Figure 36. — Mean salinity (single figure) and salinity range (two figures) in estuaries from Crystal Bay to 



Cedar Keys. See text for sources of data. 



Elsewhere, oyster growers lease large acreages 

 in Charlotte Harbor, Old Tampa Bay and Choc- 

 tawatchee Bay. Biologists have compiled pert- 

 inent ecological data on Charlotte Harbor 

 (Woodburn, 1962), Old Tampa Bay (Dawson, 

 1953; Finucane and Campbell, 1968), St. An- 

 drews Bay and vicinity (Futch and Martina, 



1967), and Choctawhatchee Bay (Ritchie, 1961). 

 The growth of oysters in Apalachicola Bay is 

 rapid. They attain a length of 3 to 4 inches 

 (7.6 to 10.2 cm) in six months whereas the same 

 growth in Chesapeake Bay and waters north of 

 it requires three to four years (Ingle and Daw- 

 son, 1952) . Mortality results from predation by 



85 



