nio ii DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR BUREAU OF FISHERIES GHORGE M. BOWERS, Cojnmiisiontt OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS AND INVESTIGATIONS IN Bureau of Fisheries Document No, 731 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1910 Hnss ^ H 3 ^ 6 Book 'L^s 1-^ DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR \Y BUREAU OF FISHERIES GEORGE M. BOWERS, Commissioner 'f --/ T OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS AND INVESTIGATIONS IN LOUISIANA & 7I2- Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 731 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1910 ^- Of 0, m a,^' ■4) OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS AND INVESTIGATIONS IN LOUISIANA By H. F, Moore and T* E. B. Pope, Assistants, United States Bureau of Fisheries. Bureou of Fisheries Document No. 731. 1 CONTENTiS. Page. Previous investigations, resulting legislation and its effects 5 Permits to take uuculled oysters 9 Suggestions concerning surveys 12 Experiments in oyster culture 14 Jefferson Parish 15 Bayou St. Denis 18 Bay Tambour 23 St. Bernard Parish 27 Falsemouth Bay 28 Three-mile and Nine-mile bays 33 Terrebonne Parish 37 Seabreeze 40 Pelican Lake 42 Oyster food 45 Summary and conclusion 50 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS AND INVESTIGATIONS IN LOUISIANA. By H. F. Moore and T. E. R. Pope. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS, RESULTING LEGISLATION AND ITS EFFECTS. In the winter of 1898 and 1899 the Bureau of Fisheries made a reconnaissance of the oyster beds on the Louisiana coast between Mississippi Sound and Atchafalaya Eiver, The report" on this work contained a chart giving with approximate accuracy the loca- tion of the oyster beds of a considerable part of St. Bernard Parish and a general description of the beds, not only of that region but of practically the entire oyster-producing area of Louisiana. The coast west of the Atchafalaya was not included, partly for lack of time, but principally because the conditions there appeared to be such as to militate against the development of any considerable oyster industry. Data w^ere published relating to the salinity of the water, the food, spawning, growth, and enemies of the oyster, the general character of the bottoms, the relative prevalence of freshets and crevasses, and, in general, all factors having a bearing upon oysters and oyster culture. Some attention was given to the extent of the oyster-planting in- dustry, the methods employed, and the results obtained, but no experiments were made to determine in a definite way the results which could be expected from a systematic endeavor to establish oyster culture on a rational basis and to substitute for the haphazard practices on the natural beds the more reliable methods certain to be followed on planted grounds nnder private supervision and owner- ship. Based on the observations, the report included a number of recommendations in regard to the requirements for the conservation, protection, and development of the oyster industry both as to the " Report on the oyster beds of Louisiana, H. F. Moore, Report United States Fish Commission, 1898, p. 45-100. 3 4 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. administration of the public beds and the establishment of private ones. After several years of agitation and discussion the legislature in 1902 passed a general oyster law based on the recommendations of that report. The law was materially amended in 1904 and 1906. and as it now stands on the statute books it embraces practically in their entirety those recommendations and suggestions. The effects of the law were almost immediately apparent in the growth of the oyster industry and the increase which it contributed to the state revenues. Prior to its passage jurisdiction over the oyster bottoms was lodged solely in the police juries of the several coastal parishes, with the result that the administration of the laws was contradictory and ineffective. The potential wealth lying con- cealed beneath the tide waters of the state was not appreciated and the oyster industry was neither protected nor fostered. The several local bodies having jurisdiction had neither the incli- nation nor the machinery for an effective administration of the inter- ests committed to their charge. The oyster beds practically all lie in waters remote from the habitations of man, and to police them effectively is a matter of considerable physical difficulty, requiring the use of boats to cruise along the coast constantly. Moreover, the police juries and their executive agents w^ere usually men having but slight coastal connections and interests, and it is not surprising that they were more concerned in parish matters more immediately under their notice and within their experience and understanding. The fundamental feature of the new law was the creation of a state oyster commission having sole jurisdiction, in oyster and cog- nate matters, over the entire coast, insuring consistency and unifor- mity of administration, and endowed with ample police powers to make effective the law and the regulations which it authorizes. The larger resources of the state permit the employment of boats capable of policing the beds during the bad weather of the oyster season, requiring the oystermen to observe the cull laws and other essential regulations which under the older regime were disregarded with impunity. The next most important feature of the new legislation was the passage of consistent and reasonable provisions for the encourage- ment and regulation of oyster culture. For those who comply with reasonable requirements this provides, in lieu of the former uncer- tainty, an assured tenure of sufficient duraton to prove attractive to prospective oyster culturists, and while the restriction upon the acreage (1,000 acres) that may be allotted to any one person is such as to prevent the establishment of a monopoly of the best grounds, it does not prevent the acquisition of an area sufficient to satisfy the OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS TN LOUISIANA. 5 legitimate requirements of a considerable corporation. The rental is $1 per acre for the first fifteen years of the term of the lease and $2 per acre for the succeeding ten years, and in addition there is a tax of 3 cents per barrel (3^ bushels) on all oysters marketed, whether from the natural reefs or planted beds.'^ Partly on account of the unusually favorable natural conditions under which the oyster industry is conducted in Louisiana, but largely by reason of the protection which the laws accord to the natural beds and the encouragement which they extend to oyster culture, the oyster fishery of the state has made extraordinary prog- ress since the establishment of the commission. This is illustrated in the following table : Production of Oysters in Louisiana in Recent Years, Year. Product. Increase per annum. Year. Product. Increase per annum. 1897 Bushels. 959, 190 1,198,413 1,534,000 1,620,576 Per cent. 1905 Bushels. 