TRANSPLANTING OF EASTERN OYSTERS TO WILLAPA BAY. 195 



failed to live in the cold water of San P^rancisco Bay, wonld be a success in San 

 Diego Bay. The greater part of this bay is shallow and there are extensive mud- 

 flats. There are no constant streams flowing into it, though False Bay, immediately 

 north of it, receives San Diego River, a stream which disappears in midsummer. 



Humboldt Bay, 200 miles north of San Francisco, is a large and shallow bay that 

 may be found available for oyster-growing when the question of temperature has 

 been studied. By far the greater area of this bay consists of tide lands, exposed at 

 low water. My personal recollection of Humboldt mudflats, visited in 1885, is that 

 they are altogether firmer than those of San Francisco, the bottom being more sandy. 



Ballona Bay, near Santa Monica, in southern California, is a small bay where, I am 

 informed, oysters have been placed and found to grow well, but it is not known 

 whether they breed there. A report upon the small bays about Wilmington, near 

 Los Angeles, has already been published by the Fish Commission. 



Governor E. P. Ferry, of Washington, informed me that he, in company with Col- 

 onel Laramie and Mr. William P. Wright, made an experiment in planting eastern 

 oysters near Olympia many years ago. The history of the experiment is lost, but 

 Governor Ferry's recollection of it is that two sacks of oysters were put in Budd 

 Inlet, about 2 miles from Olympia. They were jjerhaps not properly looked after, 

 as they were soon lost sight of. It was observed, however, that they lived for 

 several weeks. The history of eastern oysters in Willapa Bay is similar; a few sacks 

 only were laid out in the vicinity of Oysterville. They lived as well as those at San 

 Francisco, but no signs of propagation were ever discovered. It was conceded by 

 oystermen that there were hardly enough of them to insure fertilization. This 

 experiment was made several years ago and has never been repeated. 



Eastern oysters grown in San Francisco Bay, and tlius acclimated to 

 the comparatively cold waters of California, would, if the supply be 

 large enough, constitute a better stock for introduction into other bays 

 of the Pacific coast than oysters newly imported from the Atlantic 

 region. It is probably true, also, that oysters derived from the most 

 northerly localities on the Atlantic coast would be better adapted to 

 Pacific coast bays than those from southerly and warmer localities. 



Willapa Bay is situated on the southwest coast of Washington, a few 

 miles north of the mouth of the Columbi.i Eiver. It is about 25 miles 

 in length, with an average width of 5 miles. On account of extensive 

 shoals and tide flats it was formerly called Shoalwater Bay. Deep 

 navigable channels make nearly all parts of it accessible to large ves- 

 sels. Its shores are heavily wooded, and many streams valuable for 

 their salmon fisheries flow into it. The most important of the latter is 

 Willapa Eiver, 30 miles in length, smaller rivers and creeks being the 

 Palux, Cedar, Nemur, and Nasal. None of these streams are navigable 

 for more than a few miles above their mouths, and some of them not at 

 all. This part of Washington being decidedly rainy, particularly in 

 winter, the volume of fresh water flowing into the bay is considerable, 

 and it is said that during freshets the waters of the bay are discolored 

 by the inflow of water from the Columbia Eiver. Extensive natural 

 oyster deposits are found along the channels, from the mouth of the 

 Willapa on the north to the extreme head of the bay on the south. 



The localities where oyster cultivation is carried on are Bay Center, 

 Bruceport. Oysterville, Xorth Cove, and Toke Point (see accompanying 

 map), no transplanted beds being located in the southern part of the 



