﻿CONDITION 
  AND 
  EXTENT 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATURAL 
  OYSTER 
  BEDS 
  AND 
  

   BARREN 
  BOTTOMS 
  OF 
  LAVACA 
  BAY. 
  TEXAS* 
  

  

  By 
  H. 
  F. 
  Moore, 
  Assistant 
  in 
  Charge 
  of 
  Scientific 
  Inquiry, 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  

  

  AND 
  

  

  Eknest 
  Danglade, 
  Scientific 
  Assistant. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  This 
  survey 
  was 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  Col. 
  W. 
  G. 
  Sterett, 
  game, 
  

   fish, 
  and 
  oyster 
  commissioner 
  of 
  Texas, 
  preferred 
  through 
  Hon. 
  

   A. 
  S. 
  Burleson, 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  Representative 
  in 
  Congress 
  from 
  Texas, 
  

   who 
  secured 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  Congress 
  authorizing 
  the 
  work. 
  

  

  The 
  investigation 
  began 
  on 
  February 
  1, 
  1913, 
  and 
  was 
  concluded 
  

   May 
  12. 
  The 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  IlawJc 
  served 
  as 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  operations 
  

   until 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  had 
  been 
  

   completed, 
  after 
  which, 
  from 
  April 
  1 
  until 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  work, 
  the 
  

   field 
  party, 
  consisting 
  of 
  the 
  scientific 
  staff 
  and 
  a 
  detail 
  from 
  the 
  

   vessel, 
  made 
  their 
  headquarters 
  on 
  a 
  shallow-draft 
  schooner 
  which 
  

   could 
  enter 
  the 
  shoal 
  waters 
  not 
  practicable 
  for 
  the 
  steamer. 
  

  

  The 
  survey 
  was 
  under 
  the 
  immediate 
  direction 
  of 
  Mr. 
  T. 
  E, 
  B. 
  

   Pope, 
  scientific 
  assistant, 
  whose 
  subsequent 
  resignation 
  from 
  the 
  

   service 
  prevented 
  his 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  report. 
  Mr. 
  Danglade 
  was 
  

   second 
  in 
  charge 
  and 
  the 
  biological 
  investigations 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  him. 
  

   Chief 
  Boatswain 
  William 
  Martin 
  was 
  in 
  comm^and 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  until 
  

   his 
  detachment, 
  after 
  which 
  Boatswain 
  J. 
  J. 
  O'Brien 
  assumed 
  com- 
  

   mand. 
  

  

  The 
  work 
  was 
  much 
  hampered 
  by 
  bad 
  weather, 
  and 
  after 
  practically 
  

   all 
  of 
  the 
  signals 
  had 
  been 
  erected 
  they 
  were 
  blown 
  down 
  by 
  a 
  gale. 
  

   The 
  triangulation 
  was 
  carried 
  into 
  the 
  bay 
  from 
  two 
  old 
  stations 
  

   ("Sand" 
  and 
  "La 
  Salle") 
  of 
  the 
  Coast 
  and 
  Geodetic 
  Survey 
  which 
  

   were 
  recovered. 
  The 
  signals 
  were 
  cut 
  in 
  as 
  carefully 
  as 
  possible 
  with 
  

   the 
  sextant, 
  the 
  accuracy 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  being 
  checked 
  by 
  erecting 
  cer- 
  

   tam 
  of 
  the 
  signals 
  in 
  two 
  ranges 
  diverging 
  from 
  "Sand." 
  While 
  this 
  

   method 
  does 
  not 
  give 
  the 
  precision 
  exacted 
  by 
  the 
  Coast 
  Survey, 
  it 
  is 
  

   sufficiently 
  exact 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  investigation. 
  

  

  No 
  previous 
  oyster 
  survey 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  Lavaca 
  Bay, 
  but 
  in 
  

   1905 
  an 
  investigation 
  similar 
  to 
  this 
  was 
  conducted 
  in 
  Matagorda 
  Bay, 
  

   above 
  Half 
  Moon 
  Reef, 
  a 
  report 
  being 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  