72 THE SCALLOP FISHERY 



high and scallops are scarce, it becomes profitable to catch the young 

 " seed." The present scallop law now defines a " seed " scallop and 

 forbids its capture. By protecting the " seed " scallop, the State has 

 done all that at present appears expedient to insure the future of the 

 industry; the rest lies in the hands of the towns. 



So, while the scallop has declined in certain localities, and the decline 

 has been hastened by unwise capture of the " seed " scallop, the main 

 decline of the fishery cannot be attributed to wholesale overfishing, "as 

 it is impossible to overfish if only the old scallops (over one year old) 

 are taken ; for, unlike most other animals, the scallop usually breeds but 

 once, and its natural period of life is unusually brief. These scallops, 

 if not taken, will die,,, and prove a total loss ; so every fisherman should 

 bear in mind that, as long as the " seed " scallops are protected, severe 

 fishing of large scallops is not likely to injure the future scallop 

 industry. 



The adult scallop has to contend against the same adverse physical 

 conditions of nature that beset the young animal. Severe winters, 

 storms, anchor frosts, etc., work destruction upon the helpless scallop. 

 Exposure to low tides, as on the Common Plats of Chatham, and on the 

 north side of Cape Cod; exposure to sewage contamination, as in New 

 Bedford harbor; exposure on an open coast, as is occasionally the case 

 on the south side of Cape Cod; sudden changes in the salinity of the 

 water, i.e., by flood waters; the distribution of tides and currents; the 

 temperature of the water ; the nature of the bottom, — all affect the life 

 of this mollusk, and render its existence precarious. 



The very nature of the scallop's period of hfe renders it peculiarly 

 sensitive to adverse conditions, and places difficulties in the way of its 

 natural propagation. 



As the scaUop dies before reaching its second birthday, only one set 

 of scallops spawn in any one season. There are never two generations 

 of scallops spawning at one time. I quote from IngersoU (8) in this 

 connection : — ■ 



This represents a case where the generations follow one another so rapidly 

 that there are never two ranks, or generations, in condition to reproduce 

 their kind at once, except in rare individual instances, since all, or nearly 

 aU, of the old ones die before the young ones have grown old enough to 

 spawn. If such a state of affairs exists, of course amy sudden catastrophy, 

 such as a great and cold storm during the winter, or the covering of the 

 water where they lie for a long period with a sheet of ice, happening to 

 kill all the tender young (and old ones, too, often) in a particular dis- 

 trict, will exterminate the breed there; since, even if the older and tougher 

 ones survive this shock, they will not live long enough, or, at any rate, 

 will be unable to spawn again, and so start a new generation. 



The set of young scallops is abundant in shallow water upon the 

 eel-grass flats, which often, as is the case of the Common Flats at Chat- 



