THE IMMIGRANT OYSTER (OSTREA GIGAS) NOW KNOWN AS THE PACIFIC OYSTER by E. N. STEELE PIONEER OLYMPIA OYSTERMAN IN COOPERATION WITH PACIFIC COAST OYSTER GROWERS ASSOCIATION, INC. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I.........................................................................................................................Page 1 INTRODUCTION AN OYSTER GOES ABROAD SEED SETTING IN MAYAGI PREFECTURE IN YEAR 1918 SEEDS WERE VERY SMALL IN YEAR 1919 STORY OF JOE MAYAGI AND EMY TSUKIMATO SAMISH BAY SELECTED FOR EXPERIMENTAL PLANTINGS FIRST PLANTING OF SEED WAS A SUCCESS EXPERIMENTAL WORK IN JAPAN REPORT BY DR. GALTSOFF (Doc. 1066) U. S. BIOLOGIST Dr. HORI, JAPANESE BIOLOGIST OFFICIAL) REPORT ON SEED IN 1919 LESSONS LEARNED FROM JAPANESE EXPERIENCE Time of year to ship--Small seed most successful- When and where planted required further experience -The oyster had to answer that question. A TRIP TO SAMISH BAY WASHINGTON STATE PASSED ANTI-ALIEN ACT IN 1921 ROCKPOINT OYSTER Co. COMPLETED PURCHASE MAY 18, 1923 CHAPTER II........................................................................................................................Page8 An Oyster becomes Naturalized-Haines Oyster Co. of Seattle First Customer -Development of Seattle Markets -First year marketing very limited -First year shipper, Emy Tsukimato from Japan -First Seed Shipment, 492 Cases. Samples still retained. Development of best type of cultch. Experimental shipping in hold of ship or on deck -expanding the markets. Advent of planting in Willapa Harbor and Grays Harbor - Price Decline. Extended production -Hard times of the 1930's. CHAPTER III.......................................................................................................................Page 14 CULTIVATION OF PACIFIC OYSTERS -Oyster Cultivation on the East Coast History of Olympia Oyster (Ostrea Lurida) CHAPTER IV.......................................................................................................................Page 16 PACIFIC OYSTER CULTURE-Planting -Breaking of Clusters -Harvesting-Danger to workmen from tides and fogs -Oyster harvesting equipment -First shucking plants. CHAPTER V........................................................................................................................Page 18 EXPERIMENTS IN ARTIFICIAL SEED SETTING -Dr. Kincaid at Samish Bay -Personal observations -Dr. Kincaid experiment at Willapa Bay (professional biologist at work) Conclusions on artificial hatcheries. CHAPTER VI.......................................................................................................................Page 21 A PACIFIC OYSTER GROWERS ASSOCIATION Is FORMED -Rockpoint Oyster Co. only grower for 8 years -Willapa Bay planted 3,310 cases of seed in 1931 -Backgrounds of the organization of Pacific Oyster Growers Association (referred to herein as P.C.O.G.A.) Temporary organization -Permanent organization -The Association discusses price stabilization -Meeting of June 19, 1931, at Governor Hotel -First annual meeting held Aug. 14, 1931 -The Association employs a secretary -Developments in 1932 -Articles of incorporation and by -laws adopted -Standards of grade established. -ii- CHAPTER VII.............................................................................................................Page 31 THE NATIONAL DEPRESSION AND THE OYSTER CODE -Pacific Oyster Code of ethics in marketing, year 1933 -National oyster code in operation -Consolidation of seed orders under discussion at meeting Jan. 19, l936 -Operating under code authority -A period of adjustment -Adoption of constitution and bylaws, also incorporated, Aug., 1935 -A new era develops -Era of hard times caused many hardships -Charles R. Pollock becomes secretary-treasurer on Nov. 1, 1937 -New seed agreement with Japan -Conflict in Japan between two groups of seed exporters causes difficulties -Co-operative seed shipments in 1940 satisfactory -A new experiment in employees cooperative plan successful -New prices established under the Fair Trade Practice Act in 1941. CHAPTER VIII.............................................................................................................Page 54 THE WAR WITH JAPAN -Imported seed from Japan cut off -Results -Operating under N.R.A. -The war ends - Adoption of standards of identity by U. S. Department of Health. CHAPTER IX................................................................................................................Page 63 POST WAR SEED FROM JAPAN -Demand for seed very strong -Seed shipments in the Spring of 1947, 56,704 cases -John Glude appointed by Department of Fisheries to inspect seed before shipment to prevent predators. CHAPTER X..................................................................................................................Page 