154 Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners 



Manokin River. 



A line about three miles in length drawn from Hazards Point, 

 above the mouth 1 of Big Annemessex River, to the southern ex- 

 tremity of Little Deals Island, is considered in this report .as 

 marking the mouth of Manokin River, this line having been 

 established to divide the area in Tangier Sound, designated for 

 scraping operations, from that designated for tonging opera- 

 tions in the Manokin River. 



The part of the Manokin River adapted for the production of 

 oysters extends to the mouth of Back Creek, a point about G 1 /^ 

 miles above the mouth of the river. Beginning at this point, a 

 series of five natural oyster bars covering an area of 4,552 

 acres, occupies the space in and on either side of the main chan- 

 nel to the mouth of the river. A sixth bar, Piney Island Swash, 

 covering 950 acres, is situated in the deeper water below Law's 

 Thoroughfare and in the channel between Little Deals Island 

 and Piney Island. This bar is separated from the chain of bars 

 mentioned above by the very extensive sand bar which extends- 

 from the vicinity of St. Pierres Island to and below Piney 

 Island. 



Manokin River is the only section in the areas designated for 

 tonging operations in Somerset County which seems to be in a 

 better condition at the present -time with reference to its 

 natural oyster bars- than in 1878. Lieutenant Winslow carried 

 his survey to St. Pierres Island only, finding about 4,192 acres 

 of oyster-producing bottom below this point. In the same sec- 

 tion of the river the Commission in 1907 found 4,482 acres of 

 natural oyster bar. In the part of the river above St. Pierres 

 Island, where 1,020 acres of oyster-producing bottoms now 

 exist, Winslow found a few small rocks of such inconsiderable 

 area that they were not shown on his charts. Charts 5a and 

 5b, reproduced on pages 152 and 153, show the approximate 

 location and extent of the oyster producing bottoms as sur- 

 veyed by Winslow in 1878 and the Commission in 1907. 



Soft or sticky mud forms a considerable part of the bottom 

 of the oyster bars in Manokin River, not only in and near 

 channelsf but in the shallower waters as well. There is no 

 regularity in the distribution of oysters on these muddy bot- 



