356 U.S. BUREAU OP FISHERIES 



ment for subsequent generations of this shellfish. The planting of 

 seed oysters and shells will be continued during 1934, with funds 

 provided by the Civil Works Administration. Up to the present 

 time, this work has provided employment for 266 of the oyster 

 fishermen of this section. Experimental oyster farming operations 

 conducted by the Bureau during previous seasons have served as a 

 guide in the selection of suitable planting bottoms and in the adop- 

 tion of the most practical and efficient methods for the rehabilitation 

 and future maintenance of this valuable natural resource. 



At the Beaufort laboratory an improved method of opening 

 clams has been developed by Dr. V. Koehring and Dr. Herbert F. 

 Prytherch, It has been found that clams may be easily opened by 

 immersing them in a warm bath of fresh or sea water having a 

 temperature of 105° F. In these experiments 100 percent of the clams 

 opened their shells in from 10 to 20 minutes and when removed from 

 .the bath a few minutes later were completely narcotized. The meats 

 could then be removed with comparative ease and were alive and in 

 as fine condition as if they were opened raw. This process is suitable 

 for either the raw trade or canning of hard clams and will be tested 

 on a commercial scale in the near future. 



OYSTER IN\T:STIGATI0NS IN FLORIDA 



During April and May, extensive oyster farming operations were 

 conducted by Dr. H. F. Prytherch in the region from Panama City 

 to Pensacola in cooperation with the Florida Department of Conser- 

 vation. Previous studies made by the Bureau in Choctawhatchee 

 Bay disclosed a scarcity of old shells or suitable objects to which the 

 spawn of the oyster might attach, and indicated the necessity of 

 planting shells and seed oysters in this area to create and extend 

 natural beds and utilize the barren bottoms that are suitable for 

 cultivation of this shellfish. 



A survey was made of the principal oyster producing areas in the 

 Pensacola region including East Bay, Blackwater Bay, and Escambia 

 Bay. Excellent conditions for oyster propagation and the produc- 

 tion of a high grade marketable product were found in East Bay 

 and recommendations were offered for the development of this region 

 by transplantation of seed oysters from the natural beds in Black- 

 water and Escambia Bays. In the vicinity of Panama City serious 

 depletion of the natural beds in North Bay and East Bay was ob- 

 served. Kehabilitation and future maintenance of these can be ac- 

 complished by regularly restocking them with seed and shell and by 

 enforcement of the cull law. An adequate supply of seed for this 

 purpose was found on the overcrowded oyster reefs in nearby waters 

 such as West Bay. 



Biological studies of oyster spawning and setting were made in all 

 the previously mentioned waters which showed that shell planting 

 operations should be carried out during April and May. 



OIL POLLUTION INVESTIGAlTONS IN LOUISIANA 



At the request of the Louisiana Department of Conservation the 

 Bureau has undertaken an investigation to determine the cause of 



