In Stage harbor clams are found along the sides of the Mill Pond, comprising possibly an acre, and in the eastern end of the harbor toward the dike, where about 3 acres of flats are thickly set.
An extended area of sand flats are found in Pleasant Bay. But small parts of this area furnish good clamming, and the Common Flats on the inside of Monomoy Island, where once there were acres of good clams, now lie entirely barren except for a small patch of set just north of Brant Island, comprising about 1/5 of an acre. Here are about 100 acres of barren flats which only need planting to be made productive.
The commercial clam fishery, of the town is carried on at Monomoy Point, where 5 acres of the best clamming in Massachusetts is found. The Powder Hole flats, formed of coarse, clean sand, are thickly set with clams of all sizes, and furnish excellent digging. A good clammer can obtain from 5 to 6 bushels per tide from these flats.
Clams are dug at Chatham during the fishing season chiefly for bait. Such digging lasts through the fall and winter. In the summer, clams are dug only for food, as no cod fishing is conducted in the warm months. From 10 to 15 men were engaged in clamming during the summer of 1907, travelling from Chatham to Monomoy Point in power or sail dories. Practically all the clams dug came from the Powder Hole flats at Monomoy Point. These were purchased at Chatham wharf by fish firms at the price of $2 per barrel.
The winter clam fishery of Chatham was once an important industry, which started in 1875 when clams were in great demand as fish bait. The following table shows how this industry has declined:—
| 1879. | 1907. | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of men, | 150 | 10 |
| Annual production (bushels), | 35,000 | 1,500 |
| Value of production, | $12,250 | $1,200 |
| Price per bushel (cents), | 35 | 80 |
| Capital invested, | $2,000 | $400 |
Owing to the large amount of clams dug by fishing vessels, the following restrictions were incorporated in 1881 as a State law, which reads as follows:—
No fisherman or any other person shall take from the towns of Chatham and Nantucket any shellfish, for bait or other use, except clams and a shellfish commonly known by the name of horse feet, and no quantity exceeding seven bushels of clams, including shells or one hundred of said horse feet shall be taken in one week for each vessel or craft, nor in any case without a permit being first obtained from the selectmen of the town.
Summary of Industry.
| Number of men, | 10 |
| Capital invested, | $400 |
| Production, 1907:— | |
| Bushels, | 1,500 |
| Value, | $1,200 |
| Total area (acres):— | |
| Sand, | 330 |
| Mud, | 10 |
| Gravel, | 20 |
| Mussels and eel grass, | — |
| Total, | 360 |
| Productive area (acres):— | |
| Good clamming, | 10 |
| Scattering clams, | 50 |
| Barren area possibly productive (acres), | 300 |
| Waste barren area (acres), | — |
| Possible normal production, | $44,000 |