Part 11

The adductor muscle is called by the dealers and fishermen the "eye," a name given perhaps from its important position in the animal, and its appearance. The color of the "eye," which has a cylindrical form, is a yellowish white.

(2) _The Shanties._--The catch of scallops is carried to the shanty of the fisherman, and there opened. These shanties are usually grouped on the dock, so the catch can be readily transferred. Inside of these shanties, usually 20 by 10 feet or larger, we find a large bench 3 to 3½ feet wide, running the length of the shanty, and a little more than waist high. On these benches the scallops are dumped from the baskets or bags, and pass through the hands of the openers. Under the bench are barrels for the shells and refuse.

(3) _The Openers._--The openers are usually men and boys, though occasionally a few women try their hand at the work. Of late years there has been a difficulty in obtaining sufficient openers, and the scallopers often are forced to open their own scallops. The openers are paid from 20 to 30 cents per gallon, according to the size of the scallops. One bushel of average scallops will open 2½ to 3 quarts of "eyes." An opener can often open 8 to 10 gallons in a day, making an excellent day's work. The price now paid is more than double that paid in 1880, which was 12½ cents per gallon. Some openers are especially rapid, and their deft movements cause a continual dropping of shells in the barrel and "eyes" in the gallon measure.

(4) _Method of opening the Scallop._--The opening of a scallop requires three movements. A flat piece of steel with a sharp but rounded end, inserted in a wooden handle, answers for a knife. The scallop is taken by a right-handed opener in the palm of the left hand, the hinge line farthest away from the body, the scallop in its natural resting position, the right or smooth valve down. The knife is inserted between the valves on the right-hand side. An upward turn with a cutting motion is given, severing the "eye" from the upper valve, while a flirt at the same moment throws back the upper shell. The second motion tears the soft rim and visceral mass of the scallop and casts it into the barrel, leaving the "eye" standing clear. A third movement separates the "eye" from the shell and casts it into a gallon measure. Frequently the last two movements are slightly different. The faster openers at the second motion merely tear off enough of the rim to allow the separation of the "eye" from the shell, and on the third movement cast the "eye" in the measure, while the shell with its adhering soft parts is thrown into the refuse barrel. These last two motions can hardly be separated, so quickly are they accomplished.

(5) _"Soaking."_--The "eye" is then usually put through the following course of treatment before marketing; the treatment is what is familiarly known as "soaking." It has been noticed that whenever salt water products are allowed to soak in fresh water, an increase of bulk is found. This is due to a change, called osmosis, which causes the swelling of the tissues. The "eye" can be increased, by the process of osmosis, to a gain of more than one-third its natural size; that is, 4½ gallons of scallop "eyes" can be increased to 7 gallons by judicious "feeding" with fresh water. Also, a change has taken place in the scallops after a few hours' soaking. No longer do we find the poor yellow-colored small "eye" of the freshly opened scallop, but a beautiful white, plump "eye," which at once tempts the purchaser. While these changes have added to the salable properties of the scallop by beautifying its appearance and increasing its size, the scallop has lost much of its sweet flavor and freshness.

Practically every scallop sold in the markets or shipped from any scalloping center is soaked, as the "soaking," if not already done by the fishermen, is administered by the retail dealers. There are scallopers who are ready to ship the unsoaked scallops at a proportionate price the moment the market demands them; but the consumer, through ignorance, demands the large, nice-appearing "eyes," and thus unwittingly favors the practice. However, as long as pure water is used and other sanitary precautions taken, no actual harm may arise from soaking scallops.

Two methods of swelling scallops are in use. When the scallops are shipped in kegs, which usually contain 7 gallons, the following method is applied: 4½ to 5 gallons of "eyes" are placed in each keg, and are allowed to stand over night in fresh water; in the morning before shipment more water is added and the keg closed, and by the time of arrival to the New York or Boston market the scallops have increased to the full amount of 7 gallons.

The second method of "soaking" is slightly more elaborate. The eyes are spread evenly in shallow wooden sinks 5 by 3 feet, with just enough fresh water to cover them, and left over night. In the morning a milky fluid is drawn off, and the "soaked" scallops are packed for market in kegs or butter tubs.

(6) _Shipment._--The kegs in which the scallops are shipped cost 30 cents apiece, and contain about 7 gallons. A full keg is known as a "package." The butter tubs are less expensive, but hold only 4 to 5 gallons. Indeed, anything which will hold scallops for shipment is used to send them to market.

When the scallops get to the market they are strained and weighed, 9 pounds being considered the weight of a gallon of meats. In this way about 6 gallons are realized from every 7-gallon keg. With the improved methods of modern times scallops can be shipped far west or be held for months in cold storage, for which purpose unsoaked scallops are required. Certain firms have tried this method of keeping the catch until prices were high, but it has not been especially successful.

