§ Mr. James Johnsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether research at the Burnham Laboratories on the cultivation of Pacific oysters which have no close season indicates that all the year round oysters are a commercial possibility;
(2) what progress is being made in oyster cultivation research at the Burnham Laboratories.
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§ Mr. BuchanA major part of the oyster research programme is devoted to making an economic assessment of the growing-on of Pacific oysters seed produced in British hatcheries. Disease control studies are also undertaken. These investigations provide some hope that, with further refinement, culture all the year round of Pacific oysters may prove to be a commercial possibility.