96 THE MOLLUSK FISHERIES 



Barnstable. 



The principal scalloping grounds of the town of Barnstable are 

 found in Hyannis bay and at Cotuit. Scallops are said to have once 

 been abundant in Barnstable harbor, on the north side of Cape Cod. 

 At the present day the scallop is unknown commercially in this lo- 

 cality, and few are found on the sand flats of the harbor. A. Howard 

 Clark, in his report on the fisheries of Massachusetts, in 1880, makes 

 the following statement concerning this industry in Barnstable har- 

 bor: 



Scallops are abundant along the shores of the harbor, and in 1876 a 

 party of men from Hyannis established themselves here for the purpose 

 of gathering them. In 1877 the price of scallops declined very greatly, 

 forcing these men to abandon their enterprise. The fishery was continued, 

 however, by two men of Barnstable. In the winter of 1877-78 the latter 

 shipped 40 half -barrels of " eyes," and during the winter of 1878-79 only 

 6 half -barrels. They were sent to Boston and New York. 



This furnishes a concrete example of the extinction of the produc- 

 tive scallop beds in certain localities. The chances are that a severe 

 winter or other adverse physical conditions killed all the scallops in 

 the harbor, and rendered impossible any future supply. Although 

 Barnstable harbor, with its swift tides, is not suitable for scallops in 

 all parts, yet there are certain localities where they should thrive. In 

 no way is it visionary or impossible that by the proper transplanting 

 of young scallops from the waters on the south side of the Cape, these 

 " seeders " might furnish other generations of scallops, and revive an 

 extinct industry. At any rate, the chances for success in this line look 

 favorable, and should be carefully considered. 



Hyannis. Although the scallop industry on the north coast of the 

 town is extinct, it still flourishes as of old on the south coast. The 

 bulk of the business is carried on here, and nearly all the shipments 

 are made from this town. The scallop territory comprises 2,700 acres, 

 in the following localities: (1) Lewis Bay; (2) near Squaw's Island; 

 (3) Hyannisport harbor; and (4) the shore waters. At Hyannisport 

 small scallops are taken with " pushers " in the shallow water, while 

 large scallops are taken by dredging in the other three localities. Scal- 

 lops are found in different parts and in varying abundance each year. 

 Practically all this territory as outlined on the map is suitable for 

 scallops. 



. Two methods of scalloping are in use at Hyannis: (1) the hand 

 " pusher," used in shallow water, especially in the harbor at Hyannis- 

 port; (2) dredging. These two methods cover different territories, and 

 it is possible that one year scallops may be found only on the flats 

 where it was impossible to dredge with a boat, and another year be 

 all in the deep water where the " pusher " cannot be used. However, 



