82 THE MOLLUSK FISHERIES 



The Decline. 



The most important questions which first come to mind when con- 

 sidering the scallop industry of to-day are these three: (1) Has there 

 been any decline in the industry? If so, how extensive? (2) What 

 are the causes of the decline? (3) How can the fishery be improved? 



I. Extent of the Decline. There is no question but that the indus- 

 try as a whole has declined. This decline has made itself manifest, 

 especially in certain localities, e.g., Buzzards Bay, where until 

 1907 the entire fishery, except at New Bedford and Fairhaven, had 

 been totally extinct for the past seven years. 



Along the south side of Cape Cod, at Edgartown and Nantucket, 

 the supply has on the average remained the same. Of course there is 

 varying abundance each year, but as a whole the industry in these lo- 

 calities can hardly be said to have declined. 



On the other hand, on the north side of Cape Cod we find a marked 

 decline. A scallop fishery no longer exists at Plymouth, Barnstable 

 harbor, Wellfleet and Provincetown, though twenty-five years ago these 

 places boasted of a valuable industry. 



So we have to-day in Massachusetts three localities, two of which 

 show a marked decline in the scallop fishery, while the other shows 

 some improvement. Of the two depleted areas, the one (north of the 

 Cape) may never revive the industry; the other (Buzzards Bay) gives 

 indications that the industry can once more be put on a very profitable 

 footing. The only thing necessary is perpetual precaution on the part 

 of the fishermen, in order to prevent this decline. Massachusetts must 

 not allow the industry to become extinct, as in Rhode Island. 



II. Causes of the Decline. The causes of the decline of this in- 

 dustry can be grouped under three heads: (1) natural enemies; (2) 

 overfishing by man; (3) adverse physical conditions. 



The natural enemy of the scallop which works the greatest mischief 

 is the starfish, or "five finger," as it is often called. The starfish 

 destroys the scallop in the same manner as it attacks the oyster. The 

 decline of the scallop fishery in Buzzards Bay is attributed by the 

 fishermen to the inroads of this pest. Undoubtedly the starfish was the 

 chief apparent cause, since, according to report, dredges full of star- 

 fish could be hauled up. In other localities in Massachusetts the star- 

 fish has not been so plentiful. 



While the main cause of the decline of the natural clam, quahaug and 

 oyster beds is overfishing by man, the decline of the scallop fishery 

 cannot be so considered. The scallop has a short life, hardly 25 per 

 cent, passing the two-year limit; so it does no harm to capture the 

 marketable scallops which are over sixteen months old, as the scallop 

 spawns when one year old, and dies a natural death usually before it 

 reaches a second spawning season. When only old scallops are taken, 



