ee ee ee eae mellhL ee! " — a * a = 
~56 Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 
St. Clement Bay, in its physical and biological characters,— - 
outline, area, depth of water, character of bottom, ete.,—is 
almost a duplicate of Bretons Bay, and the oyster bars 
occupy similar positions in each. The water flows swifter i 
St. Clement Bay than in Breton, due to the straighter cours 
of the former and on this account oysters grow higher up im 
St. Clement than in Bretons Bay. 
The observed density of the water over the bars near th e 
mouth of the bay from December 9th to 14th was 1.0108-1.013 
near the headwaters, 1.009-1.010. 
On the narrow margin of hard bottom which skirts the : 
shore, oysters of fine shape were found to be distributed con- 
tinuously but on the soft mud which covers the greater por- 
tion of the bottoms, the oysters were found in lumps ar d 
were poor in shape. 
About 200 acres of barren and depleted bottom well adapted 
to oyster culture is distributed at various points along both 
shores of the bay. 4 
ST. CATHERINE SOUND. 
en (Shown on Chart of Natural Oyster Bars, No. 26.) 
hy The boundary line between St. Catherine Sound and the 
4 Potomac and Wicomico rivers begins at the most southerly 4 
point on the mainland between Dukehart’s and Hackley’s 
creeks and extends in a straight line to the most southerly 
point of the sand bar which forms the southeastern end of St. 
Catherine Island; it then follows the shore line of 
Catherine Island to the end of the sand bar which forms i its 
northwestern extremity; then runs in a straight line to th 
1 most southerly point on St. Margarets Island; then follow 
Me the shore line of St. Margarets Island to its most easterly 
ee point from which it runs in a straight line to the nearest poir mnt 
i on the mainland. 
ite All of the oyster grounds pointed out by the local assista nu t 
ie for survey were found upon examination to be well stockec 
with oysters and five natural bars covering a total area of 
103 acres have been charted and buoyed. 
The water is everywhere shallow, no depth greater thai 
ten feet having been noted during the survey. The hottoms 7 
* 
1See table on page 65. 
