In New Hampshire it’s known as Qua-hogging, some even call it the devil’s work. However my fellow Baymen and I in Oyster Bay, NY call it clamming. There are many different kinds of clams that one may “clam”, I would like to focus on the hard shell clam “Mercenaria mercenaria.” The socioeconomic affect from clamming has effects on both the Baymen, their communities, as well as the Quahogs. Clamming has shaped entire communities in the New England area, creating a certain type of people, as well as ensuring the success of the quahog in the New England area. A particular place of focus for the commercial clamming industry is a small sleepy town called Oyster Bay, in NY.
In Oyster Bay, New York alone the clam’s effect can be noticed just by driving through the town. Dirty smelly clam boats line drive ways, the large loading ramps at the town dock is in constant use, shops selling clamming gear litter the town, and the local public high school’s mascot is a man in a boat called a “Bayman.” For good reasons this town loves the quahog. Commercial clamming has enabled anyone with a house in the town of Oyster Bay, a recent LIPA bill, proof of residency, as well as around $2000 for startup cost to start their own clamming business (Office of Town Clerk).
However the action and knowledge of how to clam and all the information you need to know is a guarded secret that can truly only be learned by attempting it. And can only be mastered by years of practice. Most clammers will not tell you what you need or how to do it unless you work for them as a “Cull-boy” and find out for yourself what exactly and how they do it. One first needs all of the proper equipment such as Bull-rake, and many different sections each 10ft long to adjus...
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...sica Leahy, and Kathleen Bell. "Interactions between Human Communities and Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest: Trends and Implications for Management." Estuaries. 26.4 (Aug., 2003): 994-1009 . Print.
The WaterFront Center, . "History of Shelfising." LI Sound Awarness. The Friends Of the Bay, The clammers Assoction. Oyster Bay, On the Cristeen, Oyster Bay, NY. 02 Jan 2000. Lecture.
"Geert Hofstede : Cultural Diversity. - Free Online Library." Free News, Magazines, Newspapers, Journals, Reference Articles and Classic Books - Free Online Library. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .
"Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce." http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/mercen_mercen.htm. Smithsonian Marine Station, November 8, 2004. Web. 12 Dec 2010. .
cut back on the problems in the Bay. Scientists have given an unthinkable amount of attention to the Bay of the past several years and researchers from countless numbers of agencies and institutions have dove deep into the issues and studying every nook and cranny to create answers to every politicians’ questions. The biggest concern with the Bay, and the most concentrated ...
Works Cited Chesapeake Bay Foundation.(2010). saving a national treasure Chesapeake Bay Foundation -. (2010). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard striking back against the Oyster Thieves. Chesapeake Bay Foundation -. n/d. The n/d is a Agriculture Cronin, L. A. Eugene.
Scientists predict a major population crash of Maine lobsters in the near future, due to over-harvesting, increasing demand, and a lack of successful regulatory measures reflecting such factors. The attempt to introduce various policy measures creating more limited access to the resource has been largely ineffective due to the unique ecological, economic, and social characteristics of the state. Further complicating the issue is the matter of thriving lobster populations during recent years when other marine wildlife populations are experiencing severe losses along the same region of the eastern seaboard. This paper examines the conflict between lobster fishermen, scientists, and policy makers regarding attempts to work toward a more sustainable lobster fishing industry.
The Chesapeake Bay is a large estuary located on the east coast of the United States. The bay is over 200 miles long and goes through Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The bay has much to offer the locals. Many locals have made a career out of harvesting the bay's sea food. The bay's harvest and many of its other attractions bring tourists and in turn revenue for the area. Oysters and blue crab are a big part of the culture in the bay area. However, these organisms are in danger and need help.
