General Statistics
The following facts concerning the oyster industry have been compiled from the written statements of the different oystermen. Complete returns have not been received from Wareham, Barnstable, and Falmouth, while possibly a few oystermen in the other towns have been overlooked. Falmouth raises but few oysters for the market and these returns have been recorded, the remaining oystermen merely planting for their own use. In the towns of Barnstable and Wareham about four-fifths of the oystermen have made returns. The facts given in the following tables are based only on the returns at hand, and therefore do not give a complete report for these two towns.
Statistical Summary.
| Town. | Number of Grants. | Area of Worked Grants (Acres). | Number of Men. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total. | Worked. | Total. | Suitable. | Unsuitable. | ||
| Wellfleet, | 35 | 23 | 967 | 810 | 157 | 14 |
| Chatham, | 21 | 21 | 65 | 55 | 10 | 20 |
| Dennis-Yarmouth, | 4 | 2 | 10 | 10 | — | 3 |
| Barnstable, | 29 | 29 | 188 | 121 | 67 | 33 |
| Falmouth, | 22 | 6 | 44 | 23 | 21 | 5 |
| Bourne, | 135 | 42 | 100 | 83 | 17 | 21 |
| Wareham, | 125 | 70 | 196 | 159 | 37 | 26 |
| Fall River district, | 14 | 14 | 810 | 510 | 300 | 36 |
| Nantucket, | 2 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 1 |
| Total, | 387 | 208 | 2,400 | 1,774 | 626 | 159 |
Capital invested.
| Town. | Boats. | Implements. | Shore Property. | Bedded Oysters. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellfleet, | $10,115 | $575 | $1,200 | $19,500 | $31,390 |
| Chatham, | 1,695 | 313 | 1,225 | 23,300 | 26,533 |
| Dennis-Yarmouth, | 25 | 50 | 100 | 5,000 | 5,175 |
| Barnstable, | 5,269 | 1,139 | 4,300 | 28,850 | 39,558 |
| Falmouth, | 1,525 | 105 | 1,000 | 450 | 3,080 |
| Bourne, | 5,515 | 483 | 150 | 18,300 | 24,448 |
| Wareham, | 9,355 | 1,120 | 2,420 | 27,725 | 40,620 |
| Fall River district, | 19,840 | 2,000 | 6,200 | 68,500 | 96,540 |
| Nantucket, | 518 | 15 | 25 | 800 | 1,358 |
| Total, | $53,857 | $5,800 | $16,620 | $192,425 | $268,702 |
Production of 1906-07.
| Town. | Marketable Oysters. | Seed Oysters. | Total Value. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bushels. | Value. | Bushels. | Value. | ||
| Wellfleet, | 22,500 | $24,850 | 1,000 | $1,000 | $25,850 |
| Chatham, | 14,550 | 23,987 | — | — | 23,987 |
| Dennis-Yarmouth, | 1,000 | 1,500 | — | — | 1,500 |
| Barnstable, | 25,850 | 48,050 | 100 | 100 | 48,150 |
| Falmouth, | 3,012 | 6,025 | — | — | 6,025 |
| Bourne, | 2,100 | 4,100 | 23,000 | 15,000 | 19,100 |
| Wareham, | 7,770 | 12,790 | 22,100 | 12,090 | 24,880 |
| Fall River district, | 38,000 | 26,250 | — | — | 26,250 |
| Nantucket, | 200 | 400 | — | — | 400 |
| Total, | 114,982 | $147,952 | 46,200 | $28,190 | $176,142 |
Sectional Arrangement of Towns.
A. North side of Cape Cod:—
1. Wellfleet.
2. Eastham.
3. Orleans.
B. South side of Cape Cod:—
1. Chatham.
2. Harwich.
3. Dennis and Yarmouth.
4. Barnstable.
5. Mashpee.
6. Falmouth.
C. Buzzards Bay:—
1. Bourne.
2. Wareham.
3. Marion.
D. Fall River district.
E. Nantucket.