Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 25 
marketable oysters for every acre (natural bar and ‘barren 
bottom) in the entire section or about 5 oysters for every 
square yard. 
NANTICOKE RIVER. 
(Shown on Charts of Natural Oyster Bars, Nos. 11 and 12.) 
The oyster producing section of Nanticoke River extends 
from the mouth of the river to a point about eight miles above. 
Eleven natural oyster bars were found in the part of the 
river belonging to Wicomico County, which aggregate a total 
area of 816 acres. 
The oyster grounds in the part of the river belonging to 
Dorchester County were surveyed also, it being a matter of 
considerable economy in both time and expense to complete 
the work in the whole of Nanticoke River with one set of 
operations. It is necessary to have signals erected on both 
sides of the river and to have the entire system of triangu- 
lation completed in order to carry on the survey of the oyster 
grounds in either half of the river and, now having completed 
the survey of the entire river, this work will have to be done 
but once. In several cases also one series of lines of sound- 
ings served to ascertain the limits of oyster grounds on both 
sides of the channel. : ‘ 
Records of all work done in the half of the river belonging 
to Dorchester County are on file for use in the construction 
of charts when the survey of all of the waters of Dorchester 
County shall have been completed. 
The bar known as Roaring Point is the only one in the 
river which may properly be called a deep water bar. It is 
situated in the main river channel off Roaring Point in water 
having a depth of 10-18 feet. Middleground, Wilson Shoals 
and Long Shoal bars are similarly situated, in the middle of 
the river, but in each case the greater part of the oyster pro- 
ducing area is formed by sandy shoals covered with water 
from 5 to 12 feet in depth. 
A sandy ridge or shoal lying parallel with the shore, occu- 
pies the middle of the river from Ragged Point to the mouth 
of Wetipquin Creek, and apparently it has been in connec- 
tion with this elevated area that Long Shoal bar and part of 
Wilson Shoals bar have been formed. A second sandy shoal 
