also dictated that permission must be obtained to ship shellfish out of the 

 Town, and set a fee of 5 shillings for each ton burden of craft carrying 

 such shipment, and for clams 2 pence for every 100. In 1857 the Town of 

 Islip asked the State Legislature to pass legislation giving them 

 jurisdiction over a part of the Bay which allegedly belonged to Brookhaven. 

 Brookhaven Town was able to prevent this move. The dispute was finally 

 settled in 1880, when the two towns concluded a reciprocal agreement which 

 allowed Brookhaven baymen to harvest shellfish in Islip waters. Islip paid 

 $1,5 00 to Brookhaven (presumably to give Islip baymen the reciprocal 

 privilege) . Conflict between public ground clammers and holders of leased 

 grounds began early. In 1898 baymen and Brookhaven Trustees tried to 

 prevent dredging on leased ground, but this was defeated. Scarcity of 

 shellfish is not a new development. About 1810 oysters ceased to spawn in 

 the Bay and gradually became scarcer until 1825-1830. Whether hard clam 

 became more abundant at this time is not mentioned. In 1933, after the 

 inlet opened up at Moriches Bay, salinity at Smith's Point in the eastern 

 part of Great South Bay increased almost to full ocean content. Hard clam 

 stocks were increasing, which partly compensated for loss of oysters. 

 Increased salinity was most beneficial for clam reproduction and growth. 

 Previous to the break only occasional clam sets occurred in the eastern 

 Bay, and growth was so stunted east of Nicoll's Point that almost all 

 clammers worked west of the Point. After 1931 setting and growth were 

 satisfactory in all parts of Great South Bay and Moriches Bay, and clammers 

 worked these areas with profit. Baymen were anxious to prevent the inlet 

 from closing. The history of shellfishing in Great South Bay is a history 

 of the inlets. From 1931 to 1933 Glancy grew hard clams from egg to adult 

 clams over an inch long. In hatchery jars, larval period was 9 days, and 

 he believed larval development would be more rapid in the Bay. He thought 

 that this might explain why good clam sets occur when oyster sets fail. 

 Larval life of oysters is twice as long, which would increase the 

 probability that larvae would be flushed out. After setting hard clams 

 grew very slowly. In November, at age 6 months, when hibernation began, 

 the largest were scarcely 1/4 inch. In 1932, '33, '38, and '42 gills of 

 oysters and clams took on a dark color. The reason was not determined. 

 In years when Bay water remains clear, so that bottom can be seen at 3 ft 

 or more on calm days, oysters and clams always grow well and become fat. 

 When waters are turbid growth is poor and meats thin. Turbidity was 

 almost always caused by very small algae at densities of 100,000 to 

 200,000/drop of water. Under such conditions, when visibility of light- 

 colored objects was less than 1 ft, oysters and clams seemed unable to 

 feed. Some observers associated these blooms with almost complete 

 disappearance of eelgrass. It was concluded that the shellf isheries of 

 Great south Bay had a bright future, provided management were intelligent 

 and Bay waters were kept clean. - J.L.M. 



658 



Glancy, Joseph B. 1956. 



Biological benefits of the Moriches and Shinnecock Inlets with particular 

 reference to pollution and the shellf isheries. Unpublished report to 

 District Engineer, N.Y. Corps of Engineers, 18 p. 



Describes the history of Moriches Inlet, which closed from natural events 

 about 1886 and was reopened by a storm in 1931. Between 1946 and 1952 

 attempts were made to stabilize the channel by dredging and stone revetment 

 and construction of 2 jetties. The inlet was reopened in 1953 with the aid 

 of a hurricane. Salinities in the eastern part of Great South Bay increased 

 substantially after the first reopening in 1931. Prior to that time almost 

 no clams, and few oysters, were marketed from eastern Great South Bay, 

 Moriches and Shinnecock Bays , because salinities were too low for growth and 

 fattening. After 1931 high salinities favored increased abundance and 

 activity of oyster drills, which destroyed most of the oyster set. Clams, 

 however, were relatively resistant to drill predation, and increased clam 

 production more than made up for loss of the seed oyster industry. Oyster 

 reproduction was not affected, and the author concluded that if drills could 

 be controlled all of Great South Bay and the other two bays would be suitable 



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