2,187,000 2,486,256 3,035,370 "3,600,000 Per cent. 35 1902 5 28 6 1906 14 1903 1907 2' 1904 1908 . o 19 a About. In the five years preceding the enactment of the first oyster law the increase in the production, which was mainly from the natural beds, was 20 per cent, while in the first five years following the passage of the act, and after it had been improved and amended, the increase was 154 per cent. The data for 1897 and 1902 are based upon the canvasses of the Bureau of Fisheries, while those for subsequent years are the quan- tities upon which were paid the " privilege tax," of which more will be said hereafter. The increase between 1902 and 1903 can not be definitely accounted for and may possibly be due to a difference in the method of gather- ing the statistics, but from 1904 onward the increases are in part due to the fostering of new oyster houses and the care of the natural beds, but particularly to the fact that the private oyster bottoms were coining into productiveness. The natural beds of the state still produce in quantity more than the planted beds, but the dis- parity is yearly becoming less, and in 1908 the value of oysters marketed from planted grounds slightly exceeded that of those de- rived from the natural beds. The quantity produced exceeded the whole product of the state at the time of the investigation of 1898, " The laws in full may be had by application to the Louisiana Oyster Commission, Maison Blanche Building, New Orleans, La. 6 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA, and almost equaled the yield from all sources in 1902, when the first comprehensive oyster law w^as enacted. The increase in the area of bottoms under leasehold since the en- actment of the present laws has been astonishing. The exact area of the leased bottoms of the state at the time of the investigation of 1898 can not be stated, but in Terrebonne Parish there were then on record 32 leases, aggregating about IGO acres. Ten years later, March, 1908, after the new laws had been in force but six years, there were operative in that parish 411 leases, aggregating 5,803 acres. In 1898 the state derived from its oyster lands in Terrebonne Parish not over $80, and the parish not exceeding an equal amount. In 1908 the gross income of the state from the same waters was about $8,900, From 1885 to 1902, under the parish administration of the oyster fishery, but 521 leases, covering 2,820 acres, had been executed in the entire state and many of them had lapsed at the latter date. In March, 1908, there were in the state 1,692 effective leases, covering 22,135 acres of bottom. It is interesting to observe that although the state permits one person or corporation to lease a maximum of 1,000 acres, the average leasehold at the present time is but 13 acres. There is apparently no tendency to " acquire a monopoly," which is so much feared by opponents of oyster culture, and while several leases of from 500 to 1,000 acres have been granted, most of the holdings are in 10-acre parcels leased mainly by persons formerly working on the natural beds. There is no doubt that the average size of the leased beds will in- crease. The oyster-planting industry of the state is as yet, in large measure, in the more primitive stage. Seed oysters from the natural beds are laid down for a year or less and a small acreage suiRces for a considerable product. The inevitable necessity of changing this method to that of planting cultch is beginning to make itself felt, and as under the latter system the oysters will probably be left at least two years on the bottom the requirement of larger holdings will assert itself. If the oyster industry of the state is to continue to expand in the future as in the past, the sooner this change in methods of culture is established the better for all concerned. Carrying the oysters from crowded natural reefs and bedding them for a few months on private grounds where the conditions are better produces a superior oyster and undoubtedly saves many that would die in the struggle for existence under natural conditions. In that way, properly con- ducted, transplanting increases both the volume and the value of the oyster product, but the area of the natural beds is fixed as to its maximum, and their ultimate productive capacity is correspondingly OYSTER CULTUEE EXPEEIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 7 fixed. They can, as a whole, produce but a more or less definite maximum quantity of oysters, and experience in other places has shown that this maximum is soon reached in the development of the fishery, and that thereafter the productiveness of the beds decreases by reason of the intensive fishery which the demands of the markets induce. The natural beds inevitably tend to depletion despite all eiforts at their protection. It can not be definitely stated that the maximum productiveness of the natural beds of Louisiana has yet been attained, but there is reason to believe that this is the fact in some localities. In Terre- bonne Parish, according to observations made incidentally during the term of the present experiments, but more especially as shown by the studies made by Mr. L. E. Gary « in 1906 and 1907, certain reefs highly productive in 1898 are now depleted or barren, mainly as a result of overfishing. Whereas at the time of the investigation of 1898 practically all oysters from this parish came directly from the natural reefs, it is stated that the greater part of the product now comes from the planted beds. Most of this product, however, has its prime source in the natural beds, whose oysters are transplanted or bedded for a year or less on the private grounds. By this method of planting the drain on the natural beds is maintained or even accelerated under the present system of granting permits to take uncuUed oysters for planting purposes. PERMITS TO TAKE UNCULLED OYSTERS. Under the laws now in force the oyster commission is empowered to issue special permits to take rough or unculled stock from the public beds for planting purposes, provided the leased bottoms to which they are removed are over 6 miles distant from known natural reefs. This provision was incorporated in the law for the purpose of encouraging the establishment of seed beds on bottoms presum- ably too far removed from spawning oysters to allow them to receive a natural set of spat on planted cultch, the issuance of the permits being optional with the oyster commission. It is a common practice for those to whom such permits are issued to take up not only large and small oysters, but quantities of shells also, or, in other words, to remove, bodily, portions of the reefs them- selves. The reefs are thus depleted not only of their oysters, but of the bottom to which they are attached, and recuperation is prevented by the loss of the shells which under normal natural conditions furnish the only places for the attachment of fresh generations of young. There is thus reduction in both actual and potential productive- "A preliminary study of the conditions for oyster culture in