OYSTER BEDS OF JAMES RIVER, VIRGINIA. 
Details of Examination of Jail Island Rock. 
41 
Station 
num- 
Date of ex- 
amination. 
Mean 
depth 
of wa- 
ter. 
Character of growth. 
Oysters caught per 
square yard. 
Estimated 
quantity 
oysters per 
acre. 
ber. 
Spat. 
Culls. 
Counts. 
184 
Aug. 18,1909 
Feet. 
11.0 
Dense 
1.3 
49.0 
4.6 
Bushels. 
306 
198 
Aug. 19,1909 
7.0 
do 
1.7 
12.1 
2.5 
97 
199 
do 
6.0 
do 
.0 
8.5 
6.9 
138 
200 
do 
4.0 
do 
1.5 
8.8 
4.2 
110 
404 
Aug. 27,1909 
4.0 
do 
1.3 
3.3 
2.8 
62 
207 
Aug. 19,1909 
10.0 
Scattering 
4.6 
8.2 
2.1 
88 
210 
do 
11.5 
do 
5.4 
16.7 
2.5 
140 
211 
do 
8.5 
do 
.0 
2.7 
6.2 
99 
402 
Aug. 27,1909 
4.0 
Very scattering 
1.1 
1.9 
.9 
28 
183 
Aug. 18,1909 
11.0 
Depleted 
.0 
.0 
.0 
0 
185 
do 
12.0 
do 
.4 
1.7 
1.3 
32 
192 
Aug. 19,1909 
9.0 
do 
.0 
.0 
.7 
8 
208 
do 
7.5 
do 
.0 
.0 
.0 
0 
212 
do 
6.5 
do 
.0 
.3 
.3 
6 
401 
Aug. 27,1909 
5.5 
do 
.7 
.7 
.0 
7 
403 
do 
4.0 
do 
.0 
.0 
.0 
0 
WRECK SHOAL ROCK. 
: i ' 
This is a large, important, and productive bed extending from the 
preceding to the edge of deep water. For the purposes of .this report, 
it is regarded as including the oyster growth on and about Wreck 
Shoal proper and the small shoal to the westward of its outer end. 
Excepting where it adjoins Jail Island bed, its boundaries are rather 
sharply defined by a sudden shoaling of the water. This is especially 
pronounced at the southern edge of the bed, where the bottom very 
abruptly rises from about 150 feet to within 6 feet of the surface. 
North of the smaller shoal the bed is prolonged into a narrow belt 
occupying a slightly shoaling ridge connected with a corner of Mul- 
berry Swash Rock. The depth at low water varies from less than 5 
feet on the shoals to 12 or 15 feet at the edges. On one small area 
projecting as a tongue from the southeast side the water reaches a 
maximum depth of 30 feet. 
Wreck Shoal Rock is practically everywhere highly productive 
and no part of it falls below the standard here regarded as consti- 
tuting denseness of growth. Accepting the arbitrary inner boundary 
here adopted, it has an area of about 506 acres. The oyster growth 
at the places examined ranges from 178 to 497 bushels per acre, the 
average being about 316. The heaviest growth is as a rule found on 
the shoaler places, which facilitates the removal of the product. 
This materially raises the average daily yield to the tonger, which 
ranges in different places from 12 bushels to 51 bushels, with a general 
average for the entire bed of over 29 bushels. 
The bottom is well covered with clean shells and the bed can be 
regarded as being in a healthy and promising condition. In a few 
places there is a fair growth of large oysters and on the bed as a 
