﻿194 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   ST. 
  VINCENT 
  SOUND. 
  

  

  General 
  ilescripHon. 
  — 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound 
  contains 
  about 
  15 
  square 
  

   miles 
  and 
  extends 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  east-and-west 
  direction 
  for 
  about 
  9^ 
  

   miles, 
  and 
  varies 
  in 
  a 
  north- 
  and- 
  south 
  direction 
  for 
  about 
  2i 
  miles 
  at 
  

   its 
  easterii 
  end, 
  to 
  f 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  at 
  its 
  western 
  end. 
  The 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  sound 
  is 
  quite 
  shoal. 
  Only 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  can 
  be 
  carried 
  

   from 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay. 
  The 
  western 
  part 
  is 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  sea 
  by 
  

   Indiuu 
  Pass, 
  through 
  which 
  8 
  feet 
  can 
  be 
  carried 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  under 
  

   favorable 
  conditions. 
  After 
  entering 
  the 
  pass 
  a 
  narrow 
  and 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  deep 
  channel 
  extends 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  eastward. 
  

  

  Indian 
  Lagoon, 
  a 
  small, 
  shallow 
  body 
  of 
  water, 
  nearly 
  landlocked, 
  is 
  

   connected 
  to 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound 
  by 
  a 
  narrow, 
  crooked 
  

   channel. 
  A 
  material 
  difference 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  shore 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  

   sound 
  when 
  the 
  present 
  survey 
  was 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  original, 
  the 
  sea 
  

   having 
  encroached 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  mainland 
  and 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  

   Island. 
  At 
  some 
  localities 
  the 
  shore 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  had 
  receded 
  

   nearly 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  a 
  mile. 
  

  

  It 
  also 
  appeared 
  that 
  the 
  oyster 
  reefs 
  exposed 
  at 
  low 
  water, 
  and 
  now 
  

   composed 
  of 
  only 
  dead 
  shells, 
  have 
  changed 
  considerably 
  since 
  the 
  orig- 
  

   inal 
  survey. 
  A 
  peculiar 
  hydrographic 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  sound 
  is 
  a 
  deep 
  

   hole 
  or 
  basin 
  which 
  is 
  found 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   sound. 
  At 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  sound 
  are 
  compressed 
  between 
  

   two 
  long, 
  narrow 
  oyster 
  reefs, 
  which 
  make 
  out 
  from 
  either 
  shore. 
  These 
  

   long 
  oyster 
  reefs 
  are 
  dry 
  a 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  and 
  seem 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  

   natural 
  division 
  between 
  the 
  difierent 
  types 
  of 
  oysters 
  of 
  the 
  sound, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  the 
  sound 
  itself. 
  For 
  convenience 
  this 
  place 
  was 
  designated 
  

   as 
  the 
  Bulkhead. 
  The 
  sound 
  carries 
  off* 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  from 
  

   Ai)alachicola 
  Eiver 
  and 
  also 
  receives 
  a 
  small 
  fresh-water 
  supply 
  from 
  

   the 
  various 
  runs 
  on 
  the 
  mainland 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  creeks 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  

   Island. 
  

  

  As 
  might 
  be 
  expected, 
  the 
  densities 
  of 
  the 
  sound 
  vary 
  considerably. 
  

   The 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sound 
  has 
  the 
  greatest 
  freshwater 
  supjily, 
  and 
  

   has 
  an 
  average 
  density 
  of 
  1.0100, 
  with 
  an 
  average 
  temperature 
  of 
  53° 
  F. 
  

   There 
  is 
  probably 
  very 
  little 
  difference 
  in 
  density 
  at 
  the 
  times 
  of 
  ebb 
  

   and 
  flow 
  until 
  the 
  Bulkhead 
  is 
  reached. 
  Just 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  of 
  the 
  

   Bulkhead 
  the 
  density 
  averages 
  1.0197, 
  and 
  temperature 
  53° 
  F. 
  

  

  At 
  Indian 
  Pass 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  quite 
  salt 
  at 
  all 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  tide, 
  the 
  

   average 
  density 
  being 
  1.0231, 
  the 
  average 
  temperature 
  57° 
  F. 
  

  

  In 
  Indian 
  Lagoon 
  the 
  density 
  at 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  is 
  1.0217, 
  the 
  temper- 
  

   ature 
  01° 
  F. 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  the 
  density 
  is 
  1.0219, 
  the 
  temperature 
  

   00° 
  F. 
  These 
  observations, 
  however, 
  were 
  single 
  ones 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  

   average 
  of 
  many, 
  as 
  the 
  locality 
  was 
  not 
  considered 
  of 
  suflicient 
  impor- 
  

   tance 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  observations. 
  

  

  In 
  former 
  years 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  brought 
  into 
  Apalachicola 
  

   were 
  taken 
  in 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound. 
  During 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  survey 
  

   only 
  one 
  vessel 
  — 
  a 
  small 
  schooner 
  with 
  three 
  men 
  — 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  

  

  