OYSTER BOTTOMS OF MISSISSIPPI EAST OF BILOXI. 



19 



in length and a slightly greater quantity of smaller ones. Numer- 

 ically the small oysters outnumber the larger ones as about 2.6 

 to 1. 



The dense growth occupies a strip nearly a half mile long near 

 the middle of the bed and a small patch at the lower end. On 

 the latter, which covers about 5 acres, the larger oysters are par- 

 ticularly abundant, examination indicating about 416 bushels per 

 acre. On the larger strip, which contains about 29 acres, there are 

 about 235 bushels per acre. Oysters under 3 inches long range at 

 the places examined between 154 and 218 bushels per acre, the aver- 

 age being about 180 bushels. In actual quantity the small oysters 

 are more abundant than on the area of scattering growth, but in 

 numbers relatively to the market oysters they are but half as 

 abundant. 



The very scattering growth and the depleted bottom lie on the 

 edges of the bed as transition areas between the more productive 

 and the barren bottoms. The depleted bottom, although unproduc- 

 tive in large oysters at the time of the survey, was well provided 

 with small ones, the average per acre being about 163 bushels. A 

 number of boats were tonging on this bed during the presence of the 

 survey party in the vicinity. The oysters were of inferior quality, 

 clustered and ''coony.'' 



Details of Examination of Biloxi Bay Below Railroad Bridge. 



Angle 

 No. 



Date of 

 exami- 

 nation. 



Depth 



of 

 water. 



Character of 

 growth. 



Oysters caught per 

 ' square yard. 



Shells 



per 

 square 

 yard. 



Estimated quantity 

 oysters per acre. 



Spat. 



Culls. 



Counts. 



Seed. 



Market. 



Total. 



1151 



1911. 

 Feb. 23 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 

 ...do.... 



Feet. 

 4.0 

 5.0 

 5.5 

 7.0 

 5.0 

 6.0 

 5.0 

 5.0 

 4.0 

 5.2 

 7.0 

 4.0 

 6.0 

 4.0 

 4.5 

 4.0 

 4.8 

 4.5 

 4.0 



Dense 



0.0 

 1.2 

 .0 

 5.3 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 



24.0 

 30.0 

 22.0 

 28.6 

 21.8 

 8.6 

 9.4 

 33.8 

 18.5 

 15.6 



13.5 

 16.2 

 26.0 

 9.3 

 7.5 

 8.6 

 8.1 

 6.2 

 8.0 

 5.6 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



BusU. 

 168 

 218 

 154 

 237 

 153 

 60 

 66 

 237 

 116 

 109 



Bush. 

 216 

 259 

 416 

 149 

 120 

 138 

 130 



99 

 128 



90 



Bush. 

 384 



1158 

 1168 

 1139 

 1144 

 1146 

 1148 

 1152 



do 



do 



Scattering 



do 



do 



do 



do 



477 

 570 

 386 

 273 

 198 

 198 

 338 



1155 

 1162 

 1169 



do 



do 



244 

 199 



1138 

 1143 

 1150 

 1154 

 1156 

 1163 

 1145 



Very scattering.. 



do 



do 



do 



do 



do 



Depleted 



.0 

 .0 

 .0 

 3.3 

 .0 



.2 



.5 



. 7 



8.3 



14.0 



1.1 



1.0 



5.0 



32.8 



13.0 



3.7 

 4.4 

 4.5 

 3.3 

 2.0 

 2.5 

 1.1 

 1.0 





 

 4 

 

 

 

 

 



5 

 58 

 98 

 31 



7 



35 



230 



95 



59 

 70 

 72 

 53 

 32 

 40 

 18 

 16 



84 



128 



170 



84 



39 



75 



248 



1149 



do 



111 



BACK BAY, EAST BED. 



This bed, covering about 74 acres of bottom of varying produc- 

 tiveness, lies about north of the draw of the Louisville & Nashville 

 Railroad bridge. It is about five-eighths of a mile long and about 