The Long Island Sound is an estuary, and is in fact one of the largest in the world. An estuary is a place where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water from the rivers that drain from the land. Moreover, like other estuaries, the Long Island Sound has an abundance of fish and other waterfowl that add to the natural balance of the island, as well as one of the most important economic factors (Tedesco). Like other estuaries around the world, the Sound provides breeding, feeding, nesting, and nursery areas for many species that will spend most of their adult lives in the oceans (Long Island Sound Study). Despite these similarities to other estuaries, the Long Island Sound is unique from anywhere else in the world. Unlike other estuaries, the Long Island Sound does not just have one connection to the sea but it has two. It has two major sources of fresh water flowing into the bay that empty into the ocean. It combines this two-...
Schwartz, Stuart, and Craig Conley. Human Diversity: A Guide for Understanding. 14th ed. New York: McGraw-Hills Primis Custom Publishing, 2000. 3-7. Print.
Kottak, Conrad Phillip and Kayhryn Kozaitis 2012 On Being Different, Diversity and Multiculturalism in the North American Mainstream, 4th edition, McGraw Hill Press, New York: Chapter 1.
Kennedy, Victor S. and Kent Mountford. (2001). Human Influences on Aquatic Resources in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Parliament of Canada. (n.d.). Northern Cod: a failure of Canadian fisheries management. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from Parliament of Canada: http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=2144982&Mode=1&Parl=38&Ses=1&Language=E&File=21
Human activity is one of the leading causes of the disappearance of coastal wetlands. As the human population increases in coastal cities so does the demand for more land. Urbanization is causing enormous amounts of devastation to the existing wetlands. Unrestricted development is causing the erosion of soil, which is dumping foreign sediments into the wetlands polluting the water and disturbing the ecosystem. According to Lee et al. (2006) “Urbanization is a major cause of loss of coastal wetlands. Urbanization also exerts significant influences on the structure and function of coastal wetlands, mainly through modifying the hydrological and sedimentation regimes, and the dynamics of nutrients and chemical pollutants”. Restrictions on the development...
Species such as the blue crab, oyster, and atlantic menhaden are three main commercial fishing outputs in the Chesapeake bay, but the recent algae blooms are devastating the harvest numbers of several different species. According to the oyster company of Virginia, over 20 million bushels of oysters were harvested every year during the peak of the oyster rush of the mid 1880’s. These numbers
To fish or not to fish is a personal choice. The fact that the oceans are being overfished is a growing concern for individuals, organizations, and governments throughout the world. In this paper I want to discuss the effects of overfishing on the restaurant industry, and possible solutions to solve the problem. Fishing is an ongoing source of food for people around the world. In many countries it is a food staple in their everyday diet. In more modern societies eating fish has become a sensual experience, and not just for the wealthy. It hasn't been until population explosions in the last century that the demand for seafood has led to more effective fishing techniques and technologies. Now the demand for popular fish like the salmon, tuna, sea bass, cod and hoki, which is the key fish in McDonalds filet o' fish, is diving wild populations to dangerously low levels. The methods used to catch the amount of fish demanded by the industry do not leave sustainable populations in the wild. In an attempt to preserve the fish population, governments have set limits on the minimum size that may be harvested and how many of each may be taken. Boundaries have been set up saying which areas can be fished and which ones should be left alone. A number of smaller fisheries have gone out of business because of the limits imposed by the government. This leads to even less fish being harvested and brought to market. Therefore the amount and varieties of fish at markets are smaller and can cause shortages for wholesalers and restaurants. Some restaurants will no longer have the variety on their menus that they used to enjoy. If a restaurant thrives on its seafood menu they may be unable to cope with the shortages and will go out of business. In the ...
In this week’s readings the subject of dimensions of cultural diversity were covered comprehensively in both books. Understanding and Managing Diversity presented a nicely laid out illustration:
Seal slaughtering had taken place on the ice floes off Canada’s East coast in two areas which are the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the east of the Magdalen Islands for almost half a decade. Each year, thousands of Canadian fishermen murder and shoot two-weeks to two-months old seals, drag them and skin the pups while still alive and conscious. They sell the skin for leather and fashion garments while the remains of the body are left on the ice to rot. I believe that the process of clubbing seals is cruel and that it should stop before the population of seals is endangered.
Smith, Zachary A., and Grenetta Thomassey. Freshwater Issues: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Print