extremely low level in 1963 (Figure 1).
It was recognized as early as 1850 that pollution by manufacturing wastes was responsible for a marked decline in oyster productivity of the waters in and adjacent to the New York Harbor, and as early as 1870 that pollution by raw sewage was having an adverse effect. In 1939, the Interstate Sanitation Commission reported
"No doubt,-some pollution of the waterways had been going on since early colonial days, but it was not until about 1890 when, -with the development of the knowledge of bacteriology and the connection of bacteria with specific diseases, various investigations indicated that some typhoid fever cases were due to the consumption of polluted shellfish. In the next fifteen years, this fact was so thoroughly demonstrated that it led to the condemnation and abandonment of shellfish beds and oyster floating areas in the most badly polluted creeks and bays. During this period, the population of the entire district increased rapidly - almost doubling itself in each decade - and, consequently, the quantity of sewage discharged into the harbor waters increased in the same."
In 1925, the State health authorities, because of the increased sewage pollution, took action to restrict the taking of shellfish from the waters under consideration and has continued this restriction to the present time. Practically all lands previously under lease or franchise in the area have reverted to the State.
Although industrial and domestic pollution has undoubtedly played a major role in depleting the oyster industry, so, also, has the inability to obtain a sustained supply of oyster seed, which is imperative to the industry's existence. Artificial shellfish propagation, under controlled hatchery conditions, was started as early as 1879 by Professor W. K. Brooks of Johns Hopkins University and has been carried on from time to time by other investigators. Artificial propagation did not prove successful until 1920, when W. Firth Wells, working for the Conservation Department, succeeded in raising oysters from the egg to setting under controlled laboratory conditions. During recent years, many State and Federal agencies and privately endowed investigators, as well as their counterparts in other countries, have modified and refined these techniques so that they have been expanded to a commercial operation. Very recent successes by four private oyster growers, currently operating commercial hatcheries in New York, have opened up new and unlimited horizons.
In conjunction with the development of oyster hatcheries and their ultimate refinement, investigations are currently being made by Federal, State and private investigators, including the Conservation Department, to determine physical and chemical properties conducive to good oyster setting and growth in salt ponds and estuaries under controlled conditions which will ultimately make available a sustained source of seed. Already these techniques have matured to a point that one salt pond on Fishers Island in Long Island Sound has been developed as a commercial source of seed.
As these methods become more refined and production ultimately increases., there will be a demand for more pollution-free underwater land, and it is felt that the present trend of relinquishing land will be reversed.
Although there are no documentary figures available regarding oyster seed production in the Hudson River prior to 1950, there are many references to this area as having supplied the industry with large and sustaining quantities of seed. In its report for 1921 the State Conservation Commission stated
"Practically the only setting grounds in this state were in the Hudson River and about Staten island."
Observations since 1950 indicate that at least sporadic setting still occurs in this area. In 1952, application was made by two oyster growers to lease underwater lands extending north from Hastings to Ossining. Lands on both sides of the river immediately adjacent to the main channel for a distance of about 9 miles were made available. In this same year a set of commercial importance did occur. Unfortunately it was lost to the lessees because of prolonged spring rains which reduced the salinity in this area to zero and ultimately caused total mortality of the oysters. Occasional sets of non-commercial magnitude have occurred since then. It is the general consensus that the potential for rehabilitating this area as a source of seed would be greatly enhanced if it were possible to restore this area to its former pollution-free condition.
Although the oyster fishery in the lower Hudson River area has been destroyed, it may be noted that a parallel fishery for both hard and soft clams does exist in most of the same area. In a recent survey of Raritan Bay, conducted by the U. S. Public Health Service, it is conservatively estimated that a standing population of hard clams in excess of a million bushels exists within Raritan Bay alone.
Although it is extremely difficult to predict what the ultimate effect of pollution abatement and control will have on bringing back the oyster fishery to its original magnitude, it is obvious that the clam industry in this area would immediately benefit from such action by permitting direct harvesting and marketing of the resource.
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