BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION 1889
Part 3. Pages 323-328
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GIANT SCALLOP FISHERY OF MAINE.
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The warp or rope by which the dredge is manipulated varies in length with the depth of water in which it is used. Owing to the oblique position which it occupies when in the water, it is necessarily much longer than would be required to reach simply to the bottom in a perpendicular direction. The usual length of rope is 50 to 150 fathoms.
The value of such a dredge as has been described is about $5, exclusive of the warp. One dredge is the usual complement of a boat carrying two men.
A dredge employed by the fishermen of Castine and vicinity, described by Mr. Vogell, is similar in construction to the specimen figured, but is of considerably smaller size, the framework being 23 inches wide and 9 inches high, the arms of the it pull bail" 20 inches long, and the pocket 24 inches deep.
In fishing for scallops, the warp is tied to a thwart of the boat and the dredge is lowered to the bottom near the edge of the bed. Then both men "lay to" and row over the ground, towing the dredge. If the wind be propitious the sail is raised, and the towing may be exclusively done by the wind, but usually the sail is supplemented by the oars. If the bed be small the men may tow the dredge from one side to the other before drawing it up. When operating on larger beds the dredge is hauled up every 200 or 300 feet, the frequency varying with the abundance of the scallops.
When vessels are employed the fishing is carried on from small boats, as elsewhere stated. Sometimes, however, in certain localities, the fishing, is done by running out the dredge with a boat and hauling it in from the side of the vessel, which is kept at anchor. The advantage a,rising from the use of vessels is referred to in the next section.
On the Sheepscot River, where the fishing maneuvers are carried on from large, decked, sloop-rigged boats, provided with a crew of one or two men and fitted out with one dredge, the scallops are taken by sailing back and forth over the beds while towing the scrape. The boats are too large to permit the use of oars, which, more- over, are not required by the nature of the grounds.
9. VESSELS AND BOATS EMPLOYED.
As already stated, the first attempts to take scallops in the vicinity of Mount Desert Island were by men operating in vessels, but the use of the latter never became popular on the island, and they have never been regularly employed. Only a few trials with vessels have been made since the establishment of the fishery. in the vicinity of Castine and Cape Rosier vessels appear to have been in greater favor than elsewhere, and several have been employed annually. The following statement shows the vessels which, from time to time, during the past 3 years have been devoted during a portion of the season to scallop fishing:
Name of vessel. Tons carried Fishing grounds. boats
,
Alena L. Gray............. 16. 02..... Penobacot Bay and tributaries ........ 2
Commerce .................. 46.20...... Penobacot Bay and tributaries ........ 7
Cygnet..................... 13.17...... Off Mount Desert Island ............. 2
Major ...................... 6.62........ Pennbacot Bay and tributaries......... 2
Ripple.....-................ 24.29...... Off Mount DeeertIsland ....... ...... 2
The schooner Allena L. Gray was built in 1889 and first used in the scallop business from Cape Rosier in the season of 1889-'90, As an example of the amount of
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work that can be done with vessels, it may be stated that, during the period indi. cated, this schooner took 1,400 bushels of scallops.
It should be remembered that even when vessels arer used the actual 1shing is done from small boats carried for the purpose, the vessel simply serving as a lodging place for the crew and to freight the catch to the shipping point. The usual cora. plement of a vessel engaged in this fishery is one boat to every two men of the crew, the boats ordinarily being dories, pea-pods, and other common types.
It may be of interest in this place to point out what appear to be some of the advantages and disadvantages of vessels and boats in this fishery. When the industry is carried on primarily from boats the men are forced to make short trips, are inter rupted in their operations by rough weather, and are obliged to return to shore to shuck and otherwise prepare the catch for shipment. On the other hand, with a vessel anchored on the grounds, the facilities for taking care of the catch are as good as those on shore, there is less time lost in landing the products, time can be economized by "weathering" moderate storms and resuming operations as soon as fishing becomes possible, ice can be carried with which to preserve the catch until a full fare is secured, better opportunity is afforded for getting the scallops to the shipping place, and in various other ways it -would appear that the vessel or decked boat is, on the whole, more serviceable and efficacious. The advantage is not so great, however, when the fishing grounds are inshore or adjacent to the point of shipment.
