68 THE SCALLOP FISHERY 



must be shielded from their enemies. The active enemies of the young 

 larvae can be enumerated: fish, other shellfish and animals of similar 

 nature which suck down the larva for food, the adult scallop often 

 treating her young in this manner. Later in life, when the young 

 scallop is discernible to the naked eye, the starfish, crabs, sea fowl and 

 other predacious animals feed upon it. Scallops of nearly l 1 /^ inches 

 in size have been taken from the crop of an eider duck by John H. 

 Hardy, Jr., of Chatham. 



But the force which causes the vast destruction is not accounted for 

 by these active enemies. It is broader and farther reaching in its in- 

 fluence. It is nature, with her vast adverse conditions. Severe weather, 

 storms, sudden changes in temperature and in salinity of the water 

 during the spawning season, sewage and other contamination, may 

 bring about the destruction of the floating larvae. The localities of set 

 are such that only a limited area is available for the retention of the 

 spat. Eel-grass-covered flats are best adapted for the set, and other 

 localities generally prove unfruitful. The larvae, uniformly scattered 

 through the water, are washed hither and thither, relatively few ever 

 setting on good ground, the rest either washing ashore or being buried 

 on slimy and unwholesome bottom. Thus the infant mortality is es- 

 pecially great and only a very few escape the perils of the embryonic 

 stage of their existence. These few are now at the mercy of the 

 elements until they have attained sufficient size to enable them to take 

 care of themselves. On the eel grass they are constantly in the danger 

 of washing ashore. When the set is on shallow flats, for example, 

 the Common Flats of Chatham, the scallops are nearly exposed at low 

 running tides, and thus often are killed by the severe winter frosts and 

 ice. Even when in deeper water, the " anchor frost " is said to destroy 

 them in great numbers, but fortunately this condition is rarely found. 



Enemies of the Adult. The adult scallop has several natural ene- 

 mies, including man, both active and passive, as well as being subject 

 to the adversities of nature, for the scallop, by reason of its specialized 

 anatomy, is most susceptible of all economic mollusks and readily suc- 

 cumbs to an unfavorable environment. 



(a) The Starfish. The starfish (Asterias forbesii) is probably the 

 most destructive pest of the scallop fishery, and has proved a source 

 of great annoyance and loss to the scallopers. Fortunately the inroads 

 of this pest are chiefly confined to one section of the State, Buzzard's 

 Bay, and although the animal is found in some abundance along the 

 south side of Cape Cod and at the islands of Nantucket and Martha's 

 Vineyard, it is not so serious a menace to the industry. Many of the 

 Buzzard's Bay fishermen attribute the decline of the scallop fishery 

 in those waters some eight years ago to the invasion of the great num- 

 bers of starfish at that time. From reports by the fishermen the scallop- 

 ing grounds were literally paved with starfish, and it was utterly 



