﻿8 
  OYSTER 
  BOTTOMS 
  OF 
  LAVACA 
  BAY^ 
  TEX. 
  

  

  mate 
  may 
  be 
  formed 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  bushels 
  of 
  oysters 
  and 
  shells 
  

   per 
  acre 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  examination, 
  and, 
  by 
  multiplying 
  the 
  

   observations, 
  for 
  the 
  bed 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  survey 
  

   472 
  observations 
  were 
  made 
  at 
  various 
  places, 
  principally 
  on 
  the 
  

   natural 
  rocks, 
  but 
  some 
  on 
  the 
  barren 
  bottoms 
  also. 
  

  

  In 
  estimating 
  the 
  productiveness 
  of 
  the 
  bottoms 
  it 
  appeared 
  

   desirable 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  method 
  employed 
  in 
  Delaware 
  Bay 
  " 
  rather 
  

   than 
  that 
  followed 
  in 
  the 
  James 
  River 
  survey. 
  

  

  Wliere 
  tongs 
  are 
  used 
  exclusively 
  a 
  bed 
  with 
  a 
  given 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  lying 
  in 
  shoal 
  water 
  is 
  more 
  valuable 
  commercially 
  than 
  one 
  

   with 
  the 
  same 
  quantity 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  deeper 
  water, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  the 
  labor 
  of 
  the 
  tonger 
  is 
  more 
  efficient 
  on 
  the 
  former. 
  As 
  has 
  

   been 
  pointed 
  out, 
  the 
  area 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  "grab" 
  decreases 
  with 
  the 
  

   depth, 
  other 
  factors 
  being 
  the 
  same; 
  and, 
  moreover, 
  the 
  deeper 
  the 
  

   water 
  the 
  greater 
  is 
  the 
  labor 
  involved 
  in 
  making 
  the 
  grab 
  and 
  the 
  

   smaller 
  is 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  grabs 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  time. 
  

   Where, 
  however, 
  the 
  depth 
  is 
  practically 
  uniform 
  and 
  shoal, 
  as 
  in 
  

   the 
  region 
  treated 
  in 
  this 
  report, 
  it 
  is 
  unnecessarily 
  refined 
  and 
  

   laborious 
  to 
  make 
  such 
  allowance 
  for 
  depth, 
  and' 
  it 
  is 
  nearly 
  as 
  

   accurate 
  and 
  satisfactory 
  to 
  rate 
  the 
  bottoms 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  an 
  

   arbitrary 
  standard. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  report 
  the 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  productiveness 
  of 
  

   the 
  various 
  beds 
  and 
  parts 
  of 
  beds, 
  as 
  exhibited 
  on 
  the 
  chart 
  and 
  dis- 
  

   cussed 
  in 
  the 
  text, 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Dense 
  growth 
  Bearing 
  over 
  150 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre. 
  

  

  Scattering 
  growth 
  Bearing 
  between 
  75 
  and 
  150 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre. 
  

  

  Very 
  scattering 
  growth 
  Bearing 
  between 
  25 
  and 
  75 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre. 
  

  

  Depleted 
  bottom 
  Bearing 
  less 
  than 
  25 
  bushels 
  per 
  acre. 
  

  

  This 
  classification 
  refers 
  solely 
  to 
  oysters 
  of 
  a 
  size 
  assumed 
  to 
  be 
  

   large 
  enough 
  for 
  the 
  market, 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  to 
  those 
  3 
  inches 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  

   length. 
  As 
  the 
  classification 
  takes 
  no 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  oysters, 
  

   certain 
  areas 
  bearing 
  a 
  heavy 
  growth 
  of 
  young 
  may 
  be 
  described 
  and 
  

   shown 
  on 
  the 
  chart 
  as 
  depleted, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  paucity 
  of 
  mature 
  oysters. 
  

   While 
  the 
  charts 
  can 
  not 
  indicate 
  this, 
  the 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  

   show 
  it 
  in 
  all 
  cases. 
  The 
  charts 
  show 
  in 
  general 
  terms 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  product 
  available 
  for 
  market, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  

   mere 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  is 
  concerned, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  survey. 
  If 
  

   the 
  oysters 
  were 
  of 
  ordinarily 
  good 
  condition 
  and 
  shape, 
  which 
  unfortu- 
  

   nately 
  in 
  most 
  cases 
  they 
  were 
  not, 
  the 
  areas 
  indicated 
  as 
  bearing 
  

   dense 
  and 
  scattering 
  growth 
  would 
  yield 
  a 
  product 
  sufficient 
  to 
  

   make 
  tonging 
  remunerative 
  under 
  the 
  economic 
  conditions 
  existing. 
  

   Wliere 
  the 
  market 
  oysters 
  are 
  rated 
  as 
  very 
  scattering, 
  the 
  growth 
  is 
  

   insufficient 
  to 
  support 
  a 
  fishery 
  at 
  the 
  low 
  price 
  which 
  the 
  product 
  

  

  a 
  Condition 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  oyster 
  beds 
  of 
  Delaware. 
  By 
  H. 
  F. 
  Moore, 
  assistant, 
  United 
  

   States 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries. 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  Document 
  no. 
  745, 
  1911. 
  

  

  