4 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Willamette Valley, however, as is noted in a later section of this 

 report, is supplied with shellfish from another source. 



In Marshiield, a town adjoinin<j North Bend but of g^reater popu- 

 lation than the latter, the shellfish trade is also good, the hotels, 

 restaurants, and other patrons being supplied by a local meat con- 

 cern which employs its own clam diggers. Owing to its greater 

 relative abundance, Mya arenaria is the only clam found on the 

 markets in any quantity in and about the Coos Bay region. 



Southward from Empire City, a small town on the west arm of 

 Coos Bay, and especially on the east side of the channel are dis- 

 tributed other species of shellfish of edible quality, although not 

 found in large numbers. Well up toward Empire City, in 1917 and 

 1918, small quantities of Schizothaerus nuttalli Conracl, the " great 

 blue clam," were to be found. Few of these reach the markets of 

 North Bend or Marshfield. Paphya staminea (Conrad) also occurs 

 in small numbers below Empire City on the east side of the channel, 

 extending into South Slough at the southern end of this arm of 

 the bay. This species grows to a moderate size here but is nowhere 

 abundant, and little profit would accrue in attempting to market 

 the species from this source. 



During the summer of 1918 a small shipment of Paphya was made 

 from Coos Bay to the Siuslaw River, in Lane County, in an attempt 

 to establish the species in that locality. The experiment was not 

 successful. In Coos Bay the species lives just beneath the surface 

 of ooze and is fairly well covered with masses of seaweed. In the 

 Siuslaw River it was found necessary to plant it in a more ex- 

 posed locality free from seaweed. Whether this greater drainage 

 at low tide had a disastrous effect upon the species can not be deter- 

 mined, as no further attempts were made to transplant this clam. 



Associated with Paphya staminea in this region is found Cardium 

 corhis Martyn, the " cockle." It exists here under similar condi- 

 tions as Paphya and is scattered in a very general manner. The 

 species is a negligible factor as a food product in this locality. 



The prospect for the success of oyster culture in Coos Bay is 

 promising. Fourteen acres have been set aside by a group of local 

 men interested in the enterprise and planted with the western oyster, 

 Ostrea lurida Carpenter. The season of 1917 proved to be a suc- 

 cessful one. A satisfactory amount of spat was collected, which 

 gave encouragement to the project and led to the consideration of 

 a material increase in the acreage. The season of 1918 was also 

 reported to be successful. The writer was able to advise regarding 

 materials for cultch and encouraged the extension of the plantation. 

 He entered into correspondence with the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries 

 relative to the planting of western oysters in Coos Bay on a larger 

 scale than could be undertaken by the private parties of North 

 Bend. It was not deemed advisable at that time, however, to under- 

 take the project. 



At one time Coos Bay evidently supported the western oyster 

 in great abundance, if one can judge from the quantities of shells 

 that are cast out of the bed of the bay by the activities of the steam 

 dredgers. These oysters became extinct, however, many years ago. 

 The cause of the extinction is not positively known. The Indians 

 believe it was a result of a great forest fire which swept the Oregon 

 coast nearly 100 years ago. 



