18 OYSTER BOTTOMS OF MISSISSIPPI EAST OF BILOXL 



Details of Examination of Small Patches, Biloxi Bay. 



Angle 

 No. 



Dale 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. 



1153 



1911. 



Feb. 23 



...do 



...do 



...do 



...do 



Feb. 25 



Feb. 23 



...do 



...do 



Feb. 25 



...do 



...do 



...do 



...do 



...do 



Feb. 23 

 ...do 



Feet. 

 5.5 

 4.3 

 6.5 

 5.3 

 6.5 

 8.0 

 5.0 

 6.3 

 6.5 

 8.0 

 8.0 

 9.5 

 8.5 

 7.0 

 5.5 

 12.0 

 5.3 



Dense 



1.3 

 .0 

 .0 

 .7 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 



1.0 

 .3 

 .0 

 .0 

 .0 



2.7 

 .0 

 .0 



26.0 



11.1 



5.4 



24.0 



26.4 



1.7 



.6 



9.3 



5.0 



8.3 



4.5 



1.7 



.7 



4.0 



10.7 



2.0 



7.3 



21.3 



15.0 



17.7 



15.3 



8.6 



6.5 



2.5 



2.1 



4.3 



1.0 



2.8 



3.0 



1.8 



1.3 



3.3 







1.0 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Bush. 



191 



78 



38 



173 



185 



12 



4 



65 



35 



65 



37 



12 



5 



28 

 94 

 14 

 51 



Bush. 



341 



240 



283 



245 



138 



104 



40 



34 



69 



16 



45 



48 



29 



21 



54 







16 



Bush. 

 532 



1164 



do 



318 



1172 

 1173 



do 



do 



321 

 418 



1176 

 1218 



Scattering 



do 



323 

 IIG 



1166 



1170 

 1180 

 1219 



Very scattering... 



do 



do 



do 



44 



99 



104 



81 



1220 

 1222 

 1224 

 1225 

 1226 



do 



do 



do 



do 



..do 



82 

 60 

 34 

 49 

 148 



1142 



Depleted 



14 



1147 



do 



67 



BILOXI BAY BELOW RAILROAD BRIDGE. 



This bed begins close to the piers of the railroad bridge and stretches 

 down the middle of the bay southwest of the channel for a distance of 

 about H miles. It has a maximum width of about 600 yards near 

 its middle, tapering toward the ends, and it embraces an area of 

 about 234 acres. At its inner edge, where it runs to, or practicall}^ 

 to, the stakes marking the private beds, the v/ater is about 3 feet 

 deep, gradually increasing to from 5 to 7 feet toward the channel. 

 It consists of a long strip of dense and scattering growth, broadly 

 fringed on its southwest side by less prolific bottom and with an inter- 

 rupted narrow belt of the same character toward the channel. 



Its general condition and extent are shown in the following table: 



Oyster Growth in Biloxi Bay Below Railroad Bridge. 





Area. 



Oysters per acre. 



Estimated content of oysters. 



Character of oyster growth. 



Under 3 

 inches. 



Over 3 

 inches. 



Seed. 



Market. 



Total. 



Dense 



Acres. 



34 



106 



68 



26 



Bushels. 



180 



140 



39 



163 



Bushels. 

 297 

 122 



54 

 17 



Bushels. 



6,120 



14,840 



2,652 



4,238 



Bushels. 



10,098 



12,932 



3,672 



442 



Bushels. 

 16,218 



Scattering 



27,772 



Very scattering 



6, 324 



Depleted 



4,680 







Total 



234 







27,850 



27,144 



54,994 











The scattering growth occupies nearly one-haK of the total area 

 of the bed as a strip from 100 to 300 yards wide running practically 

 the entire length of the bed. On this area there is an average 

 growth per acre of about 122 bushels of oysters 3 inches or more 