the waters of Terrebonne Parish, La. Bulletin 9, Gulf Biologic Station, Cameron, La. 34455—10 2 8 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. ness, and the ultimate result of the policy which permits it is not diffi- cult to see. It must inevitably be the accelerated depletion of the natural beds. The purpose of the provision is meritorious, but it rarely should be necessary to put it into effect under the conditions obtaining in Louisi- ana. Outside of Barataria Bay there were very few places suitable for oyster culture which were at the time of the enactment actually more than 6 miles removed from spawning oysters, either natural or planted ; and even in that region the planting of brood oysters is no longer necessary, since the establishment of this Bureau's experi- mental plants and the commercial oyster culture which they have encouraged furnishes an ample supply of spawning oysters. The authors have received the impression that these permits have been issued rather too generously for the best welfare of the natural beds, for not only have they been granted to practically all applicants, but it is understood that they have been issued to the same persons in consecutive years. Even in cases in Avhich it is necessary or advan- tageous to grant to a planter permission to take unculled material from the natural beds, the practical end contemplated by the law is served by one permit, which will allow the establishment of a self- perpetuating colony of brood oysters, sufficient for all time, unless de- stroyed by crevasses, the inroads of enemies, or other accidents. If the oysters do not thrive under the general environment to which they are transplanted, that in itself is evidence that the locality is for some reason ill chosen and additional experiment in the same place is likely to prove futile. If the bottom is to be used merely as a bed- ding or fattening ground, to be planted with oysters year after year, the issuance of the permits is unnecessary. The present practice not only injures the natural beds, but it tends to discourage the planting of shells and other cultch, without which the oyster industry of Louisiana can never reach its full productive development. For both reasons it appears advisable that the issuance of these licenses or permits should be restricted and their necessity subjected to stricter scrutiny. In those cases in which permits to take unculled oysters appear desirable the oyster commission may Avith advantage assume the power, which would appear to be legally within its discretion, to designate the reefs from which such oysters may be taken. In some cases natural beds are so situated with respect to the sources of supply of fresh water that they are peculiarly liable to damage from freshets and crevasses, their oysters being frequently killed before they have had time to grow to marketable size. Such beds are often prolific spatting grounds, and the only way in which the abundant product of young oysters may be utilized is by using OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 9 them as seed for planting on private beds more favorably situated for their growth to commercial maturity. Other beds are, under natural conditions, of little present value owing to an excessive production of oysters. Year after year there is a heavy set of spat and the beds become so crowded with oysters of all ages that all are poor, ill shaped, and practically worthless. The price which such stock will bring in the markets is so low that the expense of culling is prohibitive, and thousands of barrels of potentially valuable oysters die from starvation, smothering, and crowding. If not denuded of shells these crowded beds may be improved by a removal of a more or less limited portion of their contents, thus leaving more room and a proportionately greater food supply for the growth of the remainder. The superfluous oysters, if not too old, and, therefore, probably irreparably stunted, serve the purpose of brood and seed stock quite as w^ell as oysters from localities naturally more favorable, the only requisite for the production of well-favored stock of good shape being that the larger clusters be broken into small ones to allow sufficient room for the expansion of the indi- viduals. It would be desirable if even the culled seed oysters used for bed- ding purposes were taken largely from those natural beds which do not ordinarily produce fat marketable oysters of the better grades, for if they be of fair shape they wall speedily fatten on good bedding grounds however inferior their original condition. This practice would make valuable many oysters which w^ould otherwise remain so poor as to be practically unmarketable, while the oysters of the better beds would be left for the benefit of those who obtain their livelihood directly from the natural reefs. This restriction as to the source of the seed supply is probably not feasible in its application to those planters who gather culled seed during the regular season, but it would appear applicable to many cases in which special concessions are granted, under section 19 of act 178 of 1906, permitting the fishing of culled oysters, for bedding purposes only, during the month of May. The discretion lodged with the oyster commission in the section cited would appear to convey the power to designate the reefs from wdiich the seed oysters may be obtained. This provision of the law at present applies solely to the waters east of the western boundary of Plaquemines Parish, but it could be extended wdth profit to other waters of the state, provided that the permits be granted with discrimination and with due regard to the considerations just set forth. The foregoing discussion concerns, principally, the conservation of the natural reefs. There are, in addition, several highly impor- tant suggestions relating to the future welfare of the planted beds. 10 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING SURVEYS. The first of these applies to the manner of making and recording the surveys of leased bottom and is made with a full understanding of the great difficulties confronting the surveyors in the conduct of their work. The oyster regions of the state are almost wholly in an intricate system of bays and bayous lying in the midst of a flat and topographically featureless expanse of salt marsh and prairie. The land is rarely more than a foot or two above high-water mark and is almost devoid of trees and conspicuous distinctive marks of any kind. For a large part of the area there are no even approxi- mately satisfactory maps or charts. The work of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey has been confined almost entirely to the outer coast, which alone is of importance from a viewpoint of navi- gation, although in a few places, as in the St. Bernard marshes, Barataria Bay, and, more recently, in Terrebonne Bay, the work has been carried some distance inland. Many bodies of water of more or less importance in the oyster industry are not shown on any maps published, many others are so