(7) _Market._--One of the greatest trials to the scallop fisherman is the uncertainty of market returns when shipping. He does not know the price he is to receive; and, as the price depends on the supply on the market, he may receive high wages or he may get scarcely anything. The wholesale market alone can regulate the price, and the fisherman is powerless. While this is hard on the scalloper, it does not appear that at the present time anything can be done to remedy the uncertainty of return. The scallop returns from the New York market are usually higher than from the Boston market. The result of this has been to give New York each year the greater part of the scallop trade, and practically all the Nantucket and Edgartown scallops are shipped to New York.

Either from a feeling of loyalty, or because the market returns are sooner forwarded, or because the express charges are less, Cape Cod still ships to the Boston market, in spite of the better prices offered in New York. Why so many Cape scallopers should continue to ship to Boston, and resist the attractions of better prices, is impossible to determine, and appears to be only a question of custom.

(8) _The Price._--The price of scallops varies with the supply. The demand is fairly constant, showing a slight but decided increase each year. On the other hand, the supply is irregular, some years scallops being plentiful, in other years scarce.

_The Maine or Deep-sea Scallop._--In the Boston market the shallow-water scallop has a formidable rival in the giant scallop of the Maine coast, which is nearly twice as large. Nevertheless, the Cape scallop maintains its superiority and still leads its larger brother in popular favor, wholesaling at 50 to 70 cents more a gallon. There is no doubt that this competition has had a tendency to lower the price of the Cape scallop, possibly accounting for the higher market price in New York.

_Outfit of a Scalloper._--While we have traced the scallop from its capture among the eel-grass to its final disposition, we have not considered the equipment of the scalloper. The average capital invested in the business can best be summed up under these two heads,--the boat fisherman and the dory fisherman.

_Boat Fisherman._ Boat, $500.00 Dory, 20.00 Six dredges, 25.00 Rope and gear, 25.00 Culling board, 2.00 Incidentals, 3.00 Shanty, 50.00 ------- Total, $625.00 _Dory Fisherman._ Dory, $20.00 Oars, 1.50 Pusher, 2.50 Shanty, 25.00 ------- Total, $49.00

III. _The Scallop Season._--There is considerable diversity of opinion among the scallopers as to when the scallop season should open. Some advocate November 1 as the opening date, instead of October 1, as the present law reads; and many arguments are put forth by both sides.

The class of fishermen who desire November 1 are those who are engaged in other fishing during the month of October, and either have to give it up or lose the first month of scalloping. Naturally, they wish a change, putting forth the additional argument of better prices if the season begins later. The scalloper who is not engaged in other fishing of course desires the law to remain as it is at the present time, claiming that the better weather of October gives easier work, more working days, and allows no chance of loss if the winter is severe.

Under the present law, the town can regulate the opening of its season to suit the demands of the market and the desire of the inhabitants. This does away with the necessity of any State law on this point, which, under the present system of town control, would be inadvisable.

The general opinion of the fishermen is in favor of the present date, October 1. As nearly as could be determined, about 75 per cent. favor October 1 and 25 per cent. November 1. This sentiment is divided by localities, as more men were in favor of November 1 at Nantucket and Edgartown than on Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay, where very few favored a change.

IV. _The Utilization of Waste._--While it seems an enormous waste that out of a bushel of scallops only 2½ to 3 quarts of edible meats are obtained, it is not all absolute loss. Oyster growers buy the shells for cultch to catch the oyster seed, paying from 3 to 5 cents per bushel. Other uses are found, such as ornaments and in making shell roads. The refuse is used for fish bait, and often barrels of it are salted for this purpose. It is also used in some places for manure for agricultural purposes.

In the last year a new use for scallop shells has developed. Similar to the souvenir postal card, scallop shells bound together with ribbon and containing miniature photographic views have been put on the market. Three firms near Boston make a business of this, and use only the lower or bright valve of the scallop. Certain scallopers furnish these scallop shells, cleaned of meat, at the rate of $6 per barrel; and, though it takes considerable time to separate the shells when opening, the excellent price makes this new industry pay. The question of the future is to find new and more important uses for our waste sea products. Some day what is now waste in the scallop industry may be utilized for the benefit of the public.

V. _Food Value._--As a food the scallop stands ahead of all the other shellfish, containing much more nourishment than the oyster. The following figures are from the tables of Professor Atwater, rearranged by C. F. Langworthy:[11]--

(All values expressed as per cent.)

