58 OYSTER BOTTOMS IN MATAGORDA BAY. 



furnished an avenue of escape for the fresh water discharged by the 

 streams and a means of ingress for salt water from the gulf, and the 

 two agencies operating toward the same end must inevitably have 

 produced a salinity considerably higher than that found by the survey. 

 That this is true is indicated by the former presence of good oysters 

 above Dressing Point, where the}^ could not be produced under the 

 conditions existing during the winter of 1904-5. 



During March and until April 12 the highest density observed 

 above Dog Island Reef was 1.0061 on March 22, and most of the 

 readings were below 1.0030. This was during a time when the 

 observations made below Dog Island Reef on the Fish Haivk av- 

 eraged about 1.0140. Above Dressing Point on several occasions the 

 water was perfectly fresh and at no time between March 1 and 

 March 21 did it rise above 1.0056 and the average Avas but 1.0020. 

 This part of the bay is of course especially affected by the closure 

 of Mitchells Cut. The observed density is entirely too low for the 

 production of good oysters, and as during times of heavy rainfall 

 in the drainage basin of the Colorado it undoubtedl} 7 falls for con- 

 siderable periods below the average density of March there is no 

 doubt that many of the beds will eventually be decimated or utterly 

 destroyed unless from either natural or artificial agencies there 

 occurs some change in the topography which will reestablish con- 

 nection with the gulf. 



During the spring of 1905 this condition was made manifest to 

 those interested in the oyster industry at Matagorda, and a private 

 subscription was made to defray the expenses of opening a new cut. 

 Considerable work was done in deepening Browns Bayou (just be- 

 low Brown signal) and this channel was extended artificially 

 almost to the gulf shore. The position of this canal is shown on 

 the chart. It was planned to make the final opening into the Gulf 

 at a time of very high tide in the bay, so as to take advantage of 

 the scouring action of a strong outward flow to carry the excavated 

 sand away from the bay, but at the time the survey party left (May 

 12) no such opportunity had occurred. Undoubtedly this cut if 

 completed and maintained will have a beneficial effect, and should 

 considerably increase the density of the water in the upper part 

 of the bay and reestablish the oyster beds of the region upon their 

 former productive basis. It is doubtful, however, owing to the 

 shifting sands of the gulf littoral, whether the cut can be maintained 

 in effective cross section without more or less frequent excavation. 

 A jetty or revetment extending to moderately deep water in the 

 gulf would doubtless be most beneficial, but such work is expensive 

 and it is uncertain whether it would be warranted by the results. 

 At all events, however, the establishment of oyster culture and the 

 existence of productive natural beds in the upper waters of Mata- 