incorrectly laid down as to be practically or absolutely unrecognizable, and on some maps there are showai bodies of water which do not exist. Confronted by these serious difficulties, the lack of comprehensive surveys and authentic maps, and the paucity of conspicuous per- manent landmarks, the surveyors in many cases have been at a loss to prepare plats of much value as matters of permanent record. The corner marks of the leaseholds are frail stakes standing in the water, where they are subject to the erosions of destructive marine organ- isms and dislodgment by gales and collisions with passing boats. They must be frequently replaced, and are of no value as final points of reference. In the great majority of cases important corners can be " tied up " to no permanent natural objects, and they are located with respect to bearings and angles taken to tangents of points of land. As is well known to those familiar with the region, many of these points are so similar to one another that it is difficult to recognize the descrip- tions and, moreover, they are undergoing constant erosion from the waves. Narrow strips of land are converted first into islands and then eventually disappear entirely and within a few years may become absolutely useless for topographical reference. At the present time, wdth the leaseholds comparatively few and generally more or less isolated from one another, the matter is not of grave immediate importance, the chief desideratum of confining the lessee to an area no greater than that to which he is entitled being easily attained. The nice location of a man's 10 or 20 acres is of little present moment, provided that he pays the rental on the full area occupied. OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. H If, however, the o3'ster-i:)hinting industry of the state assumes the ultimate magnitude to which the natural advantages entitle it, the defects in the surveys will lead to endless trouble and dispute. The best bottom will be in demand, the leaseholds will become congested in favorable localities, and their boundaries will have to be jealously guarded, especially when the bottoms hold a valuable crop. Should the grounds become as valuable as some of those in Rhode Island, for instance, the matter of their exact location will assume importance, and in the controversies that are sure to arise between adjoining lessees on account of the necessarily impermanent nature of the water boundary marks it will be highly essential to have for final reference and adjudication permanent landmarks which can not be questioned. With the surveys as now made and platted the time will come when neither surveyor, judge, nor jury can intelligently pass on some of the controversies that may arise. The theoretically correct solution of this prospective difficulty would be a topographical survey of the oyster regions, with per- manent " monuments " at all, or at least the important, triangulation stations. The whole sj'stem of leaseholds could then be brought into relationship and the danger of overlapping and conflicting grants would be eliminated. The water corners would be trigonometrically referred to the established landmarks and the controverted boun- daries could be at any time readily redetermined. A survey of this character would be expensive, but if properly made it would have enduring value. The survey of the Maryland oyster grounds now being made through the cooperation of the federal and state govern- ments will be available for all time, with occasional replacement of displaced or destroyed triangulation monuments. In the develop- ment of the oyster industry its value will yearly grow more apparent. In the absence of an elaborate survey such as that outlined, some- thing of permanence could be given to the present surveys if they Avere correlated with durable landmarks established in the marshes. Drain tiles, sunk for the greater part of their depth and filled with concrete, appropriately marked at the top, located at sufficient dis- tances from the shore to reduce their liability to being washed away, would make excellent marks if they were included in the plats of the survey. From time to time, as they became more generally dis- tributed, the different groups could be connected by triangulation and eventually cut in with the accurately established triangulation stations of the Coast Survey. This would result in the gradual establishment of a chart of the most important oyster-culture regions and give some permanence to the surveys of the individual holdings. It would require the expenditure of some additional labor and care on the part of the field surveyors and general supervision by the engineer of the commission. The slight additional cost of the sur- 12 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA, veys over the present charges should be borne by the state rather than by the lessee, and in the interest of the future some of the surplus revenue of the oyster commission could be well devoted to such work. That the difficulty of lack of accurate charting is not an imaginary one is shown by the experience of other states. In Maryland there have been found plats and descriptions of leased oyster bottom which were absolutely impossible of recognition, and to confirm the gi'ants as required under recent legislative enactment it was necessary to run new lines arbitrarily. When Connecticut took charge of the oyster grounds of Long Island Sound the same difficulty was en- countered. Many of the leaseholds could not be located from the surveys, and much time and money was expended in reconciling, usually by compromise, the conflicting claims of adjoining lessees. Recently Delaware, with its comparatively small area of leased bot- toms and well-surveyed shores, has been compelled to admit that the leaseholds can not be located from the descriptions, and has un- dertaken an accurate triangulation, the establishment of permanent reference marks, and a resurvey of the whole area of leased bottom. Louisiana's oyster industry is younger than those of the states men- tioned, and conflicts and uncertainties in the location of private holdings have not yet become pressing, but in view of the astonishing development of oyster planting in the state the time is not distant when the matter will become of commanding importance. EXPERIMENTS IN OYSTER CULTURE. Mention has been made previously of the methods of oyster culture in Louisiana and the com^^arative insignificance, at present, of cultcli planting. The advantages, disadvantages, and ultimate limitation of seed planting, unsupplemented by the other method, have been briefly indicated. The planting of seed oysters from the natural beds owed its pre- ponderance originally to the ease with which the stock could be ob- tained and the controlling difficulty of obtaining shells and other cultch, but at present it can be explained in many places solely by that conservatism of the planters which inhibits their departure from a known method to adopt one with which they are not familiar. In the region east of