REPORT ON THE OYSTER-BEDS OF LOUISIANA. 



By H. F. Moore, 

 Assistant, United States Fish Commission. 



Within recent years several investigations of Gulf coast oyster- 

 grounds have been made by the United States Fish Commission, but 

 none of these related to the waters of Louisiana. Upon the receipt of 

 the request from the general assembly for information concerning the 

 oyster-beds of that State, the writer was ordered to Louisiana for the 

 purpose of determining certain facts relating to the question of close 

 seasons, and to make an examination preliminary to a more careful and 

 extended investigation by the steamer Fish Hawk later in the season. 

 A period of about fifteen days in August and September was spent in 

 the oyster regions of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and Terrebonne parishes, 

 and as a result it was decided to confine the contemplated survey to 

 the St. Bernard region as offering better facilities for the character of 

 work which it was desired to undertake. The Fish Hawk was not avail- 

 able until February 1, from which time until February 24, when she 

 left in order to begin her regular work of shad-hatching, the field work 

 was prosecuted vigorously and continuously, except when interrupted 

 by stormy weather. 



Owing to the shallowness of the water the Fish Hawk could not be 

 used for active duty in the survey, and she was therefore anchored as 

 close as possible to the oyster-beds and used as a base of operation 

 for the launches, at first off the northern entrance to Grand Pass, and 

 afterwards, during the greater part of the work, off the mouth of 

 Three-mile Bayou. The work was often performed at a distance from 

 the ship, and much time was unavoidably lost in running to and from 

 the scene of the day's operations. Should a complete oyster survey of 

 the region be attempted in the future, it could be much facilitated by 

 employing several light-draft vessels, which could be worked into the 

 marshes and used as quarters for the field parties on the launches. 



It was originally intended to make a thorough and complete survey 

 of the oyster-beds of St. Bernard Parish similar to that which was 

 made by the Fish Hatch in Apalachicola Bay, but this plan was aban- 

 doned when it was found that the time at the disposal of the party was 

 to be so limited. Many of the stations established by the Coast Survey 

 have been obliterated or washed away by the storms, and it would 

 have required more time than was available for the entire work to 

 erect and cut in the signals necessary to a proper survey. Contrary to 

 F. R. 98 4 49 



