22 THE MOLLUSK FISHERIES 



(2) Sea clam industry: Dennis, Chatham, Nantucket. 



(3) Scallop industry: Buzzards Bay and north side of Cape Cod 

 (Barnstable). 



(4) Clam industry: Essex, Plymouth, Duxbury, Buzzards Bay, An- 

 nisquam, Wellfleet, Nantucket. 



(5) Quahaug industry: Chatham, Buzzards Bay, Fall River district. 

 These are only a few of the more prominent cases. Similar cases will 



be found all along the coast of Massachusetts, and no one can deny 

 that the natural supply is rapidly becoming exhausted, and that methods 

 are needed to increase the production, or at least to save the little that 

 remains. 



B. Causes of the Decline. 



I. An Increasing Demand. — The indirect cause of the decline of the 

 shellfisheries is the increased demand. To-day more shellfish are con- 

 sumed than ever before, and the demand is much greater each succeeding 

 year. It is an economic principle that there must be an equilibrium be- 

 tween supply and demand. If the demand is increasing, either the sup- 

 ply has to increase to meet the demand, or the price of the commodity 

 goes up and a new equilibrium is established. The supply must equal 

 the demand of the market. This increasing demand has worked havoc 

 with the shellfisheries. There was a time when the natural supply was 

 of such abundance that the moderate demand of those early days could 

 be met without injury to the fishery. Soon this limit was passed, and 

 with a steadily increasing demand came a corresponding drain on the 

 natural resources, which little by little started a decline, the result of 

 which is to-day apparent. 



The ill-advised policy of the past has been to check the demand by 

 various devices, such as closed seasons, limited daily production, etc. 

 These not only have proved without benefit to the fisherman, but also 

 have hurt the consumer by the increased price. The demand can be 

 checked by raising the price, but this tends towards a class distinction 

 between the rich and the poor. The poor man should be able to enjoy 

 " the bounties of the sea " as well as the rich. The policy of the future 

 should be not to check the demand, but rather to increase the supply. 



Several causes contribute to this demand, which has unlimited possi- 

 bilities of expansion : — 



(1) The popularity of shellfish as an article of diet is steadily in- 

 creasing, not merely for its nutritive value, but for variety and change 

 in diet. Fashionable fads, i.e., the " little neck " of the restaurants and 

 hotels, contribute to the popularity of these shellfish. 



(2) In the present age, transportation facilities and cold storage 

 make possible shipments to all parts of the United States, and continu- 

 ally widen the market for sea foods. 



(3) The influx of summer people to the seashore not only causes an 

 additional summer demand, but also widens the popular knowledge of 

 these edible mollusks. 



