OF MASSACHUSETTS. 17 



Up to this time there have been only vague and inaccurate conjectures 

 as to the value of the shellfisheries, and even the fisherman, outside 

 his own district, has little knowledge of their extent and their economic 

 possibilities. The consumer has far less knowledge. For the first time 

 this problem of the Massachusetts shellfisheries has been approached 

 from the point of view of the economic biologist. This survey is in- 

 tended to present a concise yet detailed account of the present status of 

 the shellfisheries of Massachusetts, and is therefore the fii'st step 

 towards the preservation of our shellfisheries by providing a workable 

 basis for the restocking of the barren and unproductive areas. It is 

 hoped that it will be of interest both to the fishermen and consumers. 



G. Presentation of the Report. — The first part of the report pre- 

 sents the general results of the survey, i.e., the present condition of the 

 shellfisheries, while the second part deals directly with details of the 

 survey. The report is divided into four parts, each shellfish being con- 

 sidered separately. Under each is grouped (1) the industry as a whole; 

 (2) a statistical summary of the industry for the whole State; (3) the 

 towns of the State and their individual industries. A series of charts 

 showing the shellfish areas of the State makes clear the description of 

 the survey. 



Geographical Situation. — The peculiar geographical situation of 

 Massachusetts renders possible the production of the four edible 

 shellfish — clam, oyster, quahaug and scallop, — in great abundance. 

 Cape Cod forms the dividing line between the northern and the southern 

 fauna, which furnish the coast of Massachusetts with a diversity of 

 molluscan life. Zoologically, the Massachusetts coast is the point where 

 the habitats of the northern (the soft clam, My a arenaria) and the 

 southern clam (the quahaug, hard clam or little neck, Venus merce- 

 naria) overlap. Nature has favored Massachusetts with a coast indented 

 with bays, estuaries and inlets which are especially adapted for the 

 growth of marine food mollusks. 



Former Natural Abundance. — If we compare the natural shell- 

 fish areas of to-day with those of former years, we find a great change. 

 All four shellfish formerly throve in large numbers in the numerous 

 bays and indentations of our coast line". The area between tide marks 

 was formerly inhabited by quantities of soft clams, and the muddy 

 patches just below low-water mark produced great numbers of qua- 

 haugs. In the estuaries were extensive natural oyster beds. On our 

 shoals it was possible to gather many thousand bushels of scallops. 

 Now thousands of acres once productive lie barren, and we have but 

 a remnant of the former abundant yield. 



Historical Wastefulness. — History tells us that the Pilgrims at 

 Plymouth " sucked the abundance of the seas " and found health and 

 wealth. But between the lines of history we can read a tale of waste- 

 fulness and prodigality with hardly a parallel, and to-day we find the 

 natural heritage of the shellfisheries almost totally wasted through 

 the careless indifference of our forefathers. Prof. James L. Kellogg, in 



