66 DEPARTMENT OF TEE NAVAL SERVICE 



6 GEORGE V, A. 1916 



taken to secure the protection of the old beds and to provide suitable cultch for spnt- 

 ting. A few years ago, when the channel to Malpeque wharf was dredged, the 

 material removed, among which was a quantity of old shell, was dumped on what is 

 now known as the "old dump." This shell, partially cleaned in the process, served 

 as cultch for a set of spat and the " old dump " is to-day, as far as an overfished bed 

 can be, a good bed. 



OCCURRENCE OF DEAD OYSTER SHELLS AS EMDENCE OF FORMER PRODUCTION. 



There are extensive and deep old shell beds all over the Big bay and in many 

 places in the Inner and Outer bays as well. These beds consist in the main of old 

 oyster and quahaug shells, with a smaller proportion of live oysters and quahaugs. 

 These beds occur not only in the main portions of the baj but in the rivers as well. 

 Beds are found in the Grand, Bideford, Trout, Barbara Weit, and Indian rivers, and 

 also in Shemody creek. 



An attempt was made to obtain measurements of the thickness of some of these 

 old beds. This can be satisfactorily done only by boring, and boring can best be done 

 through the ice in winter. A rough estimate of the thickness was made by poling 

 across the beds and through the mud at the sides. The sounding over the summit, 

 which usually lies near one edge, was subtracted from that through the mud at the 

 side and the difference taken as the depth of the bed. This estimate is admittedly 

 only an approximation, but it is believed to give a fair idea of the depth. The follow- 

 ing are the estimates for some of the beds : — 



1. September 2. — Little Curtain Island bed — 



Off the north side — 



Top, 7-5 feet; bottom, 24 feet; thickness, 16-5 feet. 

 Off the south side — 



Top, 8 feet ; bottom, 22 + 6 = 28 feet ; thickness, 20 feet. 



2. September 3. — Bell bed. Grand river — 



Top, 6 feet; bottom, 10 + 7 = 17 feet; thickness, 11 feet. 



3. September 3. — Bed above the ferry, Grand river — 



Top, 12 feet; bottom, 12 + 6 = 18 feet; thickness, 6 feet. 



4. September 12. — Bed northwest of Bunbury island- 



Top, lOi feet; bottom, 19 1 + 5| = 25i feet; thickness, 15 feet. 



5. September 12. — Little Curtain Island bed — 



Off north side — 



Top, 7-5 feet; bottom, 21-5 + 3-3 = 25 feet; thickness, 17-5 feet. 

 Off south side — 



Top, 7-5 feet; bottom, 26 + 5-5 = 31-5 feet; thickness, 24 feet. 



6. September 12. — Little Curtain Island bed, west end — 



Top, 7-25 feet; bottom, 21-5 + 6 = 27-5 feet; thickness, 20-25 feet. 



7. September 12. — Bed middle of Big bay, west of Curtain island — 



Top, 10 feet; bottom, 22-5 + 7-5 = 30 feet; thickness, 20 feet. 



8. Chinick bed — 



Top, 16 feet; bottom, 21-5 + 7-5 = 29 feet; thickness, 13 feet. 



The differences between the measurements of the depth of the Little Curtain 

 Island bed are to be explained by the fact that the bed is a large one, and the measure- 

 ments were not made in the same places on the two dates. 



The mud-diggers take shell from considerable depths. The writer was informed 

 that the face of the cut, which is all shell-bearing, is sometimes 24 feet in height. 

 These points all indicate the oyster has existed in Richmond bay for a very great 

 number of years. Throughout this period the conditions must have been favourable 

 for oyster life. The presence of so much shell in the water insures a supply of lime 

 for shell development in the live oysters. 



