﻿1G0 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [4] 
  

  

  we 
  found 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  be 
  74° 
  and 
  the 
  density 
  1.0192. 
  

   In 
  the 
  afternoon 
  the 
  tide 
  had 
  turned 
  and 
  the 
  temperature 
  rose 
  to 
  76° 
  

   and 
  the 
  density 
  was 
  1.0186. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  dredgiugs 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  bed, 
  but 
  principally 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  in 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  

   fathoms 
  of 
  water. 
  A 
  goodly 
  number 
  of 
  oysters 
  were 
  obtained 
  at 
  each 
  

   haul, 
  but 
  not 
  near 
  so 
  many 
  as 
  we 
  undoubtedly 
  should 
  have 
  obtained 
  

   had 
  our 
  dredging 
  apparatus 
  been 
  somewhat 
  differently 
  arranged 
  and 
  

   more 
  suitable 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  and 
  from 
  a 
  steamer. 
  The 
  oysters 
  

   were 
  all 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  year 
  and 
  depth 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  

   there 
  were 
  very 
  few 
  enemies 
  found, 
  only 
  two 
  starfish 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  drills. 
  

   A 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  spider-crabs 
  were 
  also 
  taken. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  refuse 
  

   gathered 
  was 
  considerable, 
  but 
  nothing 
  like 
  in 
  quality 
  what 
  we 
  found 
  

   when 
  we 
  visited 
  this 
  bed 
  last 
  season. 
  This 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   working 
  of 
  the 
  oystermen 
  upon 
  the 
  bed 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  unquestionable 
  fact 
  

   that 
  there 
  has 
  not 
  been, 
  for 
  some 
  reason, 
  much 
  dumping 
  upon 
  the 
  bed 
  

   this 
  year. 
  Taken 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  

   improved, 
  although 
  there 
  was 
  not 
  much 
  young 
  growth 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  

   among 
  the 
  oysters 
  taken. 
  

  

  Hudson 
  Eiver. 
  — 
  The 
  trips 
  up 
  the 
  Hudson 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  21st 
  

   and 
  the 
  25th 
  of 
  August, 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Garrett 
  Van 
  Pelt 
  as 
  pilot. 
  On 
  the 
  

   first 
  day 
  the 
  steamer 
  went 
  as 
  far 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  as 
  Spuyten 
  Duyvil 
  Creek 
  

   and 
  then 
  returned 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  Bay, 
  where 
  we 
  examined 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  

   the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Little 
  and 
  Bedloe's 
  Islands. 
  The 
  first 
  dredg- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  Stryker's 
  Bay, 
  the 
  water 
  being 
  of 
  a 
  temperature 
  of 
  

   76° 
  and 
  of 
  a 
  density, 
  near 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  the 
  ebb, 
  of 
  1.0036. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  

   shells 
  were 
  obtained 
  and 
  from 
  seventy-five 
  to 
  one 
  hundred 
  oysters, 
  most 
  

   of 
  them 
  being 
  of 
  good 
  size. 
  The 
  meats, 
  however, 
  were 
  all 
  thin 
  and 
  of 
  

   a 
  green 
  color. 
  There 
  were 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  pieces 
  of 
  wood 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  

   bed 
  and 
  various 
  kinds 
  of 
  refuse. 
  This 
  bed 
  extends 
  from 
  where 
  the 
  

   water 
  is 
  about 
  4 
  fathoms 
  deep 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  shore, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  6 
  feet 
  

   in 
  depth. 
  At 
  the 
  sugar-house 
  bed 
  a 
  few 
  shells 
  were 
  obtained 
  and 
  two 
  

   live 
  oysters. 
  This 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  good 
  bed, 
  but 
  has 
  been 
  overworked. 
  

   Some 
  mud 
  was 
  found 
  among 
  the 
  oysters 
  and 
  considerable 
  refuse. 
  The 
  

   meats 
  were 
  thin 
  and 
  green. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  was 
  about 
  2£ 
  fathoms. 
  

   At 
  Fort 
  Washington 
  Point, 
  in 
  17 
  feet 
  of 
  water, 
  a 
  few 
  large 
  oysters 
  were 
  

   obtained, 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  small 
  ones 
  of 
  last 
  year's 
  set. 
  There 
  were 
  

   also 
  some 
  dead 
  shells 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  refuse 
  material. 
  At 
  Eugle- 
  

   wood 
  bed 
  we 
  made 
  our 
  last 
  dredging 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  for 
  the 
  day. 
  The 
  

   temperature 
  was 
  76° 
  and 
  the 
  density 
  1.0024. 
  The 
  dredgiugs 
  were 
  made 
  

   in 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  4 
  fathoms 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  we 
  obtained 
  sixty-two 
  oysters 
  

   of 
  good 
  size 
  and 
  in 
  fair 
  condition. 
  There 
  were 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  

   shells 
  and 
  some 
  refuse 
  material. 
  Upon 
  our 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  bay 
  we 
  found 
  

   the 
  water 
  so 
  rough 
  that 
  only 
  one 
  dredging 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  each 
  bed, 
  the 
  

   first 
  at 
  Little 
  Island, 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side, 
  from 
  which 
  we 
  obtained 
  four 
  

   oysters, 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  on 
  the 
  northeast 
  side 
  of 
  Bedloe's 
  Island, 
  from 
  

   which 
  we 
  obtained 
  three 
  specimens. 
  There 
  were 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

  

  