152 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
LAKE BARRE 
The lake has an area of about 40 square miles and contains relatively few reefs, 
mostly on the southern side. 
Mortality of oysters was reported in 1932-33 only from the southeast side of the 
bay at Lafont’s camp (fig. 1), about a mile from Barre operations of the Texas Co. 
The loss was estimated by the fishermen to have been about 75 percent. 
When visited during February and March 1934, oysters were still dying as 
evidenced by many clean paired shells and occasional dying or newly dead oysters. 
The dying individuals were very thin and watery as though they had slowly starved 
to death. The majority of oysters have the shells honeycombed by boring sponge, 
boring clam or worm, and the interior of the shell usually has from 1 to 6 mud inclu- 
sions covered by a thin layer of shell. 
Out of 40 stations made on 2 days, February 19, from 11a. m. to 6 p. m. and 
February 20 from 9 to 10 a. m., 14 stations were made on flood tide and 20 on ebb. 
Salinities varied from 16 parts per thousand at Signal Odor to 32 parts per thousand 
at the Barre wells of the Texas Co. Isohaline contours (fig. 1) indicate that fresh 
water from Bayou Terrebonne enters the lake at Seabreeze and is deflected down 
along the islands formerly paralleling the course of the bayou. Salt water from the 
Gulf is crowded somewhat to the western side of the bayou by fresh water from Lake 
Felicity. 
Temperatures on the bottom at stations on February 19 ranged from 61° F. at 
11 a. m. to 60° F. at 5:30 p. m. (16.1°-15.5° C.). On February 20, the temperature 
had fallen to 55° F. (12.7° C.). 
LAKE FELICITY AND LAKE CHIEN 
Depths in this section varied from 4 to 6 feet, with a depth of 7 feet in the channel 
at Seabreeze. 
Lake Felicity has an area of about 20 square miles, and Lake Chien, which 
opens into it on the north, covers about 4 square miles. Although the reefs entirely 
surround these lakes, production of oysters is mostly limited to their northern and 
southern shores. Oysters were examined at three places: at the point where Lake 
Chien joins Lake Felicity; on the northwest shore of Felicity; and on the southeast 
side of Felicity where it joins Bay Jacko. The oysters observed were not high-grade 
shell stock, being more suitable for seed or steaming, according to size. No mor- 
tality was reported as having occurred in these waters, and samples taken in February 
contained no shells from recently dead individuals. 
Owing to the low specific gravity, drills are not bothersome, so that the area 
is valuable for seed production. The entrance to the lake is about 4 miles from the 
nearest oil wells. 
Eighteen stations were made in the 2 lakes, from 9:30 a. m. to 3:15 p. m. February 
20. Although the survey was carried on mostly during flood tide, the prevailing 
north wind very probably prevented a normal high tide. The salinity varied from 
10 parts per thousand at the head of Lake Chien, to 20 parts per thousand at Grand 
Pass Felicity on the southwest side of Felicity. The depth varied from 5.5 to 7 feet, but 
the depth over the reefs around the shore is 2.5 to 4 feet. A depth of 25 feet with a 
strong current was found in Grand Pass Felicity on the southwest side where Felicity 
joins Lake Barre. The bottom temperature varied from 54° to 57°F. (12.2°-13.9° C.). 
