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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  03'sters 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  Swan 
  Quarter 
  were 
  carefully 
  

   collected. 
  Those 
  which 
  maybe 
  considered 
  as 
  enemies 
  are 
  the 
  "drill" 
  

   {Uromlplnx 
  cinerea) 
  and 
  the 
  mussel 
  {ModioJa 
  Jiamatus). 
  The 
  drill 
  

   feeds 
  upon 
  mollusks, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  numerous 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   noticeable 
  damage. 
  The 
  mussel 
  is 
  extremely 
  abundant, 
  however, 
  and, 
  

   as 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  it 
  injures 
  the 
  oysters 
  wholly 
  by 
  its 
  numbers, 
  cut- 
  

   ting- 
  off 
  their 
  water 
  and 
  food 
  supply. 
  

  

  WYE8OCKING 
  BAY. 
  

  

  W3'esocking 
  Bay 
  (section 
  10 
  of 
  the 
  Winslow 
  survey) 
  is 
  noted 
  among 
  

   the 
  North 
  Carolina 
  oystermen 
  as 
  containing 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Ijest 
  oyster 
  

   grounds 
  in 
  Pamlico 
  Sound. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  earliest 
  to 
  

   fatten 
  as 
  the 
  o}' 
  ster 
  season 
  comes 
  on, 
  and 
  to 
  continue 
  marketable 
  until 
  

   late 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  This 
  section 
  was 
  therefore 
  selected 
  as 
  the 
  second 
  

   place 
  for 
  work. 
  From 
  February 
  28 
  to 
  March 
  17, 
  1900, 
  the 
  Fish 
  Hawk 
  

   was 
  stationed 
  near 
  Gull 
  Shoal 
  off 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Wj^esocking 
  Bay, 
  but, 
  

   the 
  weather 
  being 
  storm}', 
  very 
  little 
  work 
  was 
  accomplished 
  and 
  the 
  

   survey 
  of 
  the 
  section 
  was 
  postponed. 
  It 
  was 
  resumed 
  November 
  16 
  

   and 
  completed 
  December 
  14, 
  1900. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  that 
  prevailed 
  during 
  February 
  and 
  March 
  were 
  

   almost 
  ideal 
  for 
  oyster 
  culture. 
  Food 
  was 
  extremely 
  abundant 
  and 
  

   the 
  densit}' 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  most 
  productive 
  beds 
  in 
  

   the 
  section 
  was 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  over 
  the 
  best 
  oyster 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chesapeake. 
  In 
  December 
  the 
  conditions 
  were 
  much 
  changed, 
  as 
  will 
  

   be 
  noted 
  in 
  the 
  density 
  tables 
  below 
  and 
  the 
  food 
  table 
  (ji. 
  290), 
  ])ut 
  are 
  

   not 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  normal 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  being 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  

   unusual 
  drought 
  which 
  prevailed 
  in 
  North 
  Carolina 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  

   and 
  fall 
  of 
  1900. 
  

  

  Densities 
  in 
  Wi/esockinr/ 
  Bin/. 
  

  

  Note.— 
  Water 
  taken 
  near 
  the 
  bottom 
  was 
  used 
  as 
  the 
  bas 
  

   the 
  surface 
  would 
  be 
  slightly 
  fresher. 
  

  

  in 
  making 
  the 
  table. 
  The 
  water 
  at 
  

  

  The 
  bottom 
  on 
  the 
  offshore 
  areas 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  hard 
  sand 
  covered 
  

   with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  mud. 
  On 
  the 
  beds 
  the 
  mud 
  is 
  thick 
  with 
  shells 
  and 
  

   shell 
  fragments. 
  Inshore 
  the 
  substratum 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  is 
  often 
  of 
  cla}', 
  

   and 
  the 
  layer 
  of 
  mud 
  is 
  thicker 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  offshore 
  areas. 
  In 
  some 
  

   places 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  soft, 
  deep, 
  organic 
  

   mud 
  — 
  the 
  washings 
  from 
  the 
  marshes. 
  

  

  On 
  perfectly 
  calm 
  daj^s 
  it 
  was 
  often 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  detect 
  currents 
  

   in 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  all, 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  wind 
  was 
  blowing, 
  or 
  on 
  days 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  storm, 
  currents 
  with 
  a 
  maximum 
  velocity 
  of 
  nearly 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  

  

  