Oyster Industry is Safe -- Kincaid

Although some labor substitutions must be made, oyster production in Washington will not be affected vitally by the evacuation of Japanese residents. Prof. Trevor Kincaid, head of the department of zoology at the University of Washington and biological adviser to the oyster industry, said today.

"Beginning with 1941, we have been completely independent of Japan in the culture of oyster seed." Kincaid said. "We produced all we needed last year and were able to export a considerable supply to Oregon.

"We found, upon examination and experimentation, that the success of oyster reproduction depended upon the time when we put out the cultch, or the material to which the spat is attached. We examined the plankton and determined accurately the proper time for laying down the cultch.

One Company Americanized

"In the Willapa Harbor area one company operated by Japanese has been Americanized. Another company employed only a few Japanese who can be replaced by white labor. Generally speaking, the production of large oysters will not be vitally affected, but some difficulty may be experienced in finding a substitute for Japanese labor in the production of the smaller, native oyster.

Many Japs Were 'Openers'

"In the Olympia area, many Japanese were employed in opening oysters. They developed a high degree of skill, as a casual inspection would prove. To see oyster openers at work, especially the Japanese women, would convince anybody that detaching the small, native oysters from their shells is an art. Without that skilled labor some difficulty may result."

In addition to his responsibility as biological adviser to the large oyster industry, Kincaid operates 50 acres of oyster ground as a private enterprise.