﻿40 
  

  

  OYSTER 
  BOTTOMS 
  OF 
  LAVACA 
  BAY, 
  TEX. 
  

  

  described 
  in 
  "Volumetric 
  Studies 
  of 
  the 
  Food 
  and 
  Feeding 
  of 
  

   Oysters," 
  by 
  H. 
  F. 
  Moore 
  (Bulletin 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  vol. 
  xxviii, 
  

   p. 
  1297-1308). 
  

  

  For 
  purposes 
  of 
  comparison 
  the 
  bay 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  three 
  areas 
  

   of 
  approximately 
  equal 
  extent, 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  that 
  section 
  of 
  

   the 
  lower 
  bay 
  extending 
  northward 
  to 
  a 
  line 
  connecting 
  Rhodes 
  and 
  

   Gallinipper 
  Points; 
  the 
  second 
  from 
  this 
  line 
  to 
  Chicken 
  and 
  Lap 
  

   Reefs 
  ; 
  the 
  third 
  from 
  these 
  reefs 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  bay. 
  The 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  table 
  summarizes 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  observations, 
  the 
  boldface 
  type 
  

   showing 
  the 
  data 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Hawk 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  

   coincidently 
  with 
  the 
  conditions 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  several 
  regions 
  by 
  

   the 
  survey 
  party. 
  

  

  Salinity 
  and 
  Temperature 
  Observations 
  in 
  Lavaca 
  Bay. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  table 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  observed 
  that 
  while 
  there 
  was 
  the 
  usual 
  

   seasonal 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  temperature 
  during 
  the 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  

   investigation, 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  material 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  saltness 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  nor, 
  probably, 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  regions. 
  

   There 
  was, 
  however, 
  a 
  progressive 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  salinity 
  of 
  the 
  

   water 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  to 
  its 
  head, 
  a 
  condition 
  to 
  be 
  ex- 
  

   pected 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  is 
  all 
  discharged 
  in 
  the 
  

   upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bay. 
  At 
  no 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  survey 
  did 
  the 
  saltness 
  

   fall 
  below 
  that 
  which 
  oysters 
  will 
  tolerate 
  indefinitely, 
  and 
  at 
  no 
  

   time 
  was 
  it 
  below 
  the 
  most 
  desirable 
  degree 
  of 
  salinity, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  a 
  short 
  period 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  half 
  of 
  April. 
  It 
  is 
  probable, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  during 
  times 
  of 
  prolonged 
  rainfall 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  may 
  be 
  killed 
  or 
  injured 
  by 
  excessively 
  

   fresh 
  water. 
  

  

  