326 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
for the most part over 45 fathoms. This has proved to be too deep for regular profit- 
able fishiug. Southwest of this large bed, and still nearer Islesborough, a much smaller 
bed has been found, which is chiefly visited by Cape Eosier fishermen, 
Sheepscot River . — The scallop beds in the Sheepscot are of greater extent than 
those found elsewhere in the State. They begin a short distance north of Sweet’s 
Island and extend up the river in a more or less unbroken chain to within about 2 
miles of Wiscasset. An offshoot also enters Cross River, a tributary of the Sheepscot, 
to the distance of about a mile. The area covered by the scallops in this river is about 
7 miles long, and, iu the widest part, opposite Barter’s Island, from one-quarter to one- 
half a mile across, tapering in the upper course of the river to conform with the width 
of the stream. It is estimated that not less than 2 square miles of bottom are cov- 
ered by these mollusks iu the river in question. 
(h) Depth of the beds . — The depth of water in which scallops occur no doubt accounts 
iu a great measure for the comparatively few localities in which the mollusks have 
been found. It is well known that vast beds exist off the Maine coast, but these are 
inaccessible to the fishermen both on account of their depth and their distance from 
the shore. 
The beds which are worked on the coast of Maine may be said to range from 4 to 
40 fathoms in depth. The depth varies with the region and with particular spots in 
each region. The most important soundings, as gleaned from the fishermen and the 
charts of the United States Coast Survey, may be briefly stated as follows for the 
l>rincipal beds : 
Location of beds. 
Approximate 
range of depth. 
Bartlett’s Island, northern end 
Fathoms. 
, to 11 
9 25 
10 35 
34 40 
15 21 
4 27 
3 8 
5 12J 
9 13 
20 46 
6 22 
Numerous beds between North Haven and Cape Rosier. 
Bagaduce River, upper beds 
Average 
11 24 
(c) Shape and character of the beds . — Data relative to the shape and thickness of 
the scallop beds are not so abundant or conclusive as could be desired. In general , 
it may be stated that the areas covered by scallops arensually irregularly oval in out- i 
line and the proportional length of long and short diameters appears to depend 
entirely on the strength and direction of the current, the major axis iu all cases being | 
in the line of the current. This is very noticeable in the Bagaduce River and the 
beds around Bartlett’s Island, for instance, where the feature can be directly traced 
to the action of the water. 
The fishermen in some localities think that the scallops are sometimes disposed iu 
a shape approximating a broad-based cone, and when not so placed that they lie one | 
upon the other in several layers, most thickly aggregated towards the center of the 
bed. The opinion also prevails that some beds at least are raised a foot or more above 
the level of the surrounding bottom. 