==============================+=========+======+=======+=========+===== | Refuse, | Salt | Water | Protein | Fat | Bone, | | | | | Skin, | | | | | etc. | | | | ------------------------------+---------+------+-------+---------+----- Oysters, solids, | -- | -- | 88.3 | 6.1 | 1.4 Oysters, in shell, | 82.3 | -- | 15.4 | 1.1 | .2 Oysters, canned, | -- | -- | 85.3 | 7.4 | 2.1 Scallops, | -- | -- | 80.3 | 14.7 | .2 Soft clams, in shell, | 43.6 | -- | 48.4 | 4.8 | .6 Soft clams, canned, | -- | -- | 84.5 | 9.0 | 1.3 Quahaugs, removed from shell, | -- | -- | 80.8 | 10.6 | 1.1 Quahaugs, in shell, | 68.3 | -- | 27.3 | 2.1 | .1 Quahaugs, canned, | -- | -- | 83.0 | 10.4 | .8 Mussels, | 49.3 | -- | 42.7 | 4.4 | .5 General average of mollusks | 60.2 | -- | 34.0 | 3.2 | .4 (exclusive of canned). | | | | | ==============================+=========+======+=======+=========+=====

(All values expressed as per cent.)

==============================+=========+=========+===========+======= |Carbohy- | Mineral | Total | Fuel | drates | Matter | Nutrients | Value | | | | per | | | | Pound ------------------------------+---------+---------+-----------+------- Oysters, solids, | 3.3 | .9 | 11.7 | 235 Oysters, in shell, | .6 | .4 | 2.3 | 40 Oysters, canned, | 3.9 | 1.3 | 14.7 | 300 Scallops, | 3.4 | 1.4 | 19.7 | 345 Soft clams, in shell, | 1.1 | 1.5 | 8.0 | 135 Soft clams, canned, | 2.9 | 2.3 | 15.5 | 275 Quahaugs, removed from shell, | 5.2 | 2.3 | 19.2 | 340 Quahaugs, in shell, | 1.3 | .9 | 4.4 | 65 Quahaugs, canned, | 3.0 | 2.8 | 17.0 | 285 Mussels, | 2.1 | 1.0 | 8.0 | 140 General average of mollusks | 1.3 | .9 | 5.8 | 100 (exclusive of canned). | | | | ==============================+=========+=========+===========+======

_The Laws._

The State laws regulating the fishery were made for the benefit of the industry and for the preservation of the "seed" scallop, which is the only requirement necessary for insuring the future supply.

Each town has charge over its scallop fishery, under the general shellfish act of 1880, which entrusted all regulation of the shellfisheries to the selectmen of the towns. The town laws governing the scallop fishery are by far the most satisfactory of the shellfish laws of the towns. Although in many respects beneficial, they have certain disadvantages.

The main disadvantage of the town laws is found in the jealousy of neighboring towns. One town may make a law to oppose another town, and will often injure its own interests thereby. In this connection the condition at Dennis, during the winter of 1904-05, was an instance. As scallops were remarkably abundant, the town made by-laws intended to exclude from its scallop fisheries the residents of other towns. At the close of the scalloping season, when the ice came, the scallops were still abundant. The inhabitants of the town thought they could get the rest next season. They did not know that the scallop does not live two years. The next year not a single scallop of that set was to be found; they had died. If other scallopers had been allowed to go there, thousands of dollars could have been saved, and many scallopers given employment. This one case illustrates the disadvantages of town jealousy; and Dennis is by no means to blame, as it merely protected itself against the similar restrictions of neighboring Cape Cod towns.

The town laws which benefit the scallop industry are made each year according to the condition of the industry. Edgartown and Nantucket have perhaps the best-governed scallop industries. Laws requiring licenses, regulating the opening of the season and restricting at proper times the catch, so as to get the best market prices instead of overstocking the market when the prices are low, are to be recommended on account of their benefit to the scallopers.

_History._

In considering the rise of a fishing industry, it is often difficult to state exactly the year when the industry started, as there are differences of opinion as to how large a fishery should be before it could be justly considered an industry. The scallop fishery has existed for years, but did not become an established industry of the State before the year 1872. At that time there was hardly any demand for scallops, and the catch was with difficulty marketed. Since then the market demand for the scallop has steadily increased, until the supply can hardly meet the popular demand. It seems almost incredible that the scallop as an article of food should once have been scorned and practically unknown.

During the years of 1876 and 1877 the industry took a sudden spurt. At this time the introduction of the dredge on Cape Cod revolutionized the industry, and made it possible to open up the deep-water fields. The industry on Cape Cod first started at Hyannis, where a number of men entered the new business; and for several years the production increased rapidly, with the opening of new territories and improved methods of capture. While the natural supply has remained the same or declined in certain localities, as has been shown in a previous part of this report, the value of the industry, in regard to the number of men engaged and capital invested, has steadily increased.

