150 THE MOLLUSK FISHERIES 



Scows, . . . . . . . . . .... 1 



Value of scows, $400 



Implements: 



Dredges, 2 



Tongs, . . . . . . . . . . . 6 



Value of implements, $105 



Value of shore property, $1,000 



Value of bedded oysters, $450 



Buzzards Bay District. 



The Buzzards Bay oyster industry .is in a state verging on chaos. 

 In some specially favored localities it is in a flourishing condition; in 

 others hardly less favorable it is almost completely stagnant. Great 

 natural advantages exist, which if properly utilized would create a 

 business of immense proportions. These resources are for the most 

 part but poorly improved, and in many cases are neglected altogether. 

 A spirit of uncertainty, which discourages confidence and checks initia- 

 tive, seems to pervade the business atmosphere. Amid this uncertainty 

 and conflicting forces, one fact, at once the starting point of the whole 

 difficulty and at the same time the sole solution of the problem, stands 

 out vividly clear. This is the need of proper legislation. 



The troubles which beset the Buzzards Bay oyster industry are 

 directly traceable to defects in the present legislative system. These 

 defects are both active and passive. In some cases unwise and illogical 

 laws are in operation, which hamper business activity; in other cases 

 laws for which there is a crying need are laid aside or neglected. A 

 reform in certain aspects of town supervision is the demand of the 

 hour. Until the present system receives an overhauling, it is doubtful 

 if the industry will ever experience full prosperity. 



In order to gain a clear insight into the difficulties which darken 

 the immediate outlook in this region, it will be necessary to take a 

 brief survey of the history and present status of the industry. 



The beginnings of the oyster fishery in Buzzards Bay arose from the 

 exploitation and subsequent depletion of the natural beds. These beds, 

 of which there are several scattered along the coast from Bourne to 

 Mattapoisett, furnished for a long time a large annual output of 

 oysters. In the early '70's the supply began to decrease rapidly, and 

 the fear of total extermination caused the selectmen of Marion, Ware- 

 ham and Sandwich (Bourne) to attempt a strict supervision of the 

 fishery. These attempts were in all cases unsatisfactory, and about 1875 

 the artificial culture of oysters began almost simultaneously in the 

 three towns by the issue of licenses or grants to private individuals. 

 The measure was popular from the first. Almost all the available land 

 was speedily appropriated, and a flourishing but exotic industry, stimu- 

 lated by a considerable outlay of capital, burst into life. 



At Marion the new business lasted precisely fifteen years. The in- 

 dustry was largely a losing venture. The oysters did not grow well, 