No special types of boats are employed in the shore fishery. There are few scallop fishermen that do not at some period during the year enga,ge in other branches of the fisheries, and the same boat is employed for both purposes. The scallop boats, therefore, are the ordinary forms found in the region, varying with the localities in which the fishery is prosecuted.
Consequently we find that in the Mount Desert and Little
Deer Isle sections, pea-pods are the prevailing class, while farther west dories are
in most cominon use.
In the vicinity of Castine and Cape Rosier the employment of small, decked, sloop-rigged boats has recently been increasing, the number at the latter place having advanced from 1 in 1887 to G in 1889. On the Sheepscot River the favorite form of craft is also a sloop-rigged boat. The pea-pods and dories have an average value of $15, and the decked boats range in price from $100 to $200, those in the Sheepscot River being, as a class, the most expensive.
Generally speaking, the larger a boat the less serviceable it is in this fishery, other things being equal. This is especially true where rowing is the method of propulsion and sailing is not followed at all or is only supplemental to it. When sailing is chiefly followed, the objections to a craft of large size are not so potent, up to a certain limit. It is said that there are considerable difficulties in the way of properly operating a boat over 25 feet in length, and the fishermen in most localities prefer a much smaller one. In the eastern portion of the scallop territory, that is, between Castine and Mount Desert Island, the fishermen consider the most useful kind of a boat to be about 16, feet in length.
In 1888, it is reported that a man in the vicinity of Castine employed a small steamer in the scallop fishery, but unsuccessfully, and the attempt was abandoned.
10. THE FISHING GROUNDS
(b) Location of the beds. All the scallop beds, the existence of which was known and on which the fishermen operated in 1889, are shown on the accompanying map.
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The position of the beds, as given on the chart, is based on information and descriptions furnished by fishermen and other responsible parties in the different sections. In the absence of any surveys or other definite means of locating the grounds, their position, as well as their size and shape, must be understood as being only approximately correct, although, for the purposes of this paper, it is sufficiently accurate.
The position of the beds may be briefly summarized as follows:
Off Mount Desert Island. Nine beds have been discovered in this vicinity. Three are adjacent to Bartlett's Island, one being near the northern end, at the entrance to the narrows; another off the southeastern end, opposite Pretty Marsh Harbor; and the third off the southern extremity. The fourth bed runs parallel with Hardwood Island, between it and the shore of Mount Desert Island. Two of the remaining beds are near Moose Island, and the others are located some 3 miles off the coast and 4 miles south of Moose Island, in the neighborhood of Ship Island. The four beds first named are the largest, and those last mentioned the smallest, those at Moose Island being intermediate in size as well as in position. It is somewhat interesting to observe that all of these beds, extending over a tract 10 miles in length, run north and south in an almost direct line.
Off Little Deer Isle and Cape Rosier. A large area lying south of Little Deer Isle and Cape Rosier, between these places and North Haven Island, is more or less cov- ered with scallops, which are taken jointly by the fishermen from Little Deer Isle, Cape Rosier, Sedgwick, and occasionally Castine.
The area embraced between the peripheral beds is about 45 square miles, and includes numerous islands, among which the largest are Eagle, Bare, Butter, Spruce Head, Little Spruce Head, Beach, Colt Head, Bradbury, Crow, Pickering, Eaton's, Sheep, Western, Pond, and Hog Islands. Between or clustered around these the beds are found. More beds are known to exist in this region than in any other on the Maine coast, although they are mostly of small size.
Of the thirty-four separate beds operated in 1889 only three were of large dimensions. Two of these were east of Hog Island, and the other east of Pickering Island. New beds are continually discovered in this region, as the smaller and older beds are exhausted.
