﻿OYSTER 
  IIS-DUSTEY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  CAROLINA. 
  2 
  < 
  ^ 
  

  

  the 
  recent 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  oysters, 
  and 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  such 
  shells 
  in 
  

   certain 
  localities 
  indicated 
  that 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  mortalit}^ 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  

   immediatel}^ 
  precedino- 
  the 
  survc}^ 
  had 
  been 
  very 
  high. 
  The 
  greatest 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  hinged 
  shells 
  to 
  living 
  oysters 
  was 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  beds 
  off 
  

   Shell 
  Point, 
  south 
  of 
  Bird 
  Island, 
  east 
  of 
  Great 
  Island, 
  and 
  off 
  Juniper 
  

   Point, 
  while 
  in 
  sheltered 
  places 
  like 
  Swan 
  Quarter 
  Bay 
  and 
  Swan 
  

   Quarter 
  Narrows 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  hinged 
  shells 
  was 
  small. 
  These 
  facts 
  

   indicate 
  that 
  the 
  oystermen 
  were 
  right 
  in 
  attributing 
  to 
  the 
  storms 
  

   much 
  of 
  the 
  damage 
  sustained 
  by 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds. 
  

  

  Effects 
  of 
  di^dging. 
  — 
  In 
  39 
  hauls 
  made 
  with 
  dredges 
  at 
  various 
  

   places 
  on 
  the 
  public 
  dredging 
  ground 
  (No. 
  .1:8) 
  which 
  lies 
  just 
  off 
  Shell 
  

   Point, 
  the 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  marketable 
  oysters 
  taken 
  per 
  haul 
  was 
  -i; 
  

   of 
  hinged 
  shells 
  also 
  4, 
  while 
  8 
  and 
  5 
  were 
  the 
  average 
  numbers 
  of 
  small 
  

   oj^sters 
  and 
  spat, 
  respectively. 
  These 
  figures 
  show 
  very 
  strildngl}^ 
  

   the 
  depleted 
  condition 
  of 
  this 
  ground 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  too 
  close 
  dredg- 
  

   ing. 
  The 
  damage 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  storms 
  is 
  also 
  indicated, 
  fully 
  23 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  having 
  been 
  sanded. 
  

  

  Twentj^ 
  hauls 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  dredge 
  on 
  the 
  dredging 
  ground 
  

   (No. 
  46) 
  southeast 
  of 
  Swan 
  Quarter 
  Island, 
  and 
  showed 
  the 
  bed 
  to 
  be 
  

   in 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  condition 
  as 
  No. 
  48. 
  The 
  oysters 
  were 
  much 
  scat- 
  

   tered, 
  but 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  productive 
  area 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  many 
  times 
  

   that 
  shown 
  on 
  Winslow's 
  chart, 
  much 
  growth 
  cvidenti}' 
  having 
  taken 
  

   place 
  since 
  1888. 
  The 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  emptj^ 
  hinged 
  shells 
  was 
  somewhat 
  

   less 
  than 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  Shell 
  Point 
  bed, 
  the 
  number 
  representing 
  about 
  

   14 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  oysters. 
  

  

  Public 
  ground 
  No. 
  42, 
  which 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  Swan 
  Quarter 
  Narrows 
  and 
  

   west 
  of 
  Great 
  Island, 
  is 
  well 
  protected 
  from 
  storms, 
  and 
  presented 
  

   conditions 
  which 
  were 
  much 
  more 
  favorable 
  than 
  those 
  found 
  on 
  an^^ 
  

   other 
  oyster 
  ground. 
  For 
  the 
  72 
  hauls 
  made 
  on 
  this 
  bed 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  

   average 
  of 
  165 
  living 
  oysters, 
  with 
  only 
  16 
  empty 
  hinged 
  shells. 
  

   Marketable 
  oysters, 
  small 
  oysters, 
  and 
  spat 
  averaged 
  46, 
  56, 
  and 
  63 
  

   per 
  haul, 
  respectivel}'. 
  The 
  relative 
  amount 
  of 
  cuUings 
  taken 
  with 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  was 
  much 
  larger 
  than 
  on 
  other 
  beds, 
  there 
  being 
  an 
  aver- 
  

   age 
  of 
  138 
  shells 
  in 
  each 
  haul. 
  

  

  Twelve 
  hauls 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  public 
  03\ster 
  ground 
  in 
  Juniper 
  

   Bay 
  (No. 
  41), 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  situated 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  exposed 
  to 
  storms 
  from 
  

   the 
  southeast, 
  and 
  the 
  empty 
  hinged 
  shells 
  taken 
  here 
  were 
  only 
  4i 
  

   per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  oysters. 
  The 
  average 
  numbers 
  of 
  marketable 
  

   oysters, 
  small 
  oysters, 
  and 
  spat 
  brought 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  dredge 
  were 
  61, 
  62, 
  

   and 
  88, 
  respectively. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  public 
  ground 
  (No. 
  38) 
  near 
  Bluff' 
  Point, 
  where 
  14 
  hauls 
  were 
  

   made, 
  the 
  work 
  showed 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  smothered 
  by 
  the 
  

   drifting 
  sand 
  was 
  equal 
  to 
  about 
  11 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  oysters. 
  

  

  Although 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  from 
  this 
  investigation 
  that 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  this 
  

   section 
  have 
  been 
  much 
  overworked 
  and 
  that 
  thev 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  con- 
  

  

  