﻿256 
  REPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  usual 
  catch 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  on 
  the 
  beds, 
  and 
  this 
  informa- 
  

   tion 
  was 
  supplemented 
  by 
  the 
  results 
  we 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  get 
  by 
  tonging 
  

   and 
  dredging 
  the 
  beds. 
  

  

  In 
  our 
  tonging 
  operations 
  a 
  certain 
  definite 
  area 
  was 
  covered, 
  and 
  

   an 
  accurate 
  count 
  made 
  of 
  everything 
  brought 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  tongs, 
  

   including 
  marketable 
  oysters, 
  small 
  oysters, 
  spat, 
  shells, 
  and 
  other 
  

   animals. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  examinations 
  by 
  dredging, 
  a 
  regular 
  oyster 
  dredge 
  boat 
  was 
  

   hired, 
  and 
  towed 
  over 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds 
  in 
  various 
  courses 
  by 
  a 
  steam 
  

   launch. 
  When 
  the 
  dredge 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  schooner 
  had 
  been 
  on 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  one 
  minute 
  it 
  was 
  hauled 
  in 
  and 
  emptied, 
  the 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  side 
  being 
  let 
  down. 
  This 
  was 
  continued 
  until 
  the 
  schooner 
  

   had 
  crossed 
  the 
  bed, 
  when 
  another 
  line 
  of 
  dredgings 
  was 
  begun. 
  The 
  

   contents 
  of 
  each 
  dredge 
  haul 
  were 
  examined 
  and 
  counted. 
  The 
  exact 
  

   position 
  of 
  the 
  schooner 
  at 
  each 
  haul 
  was 
  determined 
  by 
  sextant 
  angles, 
  

   signals 
  having 
  been 
  erected 
  on 
  shore 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  before 
  the 
  work 
  

   began. 
  On 
  certain 
  beds 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound, 
  which 
  were 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  

   action 
  of 
  waves, 
  oyster 
  shells 
  with 
  their 
  hinges 
  intact 
  were 
  abundant. 
  

   These 
  were 
  thought 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  damage 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  

   by 
  the 
  recent 
  storms. 
  It 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  oysters 
  had 
  recently 
  

   died, 
  whatever 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  cause. 
  

  

  SURVEY 
  OF 
  NE\WPORT 
  AND 
  NORTH 
  RIVERS. 
  

   GENERAL 
  CONDITIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  survey 
  of 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  rivers 
  was 
  conducted 
  from 
  the 
  

   steamer 
  Fish 
  Hawk., 
  the 
  men 
  being 
  transported 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  oyster 
  

   beds 
  in 
  launches 
  and 
  row 
  boats. 
  The 
  work 
  covered 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  

   October 
  6 
  to 
  November 
  23, 
  1899, 
  in 
  Newport 
  River; 
  from 
  the 
  latter 
  

   date 
  to 
  January 
  7, 
  1900, 
  in 
  North 
  River. 
  

  

  Before 
  beginning 
  the 
  work 
  in 
  either 
  case, 
  signals 
  were 
  erected 
  by 
  

   Captain 
  Smith 
  at 
  various 
  places 
  along 
  the 
  shores, 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  triangulations 
  of 
  the 
  oyster-producing 
  regions. 
  From 
  these 
  angles 
  

   and 
  the 
  sketches 
  and 
  observations 
  thus 
  made, 
  charts 
  were 
  constructed 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  F. 
  Hill, 
  giving 
  the 
  location 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  

   natural 
  and 
  planted 
  oyster 
  beds, 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  covering 
  them, 
  

   and 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom. 
  The 
  positions 
  of 
  the 
  stations 
  at 
  

   which 
  observations 
  were 
  regularly 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   and 
  the 
  velocity 
  of 
  the 
  currents 
  are 
  also 
  shown, 
  and 
  in 
  connection 
  

   therewith 
  the 
  averages 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  observations 
  made 
  

   at 
  each. 
  A 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  density 
  observations 
  at 
  certain 
  of 
  these 
  

   stations 
  during 
  the 
  three 
  seasons 
  immediately 
  following 
  the 
  survey 
  

   are 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  food 
  tables 
  on 
  page 
  289. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds 
  in 
  Newport 
  and 
  North 
  

   rivers 
  and 
  tributaries, 
  including 
  "• 
  reefs 
  " 
  and 
  areas 
  of 
  scattered 
  

  

  