the Mississippi River the supply of seed on the natural reefs is still large, and in many cases the beds produce oysters which are fit only for that purpose or for canning. This is particularly true of California Bay and contiguous waters in Pla- quemines Parish. "West of the Mississippi the conditions are wholly different. In Plaquemines, Jefferson, and Lafourche parishes there are practically no natural beds, and for many years there have been none from which OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 18 any considerable siippl}^ of seed could be obtained. At the time of the examination of 1898 the beds on the east side of Timbalier Bay, in Lafourche Parish, were approaching exhaustion and they are now negligible commercially. In Terrebonne Parish many of the natural beds existing in 1808 have practically disappeared, and most of the others have become depleted to an extent that makes the procuring of a sufficient supply of seed a grave problem with the planters. Terrebonne Parish formerly supplied the seed for most of the plant- ing beds of Plaquemines Parish west of the Mississippi "Kiver, but the supply now comes wholly from the beds east of the river. The seed oysters planted in Jefferson Parish come from the same source, the time consumed in going to and returning from the seed beds often being equal to that required to tong a cargo. It is evident, therefore, that the experience of Louisiana will be like that of other oyster- producing states, where a dependence for seed upon the natural beds eventually produced a scarcity which more or less seriously inter- fered with the growth of oyster culture. Louisiana, however, has a material advantage over most northern states in this, that almost absolute dependence can be placed upon procuring a set of spat every year, provided proper materials are supplied as cultch. It was to demonstrate these facts and to deter- mine the possibilities of this method of oyster culture in several parts of the Louisiana coast that the following experiments were conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries at the request of the state oyster commission. "Work was begun in November, 1905, when the senior author made an inspection of the coast as far west as Terrebonne Bay and selected locations for the experimental work. It was determined to begin the investigations at Three-mile Bayou and Falsemouth Bay in St. Bernard Parish, at Tambour Bay and near the mouth of Bayou St. Denis in Jefferson Parish, and at Seabreeze, in Terrebonne Bay, close to a cut-off leading into Bayou Terrebonne. At this time there were no known natural beds in Jefferson Parish, and to supply breeding oysters for the experiments the Louisiana Oj'ster Commis- sion in January, 1906, deposited about 50 barrels of unculled stock each at Tambour Bay and Bayou St. Denis. The other sites selected were hi proximity to oyster beds and the deposit of brood oysters was unnecessary. JEFFERSON PARISH. That the southern half of Barataria Bay was formerly a produc- tive oyster region is attested by the statements of the inhabitants and the great bank of shells on the former site of the packing house, but the beds were exterminated by overfishing, probably coupled with natural causes, and at the time of the investigation of 1898 14 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA, they were recognizable only by the presence of old shells more or less buried in the mud. In a few places there were occasional old oysters, but no spat whatever. None of the natural beds appear to have been extensive, and their extermination was readily accomplished by the reckless methods employed in the fishery, particularly under the changes in the salinity conditions which were then in progress. A few oysters for local use were annually planted close to Grand Isle and at Grand Bank, and in Bay Coquille some were bedded for market, but in neither place was there any indication of a volunteer growth of young. There was no evidence of the existence of beds at any time in the upper part of the bay, and persons familiar with the region stated that none had ever been known north of the Quartelle, a group of four small islands near the center of Grand Lake. About 1903 a small bed was found near Bayou St. Denis, but this was quickly depleted and a careful search in 1905 failed to disclose any oysters whatever on its site. In 1898 the whole upper part of the bay was of low salinity, and it was stated that during spring and early summer the water was often nearly or quite fresh for months, and it w^as manifest that the conditions were not favorable for oyster growth. With the improve- ment of the levee system the volume of fresh water discharging into the bay has markedly decreased, and the general salinity of the whole region has correspondingly increased. The closure of the head of Bayou Lafourche has had a very marked influence in Bay Coquille and contiguous waters, where the density of 1.0038 observed in March, 1898, has increased to an average of about 1.0186 during the same season of recent years, and at Leeville, immediately on the bayou, where the w^ater was formerly always fresh, a set of oysters has several times occurred. In Bay Tambour the observed density in March, 1898, was 1.0094, while the average for approximately the same season in 1906 to 1908 was 1.0151. In Bay des Islettes there is noticeable a slight rise in salinity, but nearer the sea, as at Grand Isle, there appears to be little or no change. Nearer the mouths of Grand Bayou and Bayou St. Denis we have no early data concerning the saltness of the water, though it was stated in 1898 to be almost constantly fresh. During a crevasse in the spring of 190T, when the conditions were such as frequently, if not normally, existed in former times, this water was practically fresh for a considerable period, though the average density during other recent years has been about 1.0110. Little Lake, about 10 miles inland from the mouths of the bayous, where the water was formerly fresh and inhabited by large-mouth black bass, now contains oysters, undoubtedly derived from fry discharged from the experimental beds at the mouth of Bayou St. Denis. OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IX LOUISIANA. 