66 THE PACIFIC OYSTER INDUSTRY ENTERS AN ERA OF BIG BUSINESS -Expansion of the Industry advances more rapidly -P.C.O.G.A. becomes seed purchasing agent for its members -Seed shipments increase yearly -In 1949 P.C.O.G.A. sent inspector to Japan -Hearing in Washington, D.C., by U.S. Department of Health in Aug., 1953 -Pollution conditions become an issue -Advertising adopted more extensively -Problems cause frequent meetings of Association. CHAPTER XI..................................................................................................................Page 72 STATISTICS ON PRODUCTION -A cooperative association again considered -Haines Oyster Company (an oysterman's cooperative) was incorporated in 1953 -Seed culture explained -The pollution problem became more pressing in l954 -Hearing in Washington, D.C., in Sept., 1954, to consider shellfish sanitation -The Association employed Malcomb Edwards full time as managing director in l954 -New seed progams in Japan in 1956-1957 -Study of oceanography by University of Washington -Malcomb Edwards resigns as managing director in 1957 -Progress made in 1956-57 -Shellfish sanitation laboratory built at Purdy in 1958 -The Association holds annual convention at Bellingham in Aug., 1957 -Importation of canned oysters from Japan becomes important -Purdy laboratory answers Some questions -Shut down of Shelton pulp mill gives relief to Southern Puget Sound -A new co-operative association under consideration in 1960. CHAPTER XII.................................................................................................................Page 101 REPRODUCTION OF PACIFIC OYSTERS IN STATE OF WASHINGTON -The early history of seed setting in Washington -Some natural set in Dabob and Quilcene Bay, l934-l935 -Publicity gave much interest in this branch of the industry -State Fisheries included Willapa Bay in their report of July, 1953, Fisheries Biological Report No. 43A -Difficulties experienced in each locality -Advantages of use of natural set seed -Optimism justified, shown in Tables I, II, III, and IV. -iii- CHAPTE XIII ............................................................................................................Page 111 THE INDUSTRY OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE PACIFIC OYSTER - Secretary of State issues booklet on oysters -Discussion of 35 points of interest -Quoting from titles 5, 9, 14 through 19, and 26 through 35 -Mortalities from seed shipped from Japan -Oysters valuable for families' health - Convention of Oyster Institute of North America -Oysters for rat food -Victor H. Lindlahr speaks on value of oysters as food. CHAPTER XIV...........................................................................................................Page 118 GROWTH OF INDUSTRY; THE PATH OF DEVELOPMENT -Production measured in terms of seed planted-See tables 1-A and 1-B -Kumomoto seed from Japan -Oyster production in North Puget Sound - Statistics on Samish Bay production (see table 2-A) -Statistics on Padilla Bay-Plantings on the Oregon Coast. CHAPTER XV............................................................................................................Page 127 PROCESSED OYSTERS CANNED, FROZEN, STEWED OR SMOKED -Imports of canned Oysters becomes a problem -The Pacific Oyster accepted by California -The Pacific Oyster cultivated in Tomales Bay, Humbolt Bay, Drakes Bay and other bays -Pacific Oysters grown also in British Columbia and Alaska. APPENDIX A..............................................................................................................Page 138 The Pacific Oyster and pollution -Effect on Padilla and Samish Bay beds -A survey of Washington pulp mill pollution problems -The pulp mills take the offensive -The Pacific Coast Oysters Growers Association fights back -Destructive effect of pollution in Samish and Padilla Bays -The State Pollution Commission becomes active -Statement of procedure -Application of standards -Pollution Commission outlines policy and programs of research -Summary of, and present status of, the pollution problem. APPENDIX B...............................................................................................................Page 162 Milo Moore makes a statement-New time limits set-Pulp mills appeal-Examiner appointed to conduct hearings -No decision and examiner discharged -Governor Rosellini asks U. S. Government to step in -Joint Federal-Washington State Pollution Control Conference is held -Final statement by Chairman Earl Coe -Summary is made by Chairman Stein, assuring that the Government time clock was now running -A three volume transcript of the hearing was published -In mid-August, 1962, another big fish kill was publicized. Dedication of Annual