Nantucket
At present Nantucket does not possess a clam industry of any importance. Years ago it is claimed that clams were abundant, and that quantities were dug for food or for bait. Now the reverse is true, and the fisherman often finds it difficult to procure clams even for bait. Indeed, Nantucket furnishes an excellent illustration of the decline of the clam industry.
Practically all the flats of Nantucket are shore flats i.e., narrow flats along the shores of the harbor and on the sides of the creeks. Thus the area, though extending for many miles, is not great, and the clam industry of the island, though capable of development, nevertheless can never assume the importance of the quahaug and the scallop fisheries. In Nantucket harbor clams are found in the creeks, and particularly in Polpis harbor, although scattering clams are found all along the south shore of the harbor. A few clams are found on the north side in Coatou Creek and in First and Second Bend. The flats in Nantucket harbor are all coarse sand or a fine gravel, except in the creeks, where they become muddy. On the eastern and southern sides clams are found in scattering quantities in Maddequet harbor, on the north side of Tuckernuck and in the cove on the south side of Muskeget.
Comparison of 1907 with 1879.
| Production. | 1879. | 1907. |
|---|---|---|
| Bushels, | 2,253 | 400 |
| Value, | $872 | $350 |
Summary of Industry.
| Number of men, | 4 |
| Capital invested, | $40 |
| Production, 1907:— | |
| Bushels, | 400 |
| Value, | $350 |
| Total area (acres):— | |
| Sand, | 150 |
| Mud, | 25 |
| Gravel, | 25 |
| Mussels and eel grass, | — |
| Total, | 200 |
| Productive area (acres):— | |
| Good clamming, | 5 |
| Scattering clams, | 15 |
| Barren area possibly productive (acres), | 130 |
| Waste barren area (acres), | 50 |
| Possible normal production, | $18,000 |