15 It is evident, therefore, that the zone of water favorable for oyster growth, and especially for the welfare of the spat, has moved gener- ally inland during recent years, owing to artificial changes in the drainage system resulting from levee improvements. We have made the same observations in Terrebonne Parish, where oysters are es- tablished in bayous which formerly carried water fresh at all times. The region nearer the coast is not so salt as of itself to inhibit the growth of oysters, but it has become sufficiently so to be especially favorable for the development of a very destructive enemy of the oyster, the snail or borer. Purpura, which kills the spat, though the adults are immune b}' reason of their heavy shells. On the other hand, the more inland waters have become sufficiently salt for the oyster, but are still too fresh to furnish the environment required by the borer. Of the two localities in which experiments were con- ducted in Barataria Bay, Ba}' Tambour falls within the first region and Bayou St. Denis in the second. In Bay Tambour, where natural beds existed until exterminated a number of years ago by overfishing, possibly supplemented b}' changes in salinity, the set on the experi- mental beds was as heavy as at Bayou St. Denis, though the spat were killed by borers within a month or two. The adult oysters were unharmed, and at Bayou St. Denis neither young nor adults were molested and no borers were found. It is evident from the details of the experiments hereafter re- counted that practically the entire bay may be utilized for oyster culture wherever suitable bottom can be found or made. North of a line running from the mouth of Bay Baptiste to about the mouth of Bayou du Fone shells and other cultch may be planted with very little risk of having the spat killed by borers and with every assur- ance that a strike will occur each season. This part of the bay covers about 8.000 to 10,000 acres. Though the bottom was not tested over much of this area it is probable that a considerable part of it is too soft for use without special preparation, though most of it will doubtless be utilized eventually. South of the line above mentioned is a region, embracing the greater part of the bay, where spat culture can not be attempted without considerable risk or, usuall}^, the certainty of meeting disaster through the depredations of the borer. In some localities the drumfish is likely to prove destructive, but where this danger does not occur oysters not less than 1^ or 2 inches long can be planted with the surety that they will grow into fine stock, commanding a good price in the New Orleans market. Before the experiments were begun there was some objection to the selection of Barataria as a field of operations, on the ground that there was no industry at that place which could be benefited, and that 34455—10 3 16 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. the time and effort necessary could be expended to better advantage elsewhere. The answer to this objection was obvious, as the purpose of the work was to develop an industry where none existed, and not merely to supplement what had been already begun. The vindica- tion of the selection was apparent before the experiments were a year old, and the commercial response to the experimental results was immediate. Prior to the beginning of the experiments there had been issued in Jefferson Parish, which includes the waters under discussion, T leases, aggregating 75 acres, and of these 4 had lapsed. From the time the early results of the experiments first became known until April, 1908, there were issued 138 leases, covering 710 acres, yielding to the state an immediate annual income of $1 per acre, and the leases immediately surrounding the small experimental plant at Bayou St. Denis so hemmed it in that it was necessary to go on private bottoms in order to carry on the final stages of the w^ork. Many of these leaseholds have not yet become productive, but dur- ing the year ended April 1, 1909, there were shipped from Barataria Bay 29,874 barrels (97,090 bushels) of oj^sters, valued at $1.60 per barrel on the beds, and paying 40 cents per barrel transportation charges to New Orleans, Practically before the experiments w^ere concluded this region, hitherto producing nothing, was yielding to the state an annual income of $906.22 for rentals and $896.22 for the privilege tax of 3 cents per barrel, a total of $1,804.22 per annum. A more important phase of the results is that the planters during the same year received an income of $47,798.40 and the transporta- tion companies $11,949.60, a total of $59,748. Men formerly in debt have become independent, working no harder than they previously did as farmers or fishermen. Viewed from the standpoint of the consumer, the results of the work have been equally significant, adding to the state's food supply oysters enough to furnish 600,000 meals of 1 pound each. The region has excellent possibilities, and the oyster industry should undergo great expansion during the next few years. The oysters are of fine quality, fat and shapely, and in 1899 found a steady market when the product of the natural reefs went begging at one-fourth the price. BAYOU ST. DENIS. This experimental plant is located in Barataria Bay, about one- third mile from the mouth of Bayou St. Denis, on the edge of an oJd reef of dead clam shells, in about 6 feet of water. It was selected as being outside of the limits of the old oyster growth, and well adapted to test the validity of the opinion that the upper part of the bay had become adapted to the growth of oysters, and that no place U. S. B. F — Doc 731. Plate I. / .-^ Ki :k '■^ fd ^^ - ' -3; * r ■ > ■ OYGTERS, AVERAGE SIZE, 1 AND 2 YEARS OLD RESPECTIVELY, GROWN ON OYSTER SHELLS AT BAYOU ST. DENIS, LOUISIANA. [Fig-ures natural .size.] OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 17 on the coast of Louisiana offered superior advantages for oyster cul- ture. The currents are strong, both on the experimental beds and for a considerable distance in all directions on average tides at half ebb and half flood, ranging from about two-thirds to 1 mile per hour. This insures a good circulation of water, the frequent renewal of the food supply, and the practical certainty of a good set of spat upon material exposed at the proper season. The specific gravity of the water, which is a measure of its salinity, ranged from 1.002 during the crevasse of 1907 to 1.017, or, in other Avords, from practically fresh water to that which was essentially a mixture of two parts of sea water to one of fresh. The average for the whole period of the experiment was 1.009, or, if we exclude the period of the crevasse, it was about 1.012. This salinity, which ap- pears to be maintained quite uniformly during the oyster-shipping season, is well adapted to j^roducing oysters of excellent flavor for " counter stock." Prior to the experiment it had been feared that in case of a crevasse discharging through any of the bayous opening into the head of the bay the water would become so fresh as to kill the oysters planted on this bed. In the sj^ring of 1907 the levees broke at Live Oak and a great volume of river water coursed down Bayou St. Denis, and especiall}^ Grand Bayou, keeping the Avater on the experimental beds almost fresh during most of May and June. The only effect was practically to prevent a set of spat during these months, the adult oysters being unharmed. This was a rather severe test, and it demon- strates that but little or no harm is likely to occur from ordinary crevasses discharging into the drainage basins of bayous opening into the head of the bay, and that unless the freshet should continue as late as September the set of j^oung would not be prevented. The bottom in this vicinity is moderately hard, owdng principally to the large numbers of clam shells embedded in the mud. Over an area of several hundred acres surrounding the experimental plant the bottom is in many places more or less devoid of buried shells and somewhat softer, but w^ell within the limits suitable for oyster cul- ture. Still farther removed from the experimental plant the char- acter of the bottom is unknown, but there is probably a considerable area immediately available and undoubtedly much more that a mod- erate coating of shells would make suitable. With use all of this area would soon become harder from the col- lection of shells in and on the mud, and eventually would present characteristics similar to those found on the younger natural reefs. This phenomenon is well known to planters and oyster men, and it is a common practice in Louisiana to '" shell " the bottom so as to estab- lish on the soft mud a suitable foundation for the deposit of oysters pending the collection of a full cargo for market. 