40 



OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 



Rock, the boundary between them as adopted in this report being 

 purely arbitrary. 



The extent and general condition of the bed at the time of the 

 survey was as follows : 



Oyster Growth on Jail Island Rock. 



Character of growth. 



Oysters 

 per acre. 



Estimated 



content 

 of oysters. 



Dense 



Scattering 



Very scattering 

 Depleted 



Total. . . . 



Acres. 

 227 



14 



508 



Bushels. 

 143 

 109 

 28 



8 



Bushels. 



32, 461 



21,582 



392 



4,064 



947 



58, 499 



The principal area of dense growth runs from the inner edge of 

 Wreck Shoal Rock in a gradually narrowing belt to a tongue extend- 

 ing to within 200 or 300 yards of shore between Jail Island and the 

 mouth of Warwick River. The depth of water gradually decreases 

 from about 9 feet to 2 or 3 feet at low water, near Jail Island. There 

 is also a small area of dense growth lying on an isolated patch in 

 about 10 or 11 feet of water off the mouth of Warwick River, winch, 

 being just on the cull line, is arbitrarily included in the Jail Island 

 bed for the purposes of this report. The dense bottom as a whole 

 will afford the tonger an average catch per day of about 17 bushels 

 of oysters of all sizes. 



The area of scattering growth lies in a single body north and west 

 of the preceding in from 6 to 11 feet of water. The growth on the 

 whole is rather heavier in the deeper water, and as an average should 

 yield approximately 9 bushels per day. 



The very scattering growth is in a small patch immediately east 

 of Jail Island, where the yield to the tonger should be about 5 bushels 

 per day. 



The depleted bottom forms a broad zone on the inshore side and 

 a narrow strip on the eastern edge of the bed. There is also a de- 

 pleted area adjoining the small, isolated, dense patch before described, 

 and a small patch lying between that and the main bed. In most 

 places the so-called " depleted bottom" is practically bare. There is 

 but a moderate supply of shells on the dense area and on the scatter- 

 ing area close to it, but elsewhere the bed is deficient in this respect. 



It is stated that the inshore portions of the bed, on the depleted 

 bottom along the Baylor line, produce fine single oysters, which in 

 calm weather are picked up one by one and bring a high price in the 

 markets. The survey did not disclose any quantity of such oysters. 



