150 Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners 

 Little Annemessex River. 



Natural oyster bars have not existed in the Little Anne- 

 messex Kiver within recent years, none having been charted by 

 Lieutenant Winslow in 1878. Oyster bedding and planting 

 have been carried on in the river to a considerable extent, how- 

 ever, and 82 lots, covering about 400 acres, leased under 

 former law, are now leased for the purposes of oyster culture. 

 The bottoms from the main channel to the shore line on both 

 sides of the river, not occupied by private oyster lots, are nearly 

 all covered with grass and 1,312 acres have been charted as 

 crabbing bottom. About 100 acres of bottom suitable for oyster 

 culture yet remain for lease. 



Big Annemessex River. 



For convenience in description the mouth of Big Annemessex 

 River is considered to be fixed by the line separating the 

 grounds designated for scraping (Tangier Sound) from those 

 in the river designated for tonging. Measured from this line 

 the part of the river which now produces oysters or which is 

 adapted for the production of oysters is about seven miles in 

 length. 



The natural oyster bars occupy a large continuous area in the 

 lower half of the river, five miles in length, averaging about 

 .75 mile in width, containing 1,212 acres. This area extends- 

 from the six-foot curve near the shore, on the no.rth, to 

 and including the main channel of the river in which depths of 

 twenty feet were noted. The average depth of water over the 

 bar is about twelve feet. Hard sandy bottoms are found as a 

 rule on the flats in shallow water, soft muddy bottoms being 

 confined to the deeper water in and near the channel. Between 

 these are hard or sticky bottoms composed of sandy mud. In 

 the channel tidal currents are regularly developed, having a 

 velocity .5 mile per hour, but over the greater part of the bar 

 the water seldom flows faster than .25 mile per hour. The 

 minimum density of the water observed was 1.0088 (August 9), 

 the maximum 1.0105. 



