408 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



about 50 miles. This bay has a local reputation lor an abundance of 

 fish, but is rather far from marketing centers. 



SAN ANTONIO BAY.. 



Directly west of and emptying the greater portion of its waters into 

 Espiritu Santo r>ay lies San Antonio IJay. Its area ap])roximnt('S lliO 

 square miles. Into it empty the (hiadalupe and San Aiitonio rivers 

 and smaller streams. The waters of the bay are comparatively fresh 

 and no oyster reefs whatever are found there, except in the extreme 

 western i)orti()n, the oysters of which are frecjuently destroyed by spring 

 freshets, and are rarely taken by the fishermen. 



On the Guadalupe Iliver, a few miles above its mouth, some catfish 

 are taken by fishermen from Aransas Bay. Aside from this, because 

 of the lack of settlements along the shores, there are no fisheries pros- 

 ecuted in San Antonio Bay. Its fresh water will probably prevent 

 the ordinary fisheries of this coast from ever being extensively <;arried 

 on here. 



MESQTTIT BAY. 



This beautiful sheet of water forms connection between San Antonio 

 and Aransas bays, and covers an area of about 23 square miles. Be- 

 sides its outlet into Aransas Bay, it has a narrow passage to the Gulf 

 of Mexico through Cedar Bayou. The depth of water is from 1 to G 

 feet, and averages about 4 feet; but in the channel among the islands 

 a depth of 15 or more feet may be found. The bottom is mostly covered 

 with thick nuid. There are several shoals or narrow places in the chan- 

 nel through this bay that very much impede navigation and frequently 

 cause even the shallow fishing craft to await a higher tide or a change 

 of the wind. 



In many places in this bay are found small reefs from which fine oys- 

 ters may be obtained. \n fact, wherever tlie ground is snfliciently firm 

 for the oysters to " gain a footing " they appear to do well. At low tide 

 one may go on many of the small expovsed reefs and pick up a bushel 

 or more of oysters. Instances are reported in which .SO bushels of fine 

 oysters have, in three hours, been i)icked up by one man from an area 

 less than 100 feet square. Cedar Bayou, which connects this bay with 

 the Gulf of Mexico, produces some of the largest oysters found on the; 

 eoast of the Gulf States, and their fiavor is excellent; many of these 

 arc so large that less than .SO will fill a 3-l)ushel barrel. The reefs of 

 other localities are better known and less diJlicult of access, and those 

 orMes<(nit Bay and Cedar Uayou have, thereloi'C, received little atten- 

 tion. When the oyster industry of Texas has been fully developed, it 

 is ])robable that Mesquit iJay will be one of th.e best places along the 

 coast for bedding and growing oysters. There are no towns on the 

 shores of this bay, hence such fish as are obtained from the waters 

 thereof are taUen l>y men living in other localities. 



