﻿FISHEKIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  323 
  

  

  sufficiently 
  great 
  to 
  permit 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  over 
  

   their 
  present 
  extent. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  industry. 
  — 
  There 
  are 
  i^robably 
  more 
  extensive 
  natural 
  

   oyster 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Apalachicola 
  than 
  elsewhere 
  on 
  the 
  

   west 
  Florida 
  coast. 
  The 
  physical 
  features 
  of 
  theentire 
  coast 
  of 
  Franklin 
  

   County 
  are 
  very 
  favorable 
  for 
  oysters, 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  islands 
  and 
  reefs 
  

   forming 
  protected 
  bays 
  and 
  sounds 
  which 
  have 
  an 
  abundant 
  growth 
  of 
  

   oysters 
  and 
  are 
  admirably 
  adapted 
  to 
  oyster 
  cultivation. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster-grounds 
  have 
  been 
  rather 
  seriously 
  damaged 
  by 
  natural 
  

   causes 
  within 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  and 
  their 
  productiveness 
  has 
  

   been 
  impaired, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  comparative 
  statistics 
  available. 
  The 
  

   approximate 
  location 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  

   Apalachicola 
  region 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  SneedBar: 
  This, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  bed, 
  is 
  located 
  east 
  of 
  Apa- 
  

   lachicola 
  in 
  St. 
  George 
  Sound 
  near 
  East 
  Point. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  2;^ 
  miles 
  

   long 
  and 
  one-quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  wide. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  evidences 
  of 
  decrease 
  

   on 
  this 
  ground. 
  The 
  freezes 
  in 
  December, 
  1894, 
  and 
  February, 
  1895, 
  

   affected 
  only 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  near 
  the 
  shore, 
  but 
  the 
  hurricane 
  

   of 
  1894: 
  swept 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  oysters 
  off 
  the 
  bar 
  into 
  deep 
  water, 
  where 
  

   they 
  were 
  smothered 
  in 
  the 
  mud. 
  

  

  Peter 
  Bar: 
  This 
  ground 
  is 
  about 
  3 
  miles 
  east 
  of 
  Sneed 
  Bar, 
  and 
  is 
  2 
  

   miles 
  long 
  but 
  quite 
  narrow. 
  It 
  was 
  ruined 
  during 
  the 
  hurricane 
  of 
  

   1894 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  freezes 
  mentioned. 
  No 
  oysters 
  are 
  now 
  taken 
  from 
  it. 
  

  

  Bulkhead 
  Bar: 
  This 
  ground 
  lies 
  south 
  of 
  Sneed 
  Bar, 
  and 
  is 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  a 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  a 
  mile 
  long 
  and 
  one-half 
  

   to 
  three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  wide. 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  oysters 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  it. 
  

   It 
  was 
  affected 
  somewhat 
  by 
  the 
  hurricane 
  of 
  1894. 
  

  

  East 
  Hole 
  Bar: 
  This 
  bar 
  is 
  south 
  of 
  Bulkhead 
  Bar 
  and 
  is 
  somewhat 
  

   over 
  a 
  mile 
  long 
  and 
  from 
  one-quarter 
  to 
  one-half 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  wide. 
  The 
  

   extreme 
  cold 
  in 
  1894 
  and 
  1895 
  killed 
  some 
  oysters, 
  and 
  the 
  hurricane 
  

   also 
  did 
  considerable 
  damage. 
  Oysters 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  this 
  ground 
  

   every 
  year. 
  

  

  Porter 
  Bar: 
  This 
  lies 
  east 
  of 
  Sneed 
  Bar. 
  It 
  is 
  several 
  miles 
  in 
  

   length 
  but 
  quite 
  narrow. 
  A 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  it 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  oyster-grounds 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  but 
  its 
  productiveness 
  has 
  

   been 
  greatly 
  reduced 
  by 
  the 
  natural 
  phenomena 
  mentioned. 
  

  

  Silby 
  Bar: 
  This 
  lies 
  southeast 
  from 
  Porter 
  Bar, 
  near 
  St. 
  George 
  

   Island. 
  It 
  is 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  long 
  and 
  very 
  narrow. 
  The 
  oysters 
  

   taken 
  from 
  this 
  ground 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  chieily 
  for 
  canning, 
  as 
  they 
  

   have 
  a 
  thin 
  shell 
  which 
  prevents 
  their 
  being 
  shipped 
  any 
  great 
  dis- 
  

   tance. 
  The 
  supply 
  is 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  increasing, 
  probably 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  tonging 
  recently 
  carried 
  on. 
  

  

  West 
  of 
  the 
  Apalachicola 
  River, 
  in 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  Sound, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   western 
  end 
  of 
  St. 
  George 
  Sound, 
  there 
  arc 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  small 
  bars 
  

   containing 
  oysters 
  of 
  good 
  quality, 
  but 
  the 
  supi)ly 
  has 
  been 
  greatly 
  

   reduced 
  by 
  storms 
  and 
  excessive 
  tonging. 
  Northeast 
  of 
  Apalachicola, 
  

   in 
  Apalachicola 
  Bay, 
  there 
  are 
  good 
  oyster-grounds, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

  

  