110 



THE SCALLOP FISHERY 



of the "scraper," as the blade is set either level or with an upward 

 incline, so the dredge can slide over the bottom. This dredge is used 

 on rough bottom and in places where there is little eel grass. In some 

 dredges the blade is rigid, but in the majority the blade hangs loose. 



The "slider" used at Edgartown differs from the "scraper" by hav- 

 ing perfectly straight arms and no curved bowl, the blade bein.g 

 fastened to the arms in a hook-and-eye fashion. The dimensions of 

 this dredge are the same as those of the " scraper," although occa- 

 sionally smaller dredges are found. 



(4) The "Roller" Dredge. -- This style of dredge is used only in the 

 town of Mattapoisett, where the scallopers claim it is the most success- 

 ful. The dredge is suitable for scalloping over rough ground, as the 

 blade of the dredge is merely a line of leads, which roll over the surface 

 of the ground gathering in the scallops. 



The dredge consists of an oval iron frame, 32 by 20 inches, which 

 acts as the arms, and is attached to another iron frame, 32 by 3 inches. 

 The blade of the dredge consists of a thin rope with attached leads. 

 The net is made wholly of twine, and is about 2 l /2 feet long. 



Outfit of a Scalloper. - - The average invested capital of the scalloper 

 can best be given for two classes, the boat fisherman and the dory 

 fisherman : 



Boat Fisherman. 



Dory Fisherman. 



Boat, $500 00 Dory, $20 00 



Dory, 20 00 Oars, 1 50 



Six dredges, . . . 25 00 Pusher, . . . . 2 50 



Rope and gear, . . .25 00 Shanty, . . . . 25 00 



Culling board, . . . _ 



Incidentals, . . . . 3 00 Total, . . . . $49 00 

 Shanty, 



Total, . 



Scalloping with Power Boats. The season of 1907 has witnessed 

 in Massachusetts the first use of auxiliary power in the scallop fishery. 

 At Edgartown the main part of the scalloping is now done by power, 

 which, in spite of the additional expense of 5 gallons of gasolene per 

 day, gives a proportionately larger catch of scallops. The Edgartown 

 scallopers claim that their daily catch, using power, is from one-third 

 to one-half better than under the old method of dredging by sail. Not 

 only can they scallop when the wind is too light or too heavy for suc- 

 cessful scalloping by sail, but more " drifts " can be made in the same 

 time. A slight disadvantage of scalloping with power is the necessity 

 of having two men, as the steering of the power boat demands much 

 closer attention than the sail boat, which is practically held to a fixed 

 course by the dredges. A power boat for scalloping possesses only the 



