Page Eighteen
THE STATE
WHO’S AFRAiD OF THE
BIG BAD STARFISH?
YOU may not be scared, but the oyster is, be¬
cause the big bad Starfish just naturally plays
havoc with the crop of oysters in North Caro¬
lina waters. Mr. Brown, in his article, tells you
some things which you probably never knew be¬
fore about Mr. Starfish and Mr. Oyster.
Despite activ¬
ities of the
CWA, through
whose efforts
пишу
thousands of barrels
of young oysters nr.*
being planted in the
various sounds of Eastern North Caro¬
lina, those succulent bivalves may have
a desperate fight ahead of them before
reaching maturity, due to the preva¬
lence of large schools of starfish, nat¬
ural enemy of the oyster, off Qatteras
and Ocraeoke. which may find their
way into the habitats of the newly-
spawned shell-fish.
The maturity, or stowing, stage of
oysters has been reached when they
develop a shell four or five inches in
length, and when they are marketed
during months whose alphabetical
composition includes the letter “R.”
Folks living along the coast pay little
attention to this traditional restric¬
tion, merely going out into their front
or back yards at any season of the
year when oysters may be procured
and gathering a “mess.”
Not Very Well Known
Perhaps few North Carolinians who
do not live near the coast ever have
seen a live starfish, although almost
everyone has heard of and viewed pic¬
tures of that peculiarly-shaped resident
of the seas.
A starfish is the worst enemy of the
oyster. A school of them could an¬
nihilate an oyster-bed in a short time,
despite the fact that those queerly-
shaped, brittle fishes, ns picked up on
beaches, hardly seem of sufficient
strength to force open the shell of an
oyster and eat the luscious meat. Yet
that is exactly what they do, and cul¬
tivators of oyster-beds consider the
starfish their most dangerous foe.
For a long time the professional
oystermon who either dredged or
longed for his oysters did not know
much about the habits of starfish.
They knew that if in their dredge or
tongs there were a number of star¬
fishes the oysters would be scarce, but
shells would be plentiful. They camo
By AYCOCK BROWN
to realize then that it was the starfish
that were killing the bivalves.
Not on Efficient Method
As a result they started killing all
the starfish brought to the decks of
their boats. Their method of killing
was to slam them against the deck,
making many pieces of the star and
throwing them overboard. Strange as
it may seem, this just suited Mr. Star¬
fish. For each piece that was thrown
overboard would appear a new star¬
fish. Those pieces started growing, and
in a very short time it was an adult
starfish, probably not quite as per¬
fect in shape as it’s mama or papa
which was demolished against the side
of the boat, but just as dangerous anil
oyster-hungry.
Later on, scientists attached to the
United States Bureau of Fisheries in¬
formed the oystermen how they were
helping to increase the starfish popu¬
lation by doing this, and suggested
that they dip them in hot water to
make sure they were killed. This meth¬
od did kill those captured, but star¬
fishes live by the millions out in the
ocean and there apparently is little
danger of the schools ever being ex¬
terminated.
A Beautiful Purple Color
A few days ago I was helping to
heave in the trawl-net aboard a fish¬
ing smack several miles off the North
Carolina coast. The particular catch
of fish in that drag was not so large,
but there were hundreds of starfish —
common starfish and another species
of which we do not know the name,
but which is a most beautiful purple
February 3, 1934
in color when first brought to the sur¬
face. This color leaves when the star¬
fish is placed in the sun to dry.
Not interested in oysters, the skip¬
per of the smack had his crew shovel
the starfish back overboard, but sev¬
eral specimens were kept aboard the
boat for examination. After a careful
study, I am still to be convinced that
they can kill an oyster, because to me
“seeing is believing.”
But persons who know much more
than I about the habits of salt water
residents explain it all in books that
have been written on the subject. They
say that the starfish takes those five
points, fingers, or whatever one wishes
to call them, and grasps the closed
oyster shells. This is done in a man¬
ner similar to that in which a person
would grab a baseball with his five
fingers.
On each of the starfish’s fingers are
hundreds of hairy-like tentacles or
suckers which get into action when the
fingers are closed around the shell.
And in a very few minutes the oyster
starts opening.
How It's Done
When opened wide enough the star¬
fish, instead of sticking his head, (al¬
though he does not have one) into the
oyster and starting his feast, just
transfers his stomach from his own
body into the oyster, and then it is
only a short while before there is noth¬
ing left but an empty oyster-shell and
a starfish that should no longer bo
hungry.
So, after seeing the great number
of starfish taken in trawl nets a few
miles off the coast by fishing smacks
whose skippers are more interested in
flounders and trout than in starfish,
we are convinced that the thousands of
bushels of oysters that nre being plant¬
ed with CWA funds will be in danger
of extermination if starfish should be
as thick inside the sounds as they are
off there in flic ocean.
Patrolmen Gather
Charlotte. — Thirty-six wester
North Carolina counties were repr
sented at a meeting of State Highway I
patrolmen held here Tuesday after¬
noon, with Captain Charles D. Farmer,
patrol director, in attendance. The dia- 1
trict is under the direction of Lieu¬
tenant L. R. Fisher. The problems of)
highway accidents, deaths from auto
mishaps, and drunken drivers were I
discussed.