SCALLOP PRODUCTION FOR MASSACHUSETTS.[12]

===================================================================== YEAR. | Bushels. | Value. | Gallons. | Price | | | | per Gallon. -------------------+-----------+----------+-----------+-------------- 1879, | 10,542 | $3,514 | 7,028 | $0.50 1887, | 41,964 | 38,933 | 27,976 | 1.39 1888, | 26,168 | 43,202 | 17,446 | 2.48 1898, | 128,863 | 85,383 | 85,908 | 0.99 1902, | 66,150 | 89,982 | 44,100 | 2.04 1905, | 43,872 | 98,712 | 29,248 | 3.37½ =====================================================================

These figures show that the price of scallops varies greatly, dependent largely upon the amount caught that season; also that there has been, in spite of the irregularity of the catch, a gradual rise in prices since 1879, due to a more extensive market.

In considering the scallop industry the following points should be noted: (1) It has been necessary to record as scallop area any grounds where scallops have ever been found, in spite of the fact that only a portion of this total area is in any one year productive. (2) The boats engaged in the scallop fishery are but transitory capital, which is utilized, outside of the scallop season, in other fisheries. (3) The quahaug and scallop fisheries in many towns supplement each other, as the same men and boats are engaged in both industries. (4) The length of the season varies in the different localities. In New Bedford and Fairhaven the scallops are mostly caught in a few weeks, as many boats enter the business temporarily. This necessarily gives an excess of invested capital and a small production. In these two towns the number of scallop licenses are recorded as showing the number of men engaged in the fishery, while as a fact but a small part of these are steadily engaged in the industry.

Key: N= Number

============+======+============+==========+=======+================+======= |Number| Boats | Extra | Value | Production |Area of | of | | Dories | of | 1907-08 |Scallop TOWN | Men +---+--------+---+------+ Gear +-------+--------+Grounds | | N | Value | N |Value | |Gallons| Value |(Acres) +------+---+--------+---+------+-------+-------+--------+------- Barnstable | 39 | 23| $8,000| -| -| $575| 1,530| $2,004| 2,800 Bourne | 38 | 30| 15,000| -| -| 1,200| 12,000| 15,720| 3,000 Chatham |107 | 35| 10,650| 61|$1,430| 1,185| 34,615| 45,345| 2,000 Dennis | 30 | 9| 4,230| 9| 180| 368| 2,950| 3,865| 2,250 Edgartown | 39 | 26| 8,000| -| -| 550| 17,000| 22,270| 2,000 Fairhaven |73[13]| 50| 12,500| -| -| 1,500| 1,300| 1,703| 2,500 Harwich | 12 | 7| 2,350| -| -| 280| 2,170| 2,843| 3,200 Marion | 44 | 16| 5,300| 24| 250| 580| 7,000| 9,170| 1,500 Mattapoisett| 22 | 19| 6,900| -| -| 760| 5,000| 6,550| 1,200 Nantucket | 99 | 47| 13,250| 20| 500| 700| 20,245| 26,539| 4,500 New Bedford |38[13]| 20| 5,000| -| -| 600| 700| 917| 400 Tisbury | 20 | 8| 3,000| 6| 90| 300| 3,000| 3,930| 800 Wareham | 45 | 36| 10,800| -| -| 1,300| 10,000| 13,100| 2,500 Yarmouth | 41 | 15| 3,750| 10| 200| 475| 8,000| 10,480| 2,250 ------------+------+---+--------+---+------+-------+-------+--------+------- Total | 647 |341|$108,730|130|$2,650|$10,373|125,510|$164,436| 30,900 ============+======+===+========+===+======+=======+=======+========+=======

_Barnstable._

The principal scalloping grounds of the town of Barnstable are found in Hyannis bay and at Cotuit. Scallops are said to have once been abundant in Barnstable harbor, on the north side of Cape Cod. At the present day the scallop is unknown commercially in this locality, and few are found on the sand flats of the harbor. A. Howard Clark, in his report on the fisheries of Massachusetts, in 1880, makes the following statement concerning this industry in Barnstable harbor:--

Scallops are abundant along the shores of the harbor, and in 1876 a party of men from Hyannis established themselves here for the purpose of gathering them. In 1877 the price of scallops declined very greatly, forcing these men to abandon their enterprise. The fishery was continued, however, by two men of Barnstable. In the winter of 1877-78 the latter shipped 40 half-barrels of "eyes," and during the winter of 1878-79 only 6 half-barrels. They were sent to Boston and New York.

This furnishes a concrete example of the extinction of the productive scallop beds in certain localities. The chances are that a severe winter or other adverse physical conditions killed all the scallops in the harbor, and rendered impossible any future supply. Although Barnstable harbor, with its swift tides, is not suitable for scallops in all parts, yet there are certain localities where they should thrive. In no way is it visionary or impossible that by the proper transplanting of young scallops from the waters on the south side of the Cape, these "seeders" might furnish other generations of scallops, and revive an extinct industry. At any rate, the chances for success in this line look favorable, and should be carefully considered.