18 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. The observations made iii this locality during a period of three years indicate an abundance of food, and the strong currents already mentioned assure its distribution over a wide area. Oyster food is more abundant in this locality than at any other of the 40 stations at which observations were made, excepting only the middle of Bara- taria Bay and Falsemouth Bay. The following table shows the de- tails of the data relating to the observations on the organisms which constitute the greater part of the o^^ster's food, together with the salinities and temperatures of the water at the time the specimens were taken. Food Content, Specific Gravity, and Temperature of Water at Bayou St. Denis. Date. Specific gravity. Temper- ature. Food organisms per liter of water. Number. Volume. 1906. April 24 1. 00G6 1. 0081 1.0114 1.0115 1.0115 1.0170 1.0128 1.0010 1.0105 1.0126 1.0095 1.0021 1. 0028 1. 0028 1.0060 1.0105 1. 0106 1. 0099 1.0133 "F. 74.3 77 79.7 83.3 77.9 68.0 74.0 70.0 73 72.5 80.0 79.0 84.0 84 55 86 85 83 72 1 Cm. mm. 10,000 ! 0.160 26 14,000 1 .308 May 25 13,000 12,000 18,000 7,800 3,000 5,600 24,000 21,000 6,300 .189 28 .352 June 28 .126 .140 1907. .153 .301 April 15 1.321 16 .979 29 .369 May 21 3,500 1 .163 June 25 8,000 ; .206 27 7,350 5,000 4,200 8,250 12,750 9,000 .346 .190 1908. May 27. .163 29 .318 July 7 .346 1909. January 27 .280 Average 1.0090 10, 145 .337 During the period of three years in which the work continued no oyster enemies were observed on the plantation excepting a growth of mussels which appeared during the freshet of 1907 but disappeared later when the salinity of the water became higher. The experiment began in January, 190G, when the Louisiana Oyster Commission, at the request of the Bureau, planted about 50 barrels of uncuUed oysters to serve as brood stock. On April 24 and 26 follow- ing, the first cultch was planted on three areas, each one-twentieth of an acre in extent, 50 bushels of material being deposited on each. On one square oyster shells were spread broadcast, on another they were deposited in heaps of 2 bushels each, and the third was planted with clam shells broadcast. On May 25 and June 28 the operations U. S. B. F.— Doc. 731. Plate II. OYSTER, AVERAGE SIZE, 33 MONTHS OLD, GROWN ON OYSTER SHELL AT BAYOU ST. DENIS, LOUISIANA. [Figure natural size.] i^ ', OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 19 were repeated on two adjoinino- areas of the same size, the quan- tity of material in these cases being reduced to 30 and 20 bushels, respectively. During 1907 the plants with oyster shells were made April 16, May 21, and June 25, and a single plant of clam shells was deposited on JNIay 21. Thirty bushels of oyster shells were spread, each, on July 26. August 26, September 26, and October 29. In 1908 oyster shells were deposited broadcast and in piles on April 20 and May 27. There were in all 25 plantings, and on every one ex- cepting that of October 29, 1908, a set of spat was secured before the end of the year in which the shells were deposited. The plants of April, May, and June, 1908, remained barren during the period in which the crevasse water was pouring over the beds, but after this was stopped and the water grew more salt a small set appeared on these shells, a larger one being prevented probably by the silt de- posited by the flood waters. The results demonstrated that under usual conditions a strike of young 03'sters is almost certain to occur upon shells or other cultch deposited between April 1 and October 1, a period of six months. Even in the case of the October plant the shells, notwithstanding their long exposure, were still in condition to receive a small set in the following spring. The proportion of shells to which young oysters attached within a month after they were planted varied from 40 to 90 per cent, those planted in May, June, and July being usually most effective as spat collectors. The shells spread broadcast were more efficacious than those deposited in piles, though the latter usuall}- became leveled by the waves after the lapse of a few months. The clam shells were less effective than (\yster shells, probably in part because, being lighter and smaller, manj^ of tliem were carried by currents and waves away from the squares on which they were planted. From 1 to 5 young oj^sters were found attached to the oyster shells at the end of one year, the average being about 2 or 3 to each. At a later date the shells became more or less disintegrated and broken, result- ing in a natural culling which freed the ovsters from their attach- ment. After the lapse of a year most of the clam shells bore but single oysters, though there were occasionally two attached. The experiments indicate that from 400 to 600 bushels of shells per acre can be advantageously planted on firm or moderately firm bottom. On soft bottom more should be used, as some Avill be- come buried in the mud. Later, when there are more breeding oysters in the vicinity and the waters become more thoroughly charged with fry. the set on individual shells will become heavier and the quantity of material planted should be reduced to prevent overcrowding. If the set should become verv heavv clam shells or 20 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. broken oyster shells may prove advantageous, and it may prove good policy to cull the oysters at the end of the first eight or ten months so as to permit them to grow to good shape. At present this is unnecessary. In many cases the shells and debris culled off, if taken ashore and weathered, would suffice for planting other areas. The rate of growth of oysters attaching to oyster shells was more rapid than of those striking on clams, probably because they were raised higher above the bottom and therefore more favorably situated for obtaining a supply of food. This fact and the average sizes attained by the oysters at different ages are shown in the following table : AvKRAGE Length of Oysters Attached to Planted Shells at Different Ages (One to Thirty-three Months). Ages. On oyster shells. 1 month . 