The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-12-30
FRESH WATER AT
$3.50 A GALLON
But ScalIop Fishermen May Be
Forced To Be Honest
After This


Board in session in Elizabeth City last
week empowered the Commissioner of
Fisheries to cooperate with scallop
buyers in this state to the extent of
buying and installing a scallop testing
laboratory at Morehead City, N. c., if
necessary, for the protection of the
scallop industry.
Dishonest scallop fishermen have
gotten the North Carolina scallop in
disrepute and certain Morehead City
shippers are in a peck of trouble as
result of this dishonesty.
The scallop is peculiar bivalve.
When taken from its shell it must be
thoroly washed or it will quickly de-
compose. In the washing the scallop
will absorb a quantity of water. If
permitted to soak in fresh water it will
absorb its own weight in fresh water.
Scallops can be soaked until one gallon
of scallop meats has expanded to two
and the fact can not be detected by
the human eye.
Most of the scallops caught in North
Carolina are in Bogue Sound, Carteret
County, and are shipped from Beaufort
and Morehead City. The scallop fish
ermen of Carteret last year marketed
$4,000 gallons of scallops for which
they received $3.50 to $500 a gallon,
bringing into the state more than half
a million dollars. The ten cents a gal
lon tax on scallops paid into the State
Fisheries Commission last year amount
ed to $S,4OO.00.
Scallops are not bringing so much
i +ho haino only ahOnt
half what it was last year. But the
temptation of the scallop fishermen to
swell or bloat his produc. is too strong
for a Carteret County fishermen to re-
sist. 1t is so easy to get $500 to $3.50
a gallon for pump water when 1t is ab-
sorbed by a gallon of scallops.
And so the Carteret County fisher
men have been soaking their scallops
contrary to the provisions of the Pure
Food Laws of the State and Nation
Complaints of the soaked scallops
, reached tn Federal authorities early
in the season and inspectors recently
entered several cars of scallops en-
route from Morehead City to the East
, ern markets Tests of these scallops
made by the inspectors showed them &c
: he soaked and sixteen hundred gallons
of scallops were seized in one raid. The
seizure of these scallops Temporarily
wrecked the scallop market at More
head City. The buyers refused to re
: ceiye any more scallops from the fish
: ermen and the fishermen were com
! nelled to put up their boats and tong'
= because they had no market More
r head City was shipping scallops at th'
r rate of a. thousand gallons per day ear
= " IN December when the government
n inspectors began to make trouble.
Making Carteret County fishermen
deliver an honest gallon of scallops
la hard Job. 1t must be remembere'
that II was in Carteret County that IN
surance agents used to insure the live
Of trees and collect the policies whel
tbe trees were cut down. There wer
h once two doctors at Beaufort, VIII
would. for their part of the swag, writ
certificate of the death of MIR. vi
Field Pine, Mr.. Water Oak, MIR. Mul
q berry Tree or any other old tree. Prac
q -ices like this were not uncommon 1
n Carteret a quarter of century ag
N md to-day there are hundreds OF hsf
1t armen in Carteret who think the Lor
n ,1asses them when they take one ga
,e ron of scallops to the pump and max
N it two!
\ Tho State Fisheries Commission col
in templates installing a chemical laDo,
* ,torv in IFS Offices at Morehead Cit
t. where scaIlops may be tested. VINE
IN 1 buyer has cause to suspect that son
> fisherman is loading his product VIII
N water. specimens may be sent to IL
III laboratory at Morehead City and ii
5h facts established there. 1t is believe
p that when the scallop fishermen ha'
w laboratory at their own doors to rec
tn on with that they will not be so fr'
e. n watering their products.