The oysters In the lower conpartments were 90 per cent burled, as 

 shown by the discoloration of the shells. Yet in the lower com- 

 partments no dead oysters were found. 



During this 4 month period, oysters from Lake Uechant irtiloh 

 were transplanted to Pensacola, Florida, esqperienced a mortality 

 rate of 15 per cent. This is similar in degree to the mortality 

 of MisslsBlppl Sound oysters at Pensacola and again, most of this 

 mortality is attributed to the activities of mud crabs. 



These ovservations indicate that, from the point of view of 

 mortality rates, the hydrographlc conditions at Lake Uechant were 

 favorable for oysters during the first hald of the year 1949, while 

 In this same period, the conditions in the western end of Mississippi 

 Sound were extremely poor for oysters. 



OYSTER Q.I]ALnY 



A standard procedure for deteimlnlng the (luality of food has 

 been to assay Its water content. This has been applied to oysters 

 with certa n modification. In this method the ratio of the solids 

 In the oyster meat to the total space occupied within the shells by 

 the living oyster Is detexmlned. This statistic is called the Con- 

 dition Factor. Aa a criterion for oyster quality, the technique Is 

 open to much criticism but has been employed in this survey because 

 of Its wide usage. Condition Factors may range from 1 to 17 but in 

 general It mey be said that a factor of less than 4 denotes a very 

 poor oyster, fron 4 to 7 a fair oyster, and above 7 a high quality 

 oyster. Prime oyster meats will usually have a factor near 10 or 

 above. 



A more reliable Indication of the quality of oyster meats is 

 expressed simply by the percentage of solids. In Table 3 both 

 figures are given for the series of samples tested at Lake Mechant 

 and Ulssisslppl Sound, as well as for the oysters transplanted from 

 these areas and allowed to grow at Pensacola. 



It should be noted from these data that in Mississippi Sound the 

 quality of oyster meats as indicated by per cent solids declined from 

 December to February and then started to improve by May. In Lake 

 Mechant there was a steady increase in per cent solids. Oysters from 

 both of these locations were transplanted to Pensacola in February and 

 by May had improved much more than oysters left in their natural reef. 

 This greater improvement may have been due, in part, to the stimulus 

 of transplantation but was probably due directly or indirectly to the 

 higher average salinity found at the Pensacola location. 



IS 



