42 OYSTER BOTTOMS OF MISSISSIPPI SOUND, A"LA. 



Details of Examination of Portersville Bay, North End. 



WEST SIDE OF COFFEE ISLAND. 



Along a considerable part of the southern half of the west shore of 

 Coffee Island is a fringe of depleted bottom. It is stated that this 

 was at one time moderately productive, but there is but an occasional 

 scattered cluster of oysters to be found at present, and their dis- 

 tribution was so irregular that it was not possible to arrive at an 

 estimate of thek quantity. This narrow fringe of bottom is useful for 

 planting but valueless for oyster producing in its natural state. 



THE BEDS IN SUMMARY. 



Within the limits of this survey the natural beds are confined 

 to two general regions — (a) Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound adjacent 

 to their junction and (h) m Portersville Bay and vicinity. It is 

 stated that formerly there were oysters m Grand Bay, where none or 

 practically none exist at present, and recently a bed was reported 

 in the open sound, somewhere south of Grand Bay near the State 

 line. If the latter exist, it can not be of much importance, as a 

 search as careful as the circumstances seemed to warrant failed to 

 reveal it. There are a few scattered clusters of oysters close to shore 

 on the west side of Coffee Island, but they are not worthy of consider- 

 ation as natural growth. 



The contiguous parts of Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound contain 

 by far the most extensive and productive oyster beds in the State. 

 As is shown on the chart, there extends from Buoy Reef to Pass 

 Drury a practically contmuous area of dense and scattering growth 

 flanked, especially toward the sound, by very scattering oysters 

 and depleted bottom. These beds, including Kings Bayou Reef 

 and Heron Bay, cover a total area of 3,900 acres, of which 1,451 

 acres bear dense, ^01 acres scattering, and 436 acres very scattering 

 growth, while 1,512 acres are classed as depleted. 



The depth of water over these beds is slight and, excepting the 

 passes and gullies, remarkably uniform, rangmg generally between 

 1 and 4 feet. On Buoy and Kings Bayou Reefs the depth is a few 

 feet greater, as is shown on the chart. 



The remaining beds, which are confined to Portersville Bay and 

 vicinity, contain but about 108 acres, part of which appears to lie 



