THE KENTUCKY RIVER AND ITS MUSSEL RESOURCES.^ 



By Ernest Danglade, Formerly Field Assistant, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Kentucky River and its three upstream forks 1 



Shipping facilities 2 



Mussel beds 3 



Mussels 5 



Pearls 7 



Methods of mussel fishing 7 



Summary 7 



KENTUCKY RIVER AND ITS THREE UPSTREAM FORKS. 



The basin of the Kentucky Eiver is situated in the eastern portion 

 of Kentucky and embraces about one-sixth of the State, or ap- 

 proximately 6,700 square miles. The mountain sections, which are 

 within the Cumberland Plateau, are rough and uneven, varying in 

 elevation from 1,000 to 3,200 feet. The lower two-thirds of the 

 basin descends gradually from 1,000 to about 450 feet. Omitting the 

 small tributaries leading down from the mountains, the river has a 

 fall of about 800 feet, an average of 2 feet per mile. The upper 

 third of the stream has a fall of about 3^ feet per mile ; the remainder 

 of about 0.9 foot per mile. 



The headwaters of the river, consisting of three branches, the 

 North, Middle, and South Forks, have their sources along the 

 northern slopes of Pine Mountains. The streams flow in a general 

 northwesterly direction and unite near Beattyville to form the main 

 stream which continues in the same direction and flows into the 

 Ohio River at Carrollton. Including North Fork the river has a 

 length of about 400 miles, but in a direct line from source to mouth 

 the distance is about 175 miles. The difference of 225 miles is clue 

 to numerous windings and bends, including two large sweeps, one to 

 the north and one to the south. 



It is interesting to note that the Cumberland and Big Sandy Rivers 

 have their origins on the slopes of Pine Mountains and that the head- 

 waters of these streams are but a few hundred yards from those of 

 the Kentucky. 



The river holds the center of the basin from its source to below 

 Valley View, a distance of about 240 miles, whence it bears de- 

 cidedly westward, especially from High Bridge to the mouth. The 

 width of the stream is from 75 to 250 feet and the depth from a 

 few inches to 4 or 5 feet in the upper stretches during low water 

 up to 40 or more feet in the lower river in times of flood. The banks 

 are moderately low and are composed of mud, loam, or solid rock. 

 The bottom lands, which are generally rather narrow, are fertile and 



1 Appendix XI to the Report of the U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries for 1922. B. F. 

 Doc. No. 934. 



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