In considering the rise of a fishing industry, it is often difficult to state exactly the year when the industry started, as there are differences of opinion as to how large a fishery should be before it could be justly considered an industry. The scallop fishery has existed for years, but did not become an established industry of the State before the year 1872. At that time there was hardly any demand for scallops, and the catch was with difficulty marketed. Since then the market demand for the scallop has steadily increased, until the supply can hardly meet the popular demand. It seems almost incredible that the scallop as an article of food should once have been scorned and practically unknown.
During the years of 1876 and 1877 the industry took a sudden spurt. At this time the introduction of the dredge on Cape Cod revolutionized the industry, and made it possible to open up the deep-water fields. The industry on Cape Cod first started at Hyannis, where a number of men entered the new business; and for several years the production increased rapidly, with the opening of new territories and improved methods of capture. While the natural supply has remained the same or declined in certain localities, as has been shown in a previous part of this report, the value of the industry, in regard to the number of men engaged and capital invested, has steadily increased.
Scallop Production for Massachusetts.[12]
| Year. | Bushels. | Value. | Gallons. | Price per Gallon. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1879, | 10,542 | $3,514 | 7,028 | $0.50 |
| 1887, | 41,964 | 38,933 | 27,976 | 1.39 |
| 1888, | 26,168 | 43,202 | 17,446 | 2.48 |
| 1898, | 128,863 | 85,383 | 85,908 | 0.99 |
| 1902, | 66,150 | 89,982 | 44,100 | 2.04 |
| 1905, | 43,872 | 98,712 | 29,248 | 3.37½ |
These figures show that the price of scallops varies greatly, dependent largely upon the amount caught that season; also that there has been, in spite of the irregularity of the catch, a gradual rise in prices since 1879, due to a more extensive market.
In considering the scallop industry the following points should be noted: (1) It has been necessary to record as scallop area any grounds where scallops have ever been found, in spite of the fact that only a portion of this total area is in any one year productive. (2) The boats engaged in the scallop fishery are but transitory capital, which is utilized, outside of the scallop season, in other fisheries. (3) The quahaug and scallop fisheries in many towns supplement each other, as the same men and boats are engaged in both industries. (4) The length of the season varies in the different localities. In New Bedford and Fairhaven the scallops are mostly caught in a few weeks, as many boats enter the business temporarily. This necessarily gives an excess of invested capital and a small production. In these two towns the number of scallop licenses are recorded as showing the number of men engaged in the fishery, while as a fact but a small part of these are steadily engaged in the industry.
| TOWN. | Number of Men. | Boats. | Extra Dories. | Value of Gear. | Production 1907-08. | Area of Grounds (Acres). | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number. | Value. | Number. | Value. | Gallons. | Value. | ||||
| Barnstable | 39 | 23 | $8,000 | — | — | $575 | 1,530 | $2,004 | 2,800 |
| Bourne | 38 | 30 | 15,000 | — | — | 1,200 | 12,000 | 15,720 | 3,000 |
| Chatham | 107 | 35 | 10,650 | 61 | $1,430 | 1,185 | 34,615 | 45,345 | 2,000 |
| Dennis | 30 | 9 | 4,230 | 9 | 180 | 368 | 2,950 | 3,865 | 2,250 |
| Edgartown | 39 | 26 | 8,000 | — | — | 550 | 17,000 | 22,270 | 2,000 |
| Fairhaven | 73[13] | 50 | 12,500 | — | — | 1,500 | 1,300 | 1,703 | 2,500 |
| Harwich | 12 | 7 | 2,350 | — | — | 280 | 2,170 | 2,843 | 3,200 |
| Marion | 44 | 16 | 5,300 | 24 | 250 | 580 | 7,000 | 9,170 | 1,500 |
| Mattapoisett | 22 | 19 | 6,900 | — | — | 760 | 5,000 | 6,550 | 1,200 |
| Nantucket | 99 | 47 | 13,250 | 20 | 500 | 700 | 20,245 | 26,539 | 4,500 |
| New Bedford | 38[13] | 20 | 5,000 | — | — | 600 | 700 | 917 | 400 |
| Tisbury | 20 | 8 | 3,000 | 6 | 90 | 300 | 3,000 | 3,930 | 800 |
| Wareham | 45 | 36 | 10,800 | — | — | 1,300 | 10,000 | 13,100 | 2,500 |
| Yarmouth | 41 | 15 | 3,750 | 10 | 200 | 475 | 8,000 | 10,480 | 2,250 |
| Total | 647 | 341 | $108,730 | 130 | $2,650 | $10,373 | 125,510 | $164,436 | 30,900 |