196 THE MOLLUSK FISHERIES 



Productive area (acres) : 



Good clamming, . . -. . : . , . . . . 



Scattering clams, . . . . . . . 50 



Barren area possibly productive (acres), . . . . . . 150 



Waste barren area (acres), 50 



Possible normal production, ........ $25,000 



Boston Harbor. 



Owing to the danger arising from sewage contamination the State 

 Board of Health, on Dec. 6, 1906, requested the Department of Fisheries 

 and Game to prohibit the digging of clams for market in Boston harbor. 

 The region closed by this law lies to the west of an imaginary line run- 

 ning from Point Shirley through Deer Island to the northeastern end 

 of Peddocks Island; thence in a southwesterly direction to the extreme 

 point of Hough's Neck. This territory includes Winthrop, Chelsea, 

 Charlestown, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, Boston, East Boston, 

 South Boston, Dorchester, Neponset and Quincy. For convenience all 

 the prescribed territory is treated under the head of " Boston harbor." 



The action of the State Board of Health in closing Boston harbor 

 was necessitated by a due regard for the public health, as it seemed 

 inexpedient to allow clams dug from this territory and subject to 

 sewage contamination to be marketed for food. Necessary as this act 

 may have been, the closing of 5,000 acres of flats for the production of 

 edible shellfish made valueless an important source of revenue, and 

 threw a large number of clammers out of employment. Some allevia- 

 tion of these conditions has resulted through the granting of permits 

 to take shellfish for bait from the prescribed waters, thus furnishing 

 a number of men with transient employment. The value of the law, 

 however, is almost completely nullified, for the danger to the public 

 health is actual, and not imaginary. Under present conditions it is 

 well-nigh impossible to make the necessary surveillance so complete as 

 would be necessary to prove that clams " dug for bait " are not used 

 as food. Further, even in the digging and handling of shellfish in 

 polluted waters there is positive danger of transmitting the germs by 

 hands of the digger to his own mouth or to other persons. 



The nature of the flats permit the division of Boston harbor into 

 three sections: (1) the north shore, (2) the south shore, (3) and the 

 islands. 



(1) The northern coast of the harbor has extensive mud and sand 

 flats, covered for the most part with eel grass or scattered mussel beds. 

 Much of the surface is a variety of pebbly gravel, while but little of 

 it appears to be good clam ground. The mud flats are mostly covered 

 with a sewage scum which renders them unsuitable for clams. Scat- 

 tering clams are found throughout the entire region. 



The immediate vicinity of Snake Island in Winthrop and the cove 

 on Point Shirley furnish fairly good clamming, while clams are found 

 in a greater or less degree upon the extensive flats of Winthrop harbor. 



