OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 

 Details of Examination of Point of Shoals Rock. 



45 



Station Dateofex . 

 n b u e ^- animation. 



321 

 327 

 328 

 329 

 334 

 336 

 356 

 311 

 319 

 335 

 354 

 358 

 308 

 310 

 320 

 357 

 527 

 309 

 326 

 333 

 355 

 531 



Aug. 25,1909 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



....do.... 

 Aug. 24,1909 

 Aug. 25,1909 



do 



....do 



....do 



Aug. 24,1909 



do 



Aug. 25,1909 



....do 



Sept. 11,1909 

 Aug. 24,1909 

 Aug. 25,1909 



do 



....do 



Sept. 11,1909 



Mean 

 depth 

 of wa- 

 ter. 



Feet. 

 5.0 

 5.5 

 7.5 

 7.5 

 8.5 

 4.0 

 10.0 

 7.5 

 7.0 

 7.5 

 8.0 

 8.0 

 7.5 

 7.5 

 7.0 

 8.0 

 6.5 

 7.5 

 '9.5 

 10.5 

 9.0 

 7.0 



Character of growth. 



Dense. 

 do. 



.do. 



do 



Scattering 



do 



do 



do 



do 



Very scattering. 

 do 



do... 



....do... 



do... 



Depleted 



do... 



....do... 

 ... do... 

 ....do... 



Oysters caught per 



square yard. 



Spat. 



Culls. 



Counts. 



8.7 



10.5 



0.3 



11.9 



10.3 



.3 



7.7 



9.3 



7.0 



17.3 



23.3 



4.3 



8.7 



33.4 



1.3 



33.9 



34.8 



.3 



4.3 



16.0 



5.7 



8.0 



6.3 



.7 



.2 



5.7 



4.3 



6.2 



13.3 



.4 



,8 



5.0 



5.8 



2.0 



6.3 



6.7 



.0 



1.0 



5.6 



.3 



.0 



.3 



.7 



2.3 



1.7 



1.3 



2.7 



2.7 



.5 



4.0 



2.9 



.0 



.0 



.0 



.0 



.0 



1.1 



1.7 



2.1 



1.7 



.0 



.0 



.0 



.0 



2.4 



1.1 



Estimated 



quantity 



oysters per 



acre. 



Bushels. 



101 



116 



162 



253 



229 



353 



165 



81 



76 



104 



92 



114 



65 



5 



34 



50 



54 







12 



38 







24 



SWASH ROCK. 



This bed lies inshore of the preceding, nearly surrounded by swash 

 channels. It is connected by narrow isthmuses with Long Shoal and 

 Dry Shoal Rocks and adjoins V Rock to the westward. It consists 

 of a dense area surrounding two shoals ebbing bare, and two depleted 

 areas which connect it with adjoining beds. 



Its condition and extent in August, 1909, was as follows: 



Oyster Growth on Swash Rock. 



Character of growth. 



Area. 



Oysters 

 per acre. 



Estimated 

 total con- 

 tent of 

 oysters. 





Acres. 

 146 

 115 



Bushels. 

 293 



15 



Bushels. 



42,778 



Depleted 



1,725 









Total 



261 





41 . 503 









The dense area as a whole is prolific in its product, but the middle 

 part of the bed, between the shoal spots, is less densely covered than 

 the surrounding area. It is estimated that at the beginning of the 

 season a tonger could take an average of about 39 bushels of oysters 

 per day. The covering of clean shells is sufTicient to guarantee a good 

 strike under favorable conditions. The depleted bottom is pract icallv 

 bare of oysters and shells and is at present and potentially worthless 

 under natural conditions. 



