﻿208 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  between 
  the 
  middle 
  part 
  of 
  ISTorman's 
  Bar 
  and 
  tlie 
  entrance 
  to 
  tlie 
  

   dredged 
  channel 
  to 
  Apalachicola. 
  The 
  northern 
  reef 
  is 
  particularly 
  

   Ion"- 
  and 
  narrow, 
  having 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  nearl}^ 
  three-fourths 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  and 
  

   an 
  average 
  width 
  of 
  only 
  about 
  50 
  yards. 
  It 
  covers 
  15 
  acres. 
  The 
  

   southern 
  reef 
  is 
  nearly 
  three-eighths 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  long, 
  and 
  contains 
  8 
  

   acres. 
  It 
  is 
  se])arated 
  from 
  the 
  northeri] 
  by 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  

   a 
  mile, 
  the 
  bottom 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  being 
  hard 
  sand 
  and 
  shell. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  detached 
  bed, 
  containing 
  4 
  acres, 
  lying 
  200 
  yards 
  east 
  of 
  

   the 
  south 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  southern 
  reef, 
  and 
  Just 
  northwest 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   position 
  of 
  buoy 
  No. 
  8. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  two 
  long 
  beds 
  is 
  

   5 
  to 
  5i 
  feet 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  smaller 
  one 
  6^ 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  oysters 
  of 
  these 
  beds 
  all 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  characteristics 
  — 
  they 
  

   form 
  a 
  scattered 
  growth, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  are 
  found 
  singly, 
  but 
  more 
  

   often 
  in 
  bunches. 
  The 
  single 
  ones 
  are 
  the 
  largest, 
  and 
  are 
  of 
  fair 
  qual- 
  

   ity. 
  There 
  are 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  oysters, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  

   these 
  beds 
  will 
  rapidly 
  improve 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  worked 
  moderately, 
  and 
  the 
  

   undersized 
  oysters 
  culled 
  and 
  thrown 
  back 
  on 
  the 
  beds. 
  

  

  Pelican 
  Bar. 
  — 
  This 
  bar 
  lies 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  shore, 
  

   and 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  Cedar 
  Point. 
  It 
  is 
  nearly 
  three- 
  

   eighths 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  long, 
  and 
  contains 
  10 
  acres 
  of 
  a 
  moderately 
  dense 
  

   growth 
  of 
  oysters. 
  It 
  has, 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  side, 
  a 
  scattered 
  growth, 
  

   containing 
  38 
  acres. 
  It 
  is 
  very 
  shoal, 
  having 
  only 
  1 
  foot 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  

   low 
  water. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  mostly 
  small, 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  market- 
  

   able 
  oysters 
  having 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  former 
  years, 
  and 
  the 
  small 
  ones 
  not 
  

   having 
  had 
  time 
  to 
  grow. 
  They 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  bunches 
  of 
  three 
  to 
  ten. 
  

   Nearly 
  all 
  have 
  a 
  growth 
  of 
  brown 
  and 
  green 
  grass 
  on 
  the 
  shell. 
  Con- 
  

   si<lerable 
  spat 
  was 
  noticed. 
  No 
  enemies 
  were 
  found. 
  Like 
  other 
  beds, 
  

   I*elican 
  Bar 
  will 
  imin^ove 
  if 
  worked 
  in 
  moderation. 
  

  

  Oyster 
  bed 
  near 
  Pelican 
  Bar. 
  — 
  A 
  small 
  bed 
  lies 
  about 
  WNW. 
  of 
  Pel- 
  

   ican 
  Bar, 
  distant 
  nearly 
  half 
  a 
  mile. 
  The 
  bed 
  is 
  three-eighths 
  of 
  a 
  

   mile 
  long 
  and 
  one-eighth 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  wide, 
  and 
  covers 
  altogether 
  24 
  

   acres, 
  of 
  which 
  7 
  have 
  a 
  dense 
  growth. 
  The 
  oysters 
  of 
  dense 
  growth 
  

   arc 
  found 
  about 
  seventeen 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  yard, 
  being 
  in 
  bunches 
  t>f 
  

   from 
  two 
  to 
  four. 
  Those 
  of 
  the 
  scattered 
  growth 
  have 
  about 
  six 
  to 
  

   the 
  square 
  yard. 
  The 
  oysters 
  are 
  small 
  and 
  not 
  fat, 
  but 
  of 
  good 
  tlavor. 
  

   Numerous 
  young 
  were 
  noticed, 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  good 
  collection 
  of 
  spat. 
  

   On 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  oysters 
  a 
  vegetable 
  growth 
  was 
  found, 
  and 
  all, 
  as 
  usual, 
  

   were 
  covered 
  thickly 
  with 
  barnacles 
  and 
  mussels. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  bottom 
  all 
  about 
  this 
  bed 
  is 
  favorable 
  for 
  oyster 
  life, 
  it 
  will 
  

   probably 
  improve 
  and 
  spread 
  if 
  it 
  is 
  given 
  proper 
  treatment. 
  

  

  This 
  bed 
  and 
  Pelican 
  liar 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  little 
  worked 
  recently, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  there 
  being 
  so 
  few 
  marketable 
  oysters 
  on 
  them, 
  

   the 
  supply 
  of 
  large 
  ones 
  having 
  been 
  exhausted 
  in 
  former 
  years. 
  

  

  Oj/ster 
  hed 
  east 
  of 
  Pelican 
  Bar. 
  — 
  A 
  small 
  bed 
  lies 
  about 
  ea«t 
  from 
  Peli- 
  

   can 
  Bar 
  and 
  distant 
  a 
  little 
  over 
  half 
  a 
  mile. 
  It 
  has 
  an 
  a]>i)roximate 
  

   area 
  of 
  7 
  acres. 
  There 
  are 
  only 
  2^ 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  it 
  at 
  low 
  water. 
  

  

  