2 months 3 months 5 months Inches. 0.4 .5 .7 1.1 On clam shells. Inches. 0.4 Ages. months 12 months 24 months 33 months On oyster shells Inches. 1.4 3.5 4.0 On clam shells. Inches. 2.2 2.8 3.25 This table assumes the ages of the oysters to date from the time of planting the shells, but as the strike is ordinarily distributed over several months, the ages, excepting of the youngest, are somewhat overestimated. It will be observed that at the end of the first year the planted oyster shells bore oysters, whose average size was some- what above the minimum market limit, and many of them were be- tween 3 and ?A inches long. At 2 years of age they were between 3 and 4 inches long and averaged 3^ inches, while in less than three years from the date of planting all of them were between 3^ and 5 inches long and averaged about 4 inches. These oysters were all of fine shape, with rather heavy clean shells, and in small clusters or single, requiring very little culling to fit them for market. Those raised on clam shells, though of smaller size, were of particularly fine shape and all single. At an age of 33 months they ran from 500 to 525 oysters to the barrel of 3^ bushels, while those grown on oyster shells rated between 425 and 450. During most of the period of the experiment all of these oysters were fat and in fine condition for the market, and in January, 1909, when the work was brought to a close, they were equal in fatness to the famous oysters of Lynnhaven, Va., and yielded about 5^ pints of thoroughly drained meat per standard bushel, which is equivalent to nearly T pints as measured at the shucking houses. The gi'eater thickness of the shells caused them to '' turn out " a smaller quantity of meats per bushel as compared with the thin shelled oysters of U. S. B. F.— Doc. /31, Plate III. >-. -As? OYSTERS, AVERAGE SIZE, 24 AND 33 MONTHS OLD RESPECTIVELY, GROWN ON CLAM SHELLS AT BAYOU ST. DENIS, LOUISIANA. [Figures natural size.] OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 21 FalsemoLitli 6^13% which they equaled or slightly excelled in fatness, but their superiority in appearance more than compensated for this. A clean, attractive-looking exterior is of importance in high-grade oysters used in the " counter " or " shell '" trade, the most lucrative market which the planter can supply. The authors have been in- formed that the oysters left on the experimental beds have been taken up by oystermen and sold for $2 per barrel in New Orleans at a time when ordinary oysters could hardly be disposed of. Unfortunately here, as at other of the experimental plants in the state, the authors were not able to make ultimate determinations of the productivity of the grounds, owing to the theft of most of the marketable oysters prior to the final examination. The average growth on the older sections of the planted beds in January, 190i), was but 140 bushels per acre, though examinations made in the pre- ceding May showed that in f)laces the density of the oysters was at the rate of between 1,500 and 2,000 United States standard bushels per acre, and a conservative estimate w^ould place the average for the entire area at between 1.000 and 1,500 bushels or 300 and 450 barrels per acre. BAY TAMBOUR. The work at Bay Tambour was coincident with that at Bayou St. Denis and the same methods were followed, but the experiment was abandoned so far as the planting of cultch was concerned at the end of June, 1907. The plant was located off the w^estern point of a small island lying- west of Bayou Andre, on the site of an extinct oyster bed, the only evidence of whose former existence is in the shells deeply buried in the mud. The currents are moderate, being perhaps of about half the strength of those at Bayou St. Denis. The water in the three years during which the observations were continued had an average specific gravity of 1.0140 and a range between 1.010 and 1.020. This salinity is considerably higher than at Bayou St. Denis, but, con- sidering the requirements of the oyster only, is w^ell adapted to oyster culture. Residents stated, prior to the beginning of the ex- periment, that the water at this place killed oysters, but, as is shown by the investigations hereafter recounted, this is an error, the mor- tality among the young oysters being due to another cause, although indirectly attributable to the relative saltness of the water as com- pared with more northerly parts of the bay. At this locality there is very little probability of loss from the effects of crevasses or from sudden and drastic changes in the saltness of the water from any cause. The bottom in the innnediate vicinity of the plantation is hard, but much of that adjoining is soft, though a considerable area could be utilized for oyster culture. 22 OYSTER CULTURE EXPERIMENTS IN LOUISIANA. Food i.s abniiclantly produced in the waters of the vicinity, and although there is considerable fluctuation in the supply, the average of a number of observations made on the planted grounds is higher than Avas attained in most parts of the state. The food production in the adjacent parts of Barataria Ba}' is very high, and there would therefore appear to be an abundant reserve supply. The seed oysters, originally planted as brood stock, Avhich were rough and unculled as taken from the reefs, about 2| inches long, and planted at the rate of about 800 bushels per acre, grew rapidly and were always fat and in good condition. The various observations of the salinities, tempera- tures, and food production of the w^ater are shown in the following table : Food Content, Specific Gravity, and Temperature of Water in Bay Tambour. Date. Specific gravity. Temper- ature. Food organises per liter of water. Number. Volume. 1906. 1.0117 1. 0102 1.0129 1.0124 1.0106 1.0107 1.0195 1.0191 1.0170 1.0203 1.0175 1.0158 1.0097 1.0113 1.0136 1.0131 1.0141 1.0100 1.0172 " F. 74.3 77.9 81.5 86.0 78.8 77.0 85 75 08 78 80 80.6 80.6 84.2 86 53 77 81 68 16,000 15,500 11,000 7,000 7,500 5,000 9,000 5,400 2,000 6,750 10, 800 8.100 6,000 7.200 10, 200 1,500 35,000 8,100 21,750 Cu. mm. 0.313 27 .329 May 26 .262 28 .206 June 27 - - .118 29 . 00.0 .240 .185 1907. .018 April 17 .220 19 . 689 30 .376 May 22 .173 June 26 .181 July 24 .420 .081 1908. May 4 ..S07 jnly 3 .259 1909. . 673 1.0146 10,200 .295 About no barrels of rough unculled oysters from the natural betls were planted in January, 190G, and in the latter part of the follow- ing April oyster and clam shells were planted after the manner of those deposited at Bayou St. Denis, followed by two similar plants in the latter parts of May and June, respectively. In all these the apparent set of spat was light, the number of shells bearing young oysters ranging between 15 and 35 per cent of those examined, the aA^erage of all plants being about 22 per cent. By the following spring all of these young oysters had disappeared. The results of the second year's experiments were even more unfavorable, and spat transplanted from Bayou St. Denis were also killed within a fcAv weeks. U. S. B. F.— Doc. 731. Plate IV. --■^■-••\ / 7^ V