Bagaduce River, Lawrence Bay, and of Brooksville. Prior to 10 years ago the only bed in the vicinity of Castine, the existence of which was known by the fishermen, was some distance up the Bagaduce River. Since the demand for scallops has increased, the fishermen have had to search for other sources of supply, and Mr. Vogel states that new beds of greater or less extent are now found almost every year. In 1889 there were five beds in the Bagaduce River. Two of these, of considerable size, were above Castine, another large bed was nearly opposite that city, and a smaller one was situated a little nearer the mouth of the river; the fifth, a medium sized bed, was at the junction of the river with Penobscot Bay.
Smith's Cove or Lawrence Bay is an indentation of considerable size in the
Bagaduce River, opposite Castine. Near the head of this body of water a small bed existed
in 1889.
Immediately north of Holbrook Island a bed was operated in 1889 similar in size to that occurring in the mouth of the Bagaduce River. A very large area directly west of Holbrook Island and nearest to the shores of Islesborough is known to exist, which is thickly covered with scallops. Its limits are somewhat in dispute, owing to the fact that but few fishermen ever essay to work it because of its depth, which is
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for the most part over 45 fathoms. This has proved to be too deep for regular profit able fishing. Southwest of this large bed, and still nearer Islesborough, a much smaller bed has been found, which is chiefly visited by Cape Rosier 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, in 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 covered by these mollusks in the river in question.
(b) Depth of the beds. The depth of water in which scallops occur no doubt accounts in 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 principal beds:
Location of beds.......................................... Approximate range of depth (fathoms).
Bartlett's Island, northern end............................................7 1/2 to 11
Bartlett'a Island, eastern side...................................................9 to 25
Bartlett's Island, southern end.................................................10 to 35
Hardwood Island.....................................................................34 to 40
Moose Island..........................................................................15 to 21
Numerous beds between North Haven and Cape Rosier..............4 to 27
Bagaduce River, upper beds.....................................................3 to 8
Bagaduce River, bed at month...................................................5 to 12 1/2
Holbrook Island.........................................................................9 to 13
Large bed off Brookaville.........................................................20 to 46
Sheepscot River.......................................................................6 to 22
Average....................................................................................11 to 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 are usually irregularly oval in outline and the proportional length of long and short diameters appears to depend entirely on the strength and direction of the current, the major axis in 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 in 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.
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GIANT SCALLOP FISHERY OF MAINE.
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However this may be, it is known that the mollusks lie thickly on the bottom, and that ten or twelve successive hauls may often be made over the same spot before the scallops appear to be seriously diminished. '
Mr. James E. Benedict, for some years the naturalist on board the U. S. Fish Commission exploring steamer Albatross, informs the writer that in many localities off our coast the scallops lie very thickly on the bottom, and are so closely matted together by the sponges and worm-tubes that locomotion is impossible. Under such conditions the working of the beds would probably be promotive of the growth and improvement in the quality of the individual animals and the expansion of the beds, by breaking up the masses of mollusks and giving them an opportunity to exercise their locomotive faculties in search of new feeding grounds.
(d) Nature of the bottom.-Scallops can not be said to prefer any particular kind of bottom, and their presence in a given locality is rather to be attributed to favorable conditions of salinity and temperature than to the character of the bottom. In certain places the mollusks may be found on a rocky bottom, for instance, to the exclusion of other kinds, while in an adjoining section they may occur only on soft sticky mud.
Off Mount Desert Island the greatest variety of bottom is found. The beds adjacent to the northern and eastern sides of Bartlett's Island and off Hardwood Island are on soft bottom, as ascertained by the U. S. Coast Survey. The bed at the southern end of Bartlett's Island is on rocky bottom. Sticky mud predominates off Moose Island. Mr. Heath remarks that the scallops in that vicinity occur on bottoms of rock, reddish gravel, hard clay, and dead shells. .
