Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-12-07
FRENcHMAN's BAY scALLoPS
Courageous and Persistent Fishermen
Going to See If There Are Any More
of the Bivalves There.


A Bar Harbor special TO the Boston
Sunday Globe says:
Preparations which are being mace
BY a few coura geous fishermen to drag
the scallop beds of Frenchman's Bay
are giving hope for the revival OF
brief hut fiourishing industry which
had a big boom several years ago. ana
then is suddenly collapsed. leaving a
number Of enthusiasts stranded with
expensive equipment and serious tnan-
cial loss.
The ScallOD industry seems to 80 by
spurts along the Maine coast, brief
period giving employment and profit
to goodly number Of hardy coast
fishermen, and then leaving them in
the lurch. The toothsome scallop IS
hardly as we'll known as the lobster,
but il fully as delicious. and brings a
much higher rrice in the markets.
A few years ago casual dredging dis
closed the fact that there were large
beds Of scallops in Frenchmans Pay
seemingly ineXhaustible. The whole
sale price of scallops iluctuates any
where from $50 to 81 a gallon, some
summer half dozen fishermen made
a good living dredging for the shellfsh
and selling them in the Boston mai
kets
Other fishermen, seeing the success
of their companions. thought there was
no reason why they, too might not
make money in scallops. Old fsn-r-
men assured their younger brethren
that dredging the fields only increased
the shelltish- producing activity. 1t
was further soleEnnly stated that II
the scallop shells We're thrown back
into the water new ScalloDs would be
formed and take their places in the
old shells. The edible portion Of the
scallop is simply the round hin:,, or
muscle which holds the two shells to-
gether, and the rest is tossed back
into the water.
An increase in the Wholesale price
of scallops caused the fishermen t.
dream themselves rich in a single
week. 1t was easy figuring. TWO men
and a boat could easily Gather 81 OF
20 gallons Of the succulent fish per day
That meant from SCI to $Sn a day for
of Eastern Maine came men and boats
to fish. stirred by the scheme to make
q fortune in { month. Those who haG
no boats built them and fitted them
out with expensive motors. and thou
sands of dollars We're invested in craft
and tackle. All winter long the wa
ters Of Frenchman's Bay We're dragged
IN the search for scallops. AT one time
a feet of nearly 60 boats and probably
400 men We're engaged in dragging the
waters.
About ell the dragging centered on
certain beds, where faRlS were sure
TO be made As the beds were dracce
more and more thoroushly the yiel.,
decreased. Then the reaction came
Instead Of the expected hauls Of 20 "a
10 gallons, which fnaterialized at first.
mch counted themselves lucky 4 one
or two were the results Of a DAYS
work. The beds We're dragged care
fully and relentlessly, and in spite Of
the old salts prediction. the continual
dragging didn't seem to stimulate re-
neWed activity IN production. and the
empty shells which were thrown back
into the water were drawn up l..3in
white and hleached, with 10 siyr of
another scallop formed to take the
place Of the departed The res, ar ,ha
bay began to come under the GY,oenc+
ana the fishermen began to come r.
the reluctant conclusion that their
bonanza had played out.
Almost everything came up in the
dredGes except the valuable scaIlons
They brought up old rusty sewing ma
chlnes-old sunken buoys-old wash
bollers filed with rubbish--and all the
miscellaneous collection OF fiotsan and
Jetsam that sinks to the harbor bot-
tom or is washed in from the deem h,
the waves. One man, indeed was
lucky enough to bring up the create,
part OF an almost new gasoline motto,
IN good state of preservation. which
ne sold for good round sum. Gm1e-
some things We're brought up. too
along with the hauls, barnacIe.
encrusted skull fragments of clothing
and relics Of tragedies unknown ar for
gotten.
First one and the another ouiet,z
Withdrew from the business. sold n,
tried to sell their expensive eouiDnent
ana retired in disgust \ few persist.
ent souls remained in the business
making small haul and DRAGGING III.
narbor IN the hope of some time find.
ing new bed that would RECON- tbar,
lhls year the scallops seem I. he 9
DIT more plentiful than for some tim.
past. LINK
"A little bird told me-, is an .,,,