CHAPTER 32 

 Miscellaneous Shellfish Industries of the United States 



Scallops 



The beauty of the scallop shell attracted attention long before the food value 

 of this shellfish was recognized. In ancient times the savages used scallop shells 

 for many decorative purposes. The first use to which the colonists put the scallop 

 was as fertilizer. After severe storms, when these shellfish were washed ashore in 

 large quantities, the New England farmers gathered them and spread them on 

 their land. Later scallops were used as a stock feed. About 1870 the edible quali- 

 ties of this mollusk became known and an important industry gradually developed. 

 At present the scallop is classed as a delicacy. The fishery has been prosecuted 

 so vigorously that the natural supply is rapidly diminishing. The price of scallops, 

 while it has varied from year to year depending on the catch, has steadily in- 

 creased; whereas the annual catch has remained the same or declined slightly. 



The present industry is located principally in Massachusetts and New York 

 although small quantities of scallops are also produced in Maine, Rhode Island, 

 Connecticut, New Jersey, North Carolina, and other states along the Atlantic 

 Coast. Small scallops are found from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. The giant 

 scallop is found from New Jersey to Labrador, but is most abundant along the 

 Maine coast. At one time it was a formidable rival of the shallow-water scallop, 

 but in recent years the bay-scallop industry has declined until now relatively few 

 are taken. 



The latest available data relative to the production of scallops in the various 

 states are presented in Table 147. 



Table 147. Summary of the Scallop Catch, 1945. 

 State Bav Sea 



Source: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 



Species of Commercial Importance. The scallop is a mollusk belonging to the 

 Lamellibranchia. The family of Pectenidae includes about 40 species, 4 of which 

 are found on the Atlantic Coast. Of these only 2 are of commercial importance. 



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