Lynn
The city of Lynn has within its tidal flats the latent resources of an important industry. Its clam grounds could, if properly utilized, yield a great increase over their present inconsiderable return. No legislation on the part of the city authorities has intervened to improve the shellfish production or to prevent the depletion of valuable territory which has been allowed to gradually lapse into an unsanitary desert. While at low tide about 400 acres of flats spread over the broad harbor or border the banks of the Saugus River, but 40 acres of this wide expanse yield any appreciable revenue. The principal part of the digging is done on the mud flats of the Saugus River. Here 7 fishermen work intermittently to supply the local market during the summer months. There is some good territory at the mouth of the river toward the north, and scattering clams occur along the eastern shores, but the main flats of the harbor are for the most part barren.
The deposit of sewage from the city drainage has undoubtedly had a prejudicial effect on much of this area, as the unpleasing scum which covers the soft, sticky mud and eel grass bears abundant witness. Whether measures undertaken to reclaim this lost area would in the long run yield profitable returns is an undecided question, but much might be done, by the employment of judicious cultural methods, to increase the yield of those flats which are properly productive. No exact returns of the annual clam harvest for this region are obtainable, as most of the output is disposed of at retail, but it cannot exceed 1,000 bushels, and probably falls far short of that figure; $1,000, then, or thereabouts, represents the total monetary income from this fishery.
Summary of Industry.
| Number of men, | 7 |
| Capital invested, | $100 |
| Production, 1907:— | |
| Bushels, | 1,000 |
| Value, | $1,000 |
| Total area (acres):— | |
| Sand, | 90 |
| Mud, | 300 |
| Gravel, | 5 |
| Mussels and eel grass, | 5 |
| Total, | 400 |
| Productive area (acres):— | |
| Good clamming, | 10 |
| Scattering clams, | 30 |
| Barren area possibly productive (acres), | 160 |
| Waste barren area (acres), | 200 |
| Possible normal production, | $26,000 |