Mr. Gray has found that the numerous beds in the Penobscot Bay, between Eagle Island and Dice's Head, occur mostly on the hard, rocky bottoms, some of them so rugged that a dredge can not be used thereon. The large bed near the Islesborough shore appears to be chiefly on clay and mud.
In the Bagaduce River the bottom is mostly rocky. Mr. Vogell states that the scallops do not there occur on soft bottom, but seem to prefer hard, smooth areas, covered with free rocks from the size of pebbles to stones so large that a dredge is sometimes caught behind them and lost.
In the Sheepscot River, black and gray sand and mud appear to be the predomi- nant forms of bottom.
11. FISHING SEASON.
The fishing season varies in the different localities. It depends chiefly on the prox- imity of the markets. Generally speaking, where there is a good local demand in the vicinity of the scallop beds, the fishery may continue throughout the year; in other cases, with distant markets, the fishery has to be regulated by the weather and is confined to the colder months, during which shipments may be safely made for long distances.
On Mount Desert Island, the months of July and August see the greatest activity among the scallop fishermen, and the bulk of the catch is made during that time; in November and December a few men also follow the business; during the remainder of the year, however, the output is small and uncertain.
At Little Deer Isle, an isolated center, the principal operations are carried on from the first of December till the termination of cold weather in March or April; in
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1889-'90 it extended from December 1 to March 20. A small amount of fishing is also done in the fall.
The season at Castine and Cape Rosier usually begins November 1 and termi- nates April 1. The winter of 1888-'89 was an open one and therefore unfavorable to the business.
In the Sheepscot River the scallops are taken only during the winter months.
12. RESULTS OF THE FISHERY IN 1887, 1888, AND 1889.
The aggregate output of the fishery in 1887, 1888, and 1889, respectively, was 85,204 bushels, 29,578 bushels, and 45,368 bushels. The equivalent numbers of gallons were 23,277 in 1887, 19,028 in 18%8, and 29,851 in 1889. The total value of the products as sold by the fishermen was $13,994 in 1887, $11,278 in 1888, and $18,647 in 1889. The output of the different localities is shown in detail in the accompanying tables.
In the first year the localities yielding the largest quantities were, in their order, Castine, Sheepscot River, Tremont, Little Deer Isle, Cape Rosier, and Mount Desert. In 1888 and 1889 the order varied somewhat. The Sheepscot River is to be credited with the largest catch, followed by Little Deer Isle, Castine, Cape Rosier, Tremont, Mount Desert, and Sedgwick. .
The average stock per man in 1889 was only $95 and is always necessarily low, owing to the large number of persons who engage in the fishery only irregularly, and also to the short time during which the fishery is prosecuted in most localities. It should also be borne in mind that few, if any, men depend exclusively on scalloping for a livelihood. The following table shows the fluctuations in the average stock per man in the different localities during the past 3 years:
Table showing the average stock of persons engaged in the scallop fishery.
Men who may be said to have made a business of scalloping during the continu- ance of the season stocked quite as much as usually results from other fisheries for the same length of time. For instance, at least fifteen men in Castine and Cape Rosier annually take scallops to the value of $200 each, although the average stock of the fishermen of those places is only about half that sum.
13. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE POSSIBLE ADVANCEMENT OF THE FISHERY.
Locality..................................1887............1888..............1889
Mount Desert.........................$150.............$125.............$100
Tremont.....................................92................63.................54
Little Deer Isle............................65................51................139
Sedgwick ......................................................33..................50
Cape Rosier ..............................54................44................106
Castine.....................................125..............118................119
Sheepscot River .........................71................60.................74
Total ..........................................85................64.................95
The probability of making large fares, were it possible to operate to advantage on the deeper beds, suggests the need of a more improved form of dredge. With the present dredge it is not easy to take scallops at a greater depth than 30 fathoms.
Probably the most extensive beds lie beyond that depth and have never been disturbed
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