﻿202 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  aud 
  mussels, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  with 
  vegetable 
  growth 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  degree. 
  

   By 
  using 
  the 
  probe 
  on 
  the 
  bed 
  proper, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  about 
  

   a 
  foot 
  thick, 
  after 
  which 
  a 
  strata 
  of 
  hard 
  sand 
  was 
  met 
  with, 
  and 
  then 
  

   soft 
  mud. 
  Considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  young 
  growth, 
  in 
  different 
  stages 
  

   of 
  development, 
  was 
  noticed, 
  but 
  no 
  collection 
  of 
  spat. 
  No 
  enemies 
  of 
  

   the 
  oyster 
  were 
  discovered. 
  The 
  bottom 
  covered 
  by 
  oysters 
  consists 
  of 
  

   hard 
  sand. 
  

  

  St 
  Vincent 
  Bar. 
  — 
  This 
  bar 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  long 
  broken 
  one, 
  consisting, 
  for 
  

   the 
  most 
  part, 
  of 
  dead 
  oyster 
  shells, 
  and 
  extending 
  about 
  1 
  mile 
  in 
  

   an 
  easterly 
  direction 
  aud 
  about 
  3 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  southerly 
  direction. 
  Oys- 
  

   ters 
  are 
  only 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  northern 
  end, 
  and 
  are 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  close 
  

   together 
  to 
  be 
  designated 
  as 
  dense 
  growth. 
  The 
  area 
  of 
  scattered 
  

   oysters 
  covers 
  about 
  200 
  acres, 
  and 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  okl 
  bed 
  lying 
  

   to 
  the 
  southward, 
  consisting 
  only 
  of 
  shells, 
  covers 
  335 
  acres. 
  At 
  the 
  

   northern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  reef 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  shell 
  bank, 
  out 
  of 
  water 
  about 
  li 
  

   feet 
  at 
  high 
  water, 
  and 
  extending 
  out 
  from 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Point 
  half 
  a 
  

   mile; 
  then 
  comes 
  the 
  boat 
  channel 
  before 
  alluded 
  to, 
  and 
  then 
  another 
  

   shell 
  bank 
  extending 
  half 
  a 
  mile. 
  From 
  this 
  point, 
  the 
  reef 
  is 
  broken 
  

   up 
  into 
  patches 
  which 
  are 
  exposed 
  at 
  high 
  water. 
  

  

  A 
  marked 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  this 
  long 
  reef 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  steep-to 
  on 
  its 
  

   southern 
  and 
  western 
  sides, 
  and 
  shelves 
  off 
  gradually 
  on 
  the 
  northern 
  

   and 
  eastern 
  sides. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  found 
  almost 
  entirely 
  on 
  the 
  latter 
  

   or 
  shelving 
  side, 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  extend 
  along 
  the 
  reef 
  more 
  than 
  If 
  

   miles. 
  The 
  oysters 
  occur 
  in 
  bunches 
  of 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  six, 
  and 
  are 
  also 
  

   found 
  singly. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  of 
  good 
  size 
  and 
  excellent 
  quality, 
  with 
  

   the 
  exception 
  of 
  those 
  that 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  reefs, 
  awash 
  at 
  low 
  

   water, 
  which 
  approach 
  the 
  raccoon 
  type. 
  A 
  good 
  growth 
  of 
  young 
  

   oysters, 
  in 
  different 
  stages 
  of 
  advancement, 
  was 
  found 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  

   reef 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  oysters, 
  and 
  the 
  bed 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  improving. 
  

  

  No 
  oysters 
  of 
  any 
  marketable 
  value 
  are 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  reef 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   limit 
  already 
  mentioned. 
  There 
  are, 
  however, 
  some 
  oysters 
  of 
  young 
  

   growth 
  wliich 
  give 
  promise, 
  if 
  undisturbed, 
  of 
  forming 
  a 
  bed, 
  in 
  course 
  

   of 
  time, 
  of 
  some 
  commercial 
  value. 
  Of 
  the 
  enemies 
  to 
  the 
  oyster, 
  one 
  

   single 
  drill 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  bar, 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  drill 
  

   found 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bay. 
  

  

  The 
  probable 
  loss 
  of 
  this 
  oyster 
  bed, 
  which 
  in 
  former 
  years 
  was 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  productive, 
  is 
  due 
  probably 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  severe 
  hurricane 
  

   which 
  occurred 
  several 
  years 
  ago. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  bar 
  was 
  completely 
  

   covered 
  up 
  by 
  nmd, 
  and 
  only 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  has 
  it 
  begun 
  to 
  clear. 
  Dur- 
  

   ing 
  tlie 
  hurricane 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  bar 
  was 
  more 
  exposed 
  

   than 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  aud 
  the 
  beds 
  to 
  the 
  northward, 
  which 
  

   accounts 
  for 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  oysters 
  are 
  still 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  localities. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  generally 
  supposed 
  that 
  a 
  swift 
  current 
  is 
  favorable 
  to 
  oyster 
  

   life; 
  the 
  whole 
  length 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Bar 
  is 
  favorably 
  placed 
  in 
  this 
  

   respect, 
  as 
  the 
  current 
  over 
  it, 
  banked 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  reef, 
  has 
  considerable 
  

   velocity. 
  The 
  densities 
  here 
  are 
  more 
  influenced 
  by 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  tide 
  

   than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  locality 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity. 
  

  

  