482 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



HISTORY OF MASSACHUSETTS OYSTER 

 INDUSTRY 



The Massachusetts oyster incliistry is centered 

 around Cape Cod. When tlie first settlers came 

 to this area they found many natural oyster beds 

 in the tidal rivers emptyinji: into Buzzards Bay, 

 Cape Cod Bay, and Nantucket Sound. Since 

 most of the beds were easily accessible at low 

 tides it was not lon^ before the Cape's natural 

 supply of oysters was greatly reduced. Many- 

 towns recognized the value of oyster-beds and for 

 fear of tlieir destruction passed laws intended to 

 protect tlie oyster fishery. As early as 177:2 the 

 town of Wellfleet regidated the taking of oysters 

 in Billingsgate Bay. By 1775 Wareham invoked 

 a law, "tliat there should be no shellfish nor sliell 

 sold or carried out of tlie town." Other restric- 

 tions pertaining to the taking of shellfish wei'e 

 inaugurated, but in most cases the laws were 

 passed too late or provided only temporary relief; 

 the destruction of many natural beds had already 

 taken place. 



Tlie next phase in tlie history of the industiy 

 began during the early 184()"s with the planting 

 of Virginia oysters on leased grounds at Well- 

 fleet. By 1850, 100,000 bushels were planted 

 (Ingersoll, 1881). Because of the Civil War 

 (1861-65) there was a sharp decline in the ship- 

 ping of oysters. After tlie war, the decline con- 

 tinued until in 1880 only 6,000 bushels of 

 Virginia oysters were planted in Wellfleet. 



Witli the decline of the inn)ortation of Vir- 

 ginia stock, a system of grants was developed. 

 In 1874 the towns of Swansea and Somerset were 

 given the privilege of issuing grants for tiie 

 propagation of oysters. Four years later, in 1878, 

 the Massachusetts oyster laws were amended giv- 

 ing the mayor, aldei-nien, or selectmen of each 

 city and town tlie riglit to issue grants "for a 

 term not exceeding 20 years to an inhabitant 

 thereof, to plant, grow, and dig oysters." 



The oyster industry of Massachusetts has not 

 changed significantly since the first grants were 

 issued. I'fnder this system tlie oysterman leases 

 fi-oni a town a certain area of suitable offshore 

 bottom. In the spring he plants fully grown 

 oysters obtained from the watei-s of other States, 

 mainly from Connecticut. The majority of these 

 oysters are sold in tlie late fall and winter; only 

 those undei- the JJ-incli minimum legal size are 

 left on the bottom for another year. 



Because of the recent scarcity of oysters in 

 Long Island Sound, the Connecticut and Xew 

 York growers can no longer supply Massachu- 

 setts with enough bedding stock ; therefore, many 

 Bay State oystermen have gone out of business. 

 For example, in Oyster Pond River, Chatham, 

 where 20 men were once in the oyster business, 

 only 3 are working at present. Since tlie oyster 

 industry of Massachusetts can no longer afford 

 to rely on obtaining bedding stock from other 

 States, new and more effective methods of oyster 

 culture are needed, if the industry is to prosper. 



UTILIZATION OF THE POTENTIAL SEED 

 RESOURCES 



At present the potential seed resources of the 

 Cape are not utilized. Wild oysters are found in 

 the tidal waters of Cape Cod indicating that 

 natural reproduction is taking place. Waters 

 around Wareham Eiver and Onset Bay are 

 capable of producing thousands of bushels of seed 

 oysters if proj^er spat-collectir g methods are used. 

 Failures of setting in this area are rare (Galtsoff, 

 Prytherch, and McMillin, 1930). Good setting 

 regions are also found along the south shore of 

 Cape Code M-here many wild oyster sets occur 

 nearly every year. By taking advantage of these 

 resources, the local oyster industry could be made 

 self-sustaining instead of depending on the im- 

 portation of out-of-State bedding stock ; by raising 

 seed a true oyster culture would be practiced. 



The basic reason for the present lack of utiliza- 

 tion of Massachusetts natural seed is its slow 

 growth. Local production is hampered by iiigli 

 mortality from predation, and difficulty in obtain- 

 ing grants for the culturing of seed oysters. 

 Massachusetts is near the northern limit of the 

 range of distribution of the eastern oyster, Crns- 

 ■'iosfrea cirginica. which according to Abbott 

 (1954), extends along the coast of the United 

 States from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf 

 of Mexico. In Cape Cod waters wild oysters reach 

 market-size (3-iii. or greater) in 4 to 5 years, 

 although fishermen report that in Wellfleet oysters 

 grow to market size in 31/0 years. During this 

 time tliey are the prey of enemies. Our records 

 show that of 400 bushels of seed oysters planted 

 in Oyster Pond River in the fall of 1956, nearly 

 100-percent mortality had occurred by the end of 

 1958 due mainly to drills and whelks. Many 

 growers tliroughout the State report similar ex- 

 periences in attempting to raise oysters from spat. 



