OYSTER-BEDS OF LOUISIANA. 67 



About 2 miles east of Half-moon Island lies a bed known as Grand 

 Bank. It is in from 9 to 13 feet of water and extends about north and 

 south for about 1J miles, with an average width of about | mile. The 

 oysters here are in bunches, rather scattering, and of small size. It is 

 stated that this bed was formerly very productive, but that it has been 

 ruined by steam-dredges. 



On the south side of Half-moon Island there is a scattering growth 

 beginning near shore and extending out for a distance of about a mile. 

 The oysters here are not uniformly distributed, but occur in patches 

 usually of small size, although there is one large bed, triangular in shape 

 and measuring about \ mile in base and altitude. 



South of Grassy Island is a circular patch of scattering growth about 

 | mile in diameter. About f mile southwest of the same island lies a 

 smaller but somewhat denser bed. 



A dense bed, circular in shape and about h mile in diameter, occurs 

 southwest of Eound Island, in about 6£ to 7 feet of water, and from the 

 southwest side of the island a very scattering growth extends for about 

 \ mile, where it merges with a well-defined bed. 



Off the north point of Le Petit Pass Island is a bed of scattering 

 oysters, and on the east side there is another bed, a portion of which 

 is covered by a dense growth. About midway between Le Petit Pass 

 and Nine-mile Bayou there lies a crescentic bed, beginning % mile from 

 shore and stretching in a general northeast direction for about \\ miles. 

 Upon all of these beds the oysters are poor in size, shape, and flavor, 

 being in clusters of the raccoon type, and fit only for use in the can- 

 neries. At the time that these beds were visited there were a number 

 of vessels working upon them with tongs, and between Half-moon 

 Island and Lake Borgne a steam-dredge was engaged in scraping the 

 bottom. The oystermen claim that the dredges have caused much 

 harm in this vicinity. The water here is always comparatively fresh, 

 owing to the discharge from the Pearl Biver and Lake Pontchartrain, 

 and apparently the oysters are sometimes killed by the low salinity, an 

 explanation which would account for the existence of beds composed 

 entirely of young growth on old, dead shells. In the latter part of 

 February the average density of the water north of Half-moon Island 

 was 1.0012, and south of the island it was 1.0028. This was without 

 doubt lower than normal, as the readings were taken immediately after 

 a period of heavy rainfall. It is doubtful if the oysters could with- 

 stand such a low density for any considerable period, and they probably 

 do so for a limited time only by tightly closing their shells against the 

 admission of the objectionably fresh water. It was noticed that certain 

 marine animals, notably species of worms, were either dead or dying 

 on the beds north of Half-moon Island. 



There is a small bed of oysters just at the mouth of Turkey Bayou, 

 and a considerably larger bed, now almost exhausted, lies about \ mile 

 offshore, midway between Drum Bayou and Grand Pass. 



