﻿106 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  were 
  conducted 
  entirely 
  by 
  Lieutenant 
  Swift 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  

   vessel, 
  among 
  wliom 
  Mate 
  -Tames 
  A. 
  Smith, 
  U. 
  S. 
  N., 
  should 
  be 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  mentioned 
  for 
  efficient 
  services, 
  his 
  previous 
  long 
  experience 
  ou 
  

   the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  having 
  well 
  fitted 
  him 
  for 
  Avork 
  of 
  this 
  character. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  area 
  included 
  within 
  the 
  scope 
  of 
  the 
  investigation 
  extended 
  

   about 
  21 
  miles 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  with 
  a 
  greatest 
  width 
  of 
  Gi 
  miles, 
  and 
  

   consisted 
  of 
  Indian 
  Lagoon, 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound, 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay, 
  

   East 
  Bay, 
  and 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  St. 
  George 
  Sound. 
  

  

  The 
  main 
  objects 
  of 
  the 
  inquiry, 
  as 
  stated 
  in 
  the 
  instructions, 
  were 
  

   to 
  determine 
  — 
  (I) 
  the 
  positions, 
  outlines, 
  characteristics, 
  and 
  richness 
  

   or 
  productiveness 
  of 
  all 
  oyster 
  beds 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  named 
  ; 
  and 
  

   (2) 
  the 
  positions, 
  outlines, 
  and 
  characteristics 
  of 
  all 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   suitable 
  for 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  oysters, 
  either 
  in 
  their 
  natural 
  condition 
  

   or 
  after 
  jireparatiou. 
  The 
  carrying 
  out 
  of 
  these 
  directions 
  involved 
  a 
  

   detailed 
  and 
  careful 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  region 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  hydro- 
  

   graphic 
  features, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  density 
  and 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  

   waters, 
  and 
  the 
  location 
  and 
  condition 
  of 
  oyster 
  growths. 
  The 
  work 
  

   was 
  conducted 
  in 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  able 
  manner, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  as 
  pre- 
  

   sented 
  by 
  Lieutenant 
  Swift* 
  can 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  prove 
  both 
  instructive 
  and 
  

   suggestive. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  surveys 
  made 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  by 
  the 
  Coast 
  

   Survey 
  were 
  applicable 
  to 
  the 
  purpose 
  they 
  were 
  utilized, 
  but 
  many 
  

   changes 
  in 
  the 
  contour 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  taken 
  place, 
  

   and 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  signal 
  stations 
  had 
  disappeared, 
  partly 
  

   through 
  the 
  wearing 
  away 
  of 
  the 
  shores. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  hydrograi)hic 
  

   work 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  undertake 
  was, 
  therefore, 
  very 
  great, 
  

   and 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  care 
  .shown 
  in 
  making 
  these 
  observations, 
  the 
  chart 
  

   accompanying 
  the 
  report 
  is 
  as 
  important 
  for 
  navigation 
  as 
  for 
  the 
  

   oyster 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  scheme 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  work 
  adopted 
  are 
  described 
  

   as 
  follows 
  by 
  Lieutenant 
  Swift: 
  

  

  The 
  work, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  instructious 
  given, 
  was 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  mere 
  recon- 
  

   noissance 
  or 
  examination 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  important 
  beds, 
  but 
  a 
  complete 
  survey 
  of 
  every 
  

   bed 
  and 
  area 
  where 
  oysters 
  were 
  found, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  thorough 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  region 
  covered, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  determine 
  its 
  suitability 
  for 
  oyster 
  

   planting. 
  Therefore 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  adopt 
  a 
  scheme 
  of 
  hydrographic 
  surveying 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  sounding 
  should 
  be 
  close 
  enough 
  together 
  to 
  insure 
  the 
  detec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  every 
  oyster 
  reef, 
  however 
  small, 
  and 
  show 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  in 
  

   every 
  locality, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  not 
  to 
  run 
  the 
  lines 
  unnecessarily 
  close, 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  work 
  might 
  be 
  jiushed 
  on 
  as 
  quickly 
  as 
  possible. 
  The 
  local 
  oystermen, 
  although 
  

   able 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  approximate 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  beds, 
  could 
  not, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  be 
  depended 
  upon 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  all 
  regions 
  where 
  oysters 
  were 
  found 
  

   or 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  beds. 
  These 
  facts 
  could 
  only 
  be 
  determined 
  

   by 
  actually 
  running 
  the 
  lines, 
  keeping 
  an 
  accurate 
  record, 
  and 
  jilotting 
  the 
  resulting 
  

   development 
  on 
  the 
  jirojection. 
  However, 
  the 
  elaborate 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  bottom, 
  

   as 
  generally 
  required 
  in 
  the 
  Coast 
  Survey 
  work, 
  was 
  not 
  here 
  necessary, 
  and 
  the 
  

   ground 
  could 
  be 
  covered 
  more 
  quickly 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  hydrograiihic 
  part 
  was 
  concerned. 
  

   But, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  hydrographic 
  work, 
  there 
  were 
  many 
  other 
  considerations; 
  

  

  * 
  Report 
  of 
  a 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  regions 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound, 
  Apalachicola 
  

   Bay, 
  and 
  St. 
  George 
  Sound, 
  Florida. 
  By 
  Lieut. 
  Franklin 
  Swift, 
  U. 
  S.N. 
  Report 
  

   U, 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Com. 
  1896, 
  pp. 
  187-221. 
  

  

  