loii'^iiK'ii \V('r<' v.n)-k- 



13 



in si/e fn.n. six In s.-vn. in,-hrs lunt: In f suu.ll spat, 

 n-l.' clust.T. 



On si.iiir pans .a" lliisr r.-rfs many of tl.r o.vst.Ts ;nv eov- 

 n.'.l with a (K'Hsr -rowtli ..1' Imlroids s.-wral iii.-h.-s in l.'njjth 



Thr p.vsrlir." of llu' hvdn.i.l srrioUsl.V i.ll r.-rciv.; witll tllO f.'i'dillK 



of these oysters, as is shown by ecn.i.arin- Ih. Uon.ach contents 

 (.f oysters taken from lli.sr areas willi that of oysters tak.Mi 

 neai- hy wliei'e no hydroids are fnimd. 



I)urin>-' tlie present season a nnnil) 

 in^; on these reefs durin- tlie -reater part of the time. ?ikI 

 dnrinn periods of stormy weathei- many of the ht^ats that usually 

 work on reefs outside cf thr pass, were cn-a.uvd ii- Hshin- here, 

 where they would not be exposed to rou.udi watei-. 



At the extreme western point of Marsli Islaii;! is a si.udl 

 reef that is exposed at low tide. This reef is made up of dead 

 shells, amoiifr which are a few scatterin^^ oystei-s of trood (paality. 

 Extending towards the channel from this dry reef is a r<ef 

 covered with two to six feet of water, composed of c1u>rers .■)f 

 elongated, densely crowded oysters of ])ooi- (piality. 



NaTIKAI, KeEFS IX THE Ol'KX VxV\.V. 



The natural reefs located in the open -iuif on eaeh sid.i cf 

 Southwest Pass are, both in regard to the ar<"a covered and the 

 (pudity of oysters produced, ]>y far tlie most impo'-^ant in this 

 region. The salinity of the water in this portion of th..' gull is 

 lowered by the flow^ of fresher water from Verndlion Bay through 

 the pass, and also to some extent by the wider coming from the 

 Atchafalaya Kiver around the east end of Marsh Island, so that 

 at all times it is well within the limit of salinity suitable for the 

 growth of oysters. During the time while these investigations 

 wee l)eing made extremes of salinity i-ecorded weic one pollll 

 /.0.093 and o ne point l.OlTfi fot- water taken one foot I'l-om the 

 bottom at a point one mile off shoi-e and tlire<' miles to the west 

 of tlie mouth of the |)ass. 



On each side of the entrance to tlh' pass lliere is a lai-ge 

 T'eef extending out into the i^nlf. The wv'i on the west side is 

 the larger of the two. It extends (uit al..n- the ed^e of IIk- 

 channel for about tliive-fourt lis of ii mile. Its width v;iri.-s froiri 

 two hundred to six hundred yards. At ;i point near its inner 



