BARREy OYSTER BOTTOMS 57 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a 



ward into the Big bay towards the Indian and Barbara Weit rivers, and sends off a 

 branch to Shemody creek. A third branch j^coes to the Grand river and a fourth to 

 the Xarrows between Lennox island and the mainland. These channels are for the 

 most part wide and have fairly level bottoms. 



The sandy areas near shore are 'also very level, sloping out gradually to the deep 

 channel and showing a somewhat more abrupt incline on the edges of the latter. The 

 slopes are somewhat more abrupt than usual on the sides of the Bunbury sands and 

 of the Middle Ground shoals facing the main channels. Abrupt slopes occur also 

 among the Horseshoe shoals, 



DEPTHS IX THE VAUIOUS PARTS OF THE AREA. 



This jiortion of the investigation has not been completed and the work done on 

 it is withheld, for publication in a later report. Only a very general account is given 

 here. The greatest depth at the entrance of the bay, between liill Hook island and 

 Koyalty point is 53 feet. There are places in the channels among the Horseshoe 

 shoals which are at least 27 feet deep, while parts of the shoals are covered by about 

 3 feet of water. The channel into the Inner bay has a depth, between Bunbury and 

 Grover islands, of 24 feet, and south of the Middle Ground shoals of 17 feet, while 

 over parts of the shoals the depth is not more than 2 feet. The channel leading into 

 the Big bay has a depth northwest of the Bunbury sands of 42 feet, west of the northern 

 end of Bunbury island of 35 feet, west of its southern end of 32 feet, towards the 

 Indian and Barbara Weit rivers of 14 feet, and towards Shemody creek of 15 feet. 

 The Bentinck shoals are covered in places by about 2 feet of water. The channel at 

 the ferry Grand river is 30 feet deep, and that approaching the Narrows between 

 Lennox island and the mainland is 24 feet in depth. 



PRESENCE OF EEL-GRASS AND SEA-WEEDS. 



Eel-grass (Zostera marina L.) is very abundant everywhere on the sandy areas 

 in depths up to 10 or 12 feet. It borders the shore of the whole bay except where 

 there are rocky areas, and it is also found on the Horseshoe, Bentinck, and Middlt 

 (Jround shoals. In many other and deeper places, dredgings show that quantities of 

 dead and decaying eel-grass are lodged on the bottom. In the late summer and, accord- 

 ing to reports, to a greater extent in the autumn, the storms tear loose quantities of 

 eel-grass which are swept together into great masses and rolled in upon the shore. 

 This eel-grass is-gathered up and used as a fertilizer, or to bank buildings against 

 the cold. The oyster companies do good work in removing the grass from their plots, 

 but too often set it adrift in other parts of the bay instead of taking it ashore. When 

 only small areas are cleared the loose eel-grass rolls over the bottom i^ato the hollows, 

 formed in the process of clearing these areas, and lodges there. Because of this, some 

 of the companies have to clear their areas after each big storm. Eel-grass is detri- 

 mental to good catches of spat. In no case was there a good set on any of the collec- 

 tors set among eel-grass. 



Seaweeds are found on the rocky areas. In many cases the rock is well covered, 

 and here the seaweed must interfere with the set of spat. In some places kelp (Lami- 

 naria saccharina Lanix.) is found attached to the oysters, and must, at times, when 

 from any cause they are not attached to the bottom, result in their being carried to 

 unfavourable localities. 



The Marine algae collected during the summer were sent to A. B. Klugh, ^Nf.A., 

 of Queen's University, Kingston, and he has very kindly identified them. The collec- 

 tion is not very extensive, specimens which were taken in the dredge, or in the plank- 

 ton net, alone being represented. 



