The Jewel of Eastern Long Island: Precarity and the Peconic Bay Scallop Industry
By Erin Becker
“What the average person doesn’t know about scallops would fill a pretty big book”
- The Madrid Herald, January 4, 1906[1]
A bayman holds an Atlantic Bay Scallop. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Peconic Bay scallops, argopecten irradians, are the jewel of the Eastern Long Island recreational and commercial fishery; their market rate can be as high as $30 for a single pound. The shellfish are a fall and winter delicacy throughout the Northeastern United States. Peconic Bay scallops have enormous cultural and economic significance. According to one writer, Peconic Bay scallops were treasured parts of New Yorker’s diets: “Like many other good things for the New Yorker’s table, it comes from Long Island.” They were so popular, he said, that they outpaced and outranked those from an area known for its shellfishing: “Fishermen of the Maine coast also catch scallops, but Fulton Market dealers say they cannot equal the Long Island ones.”[2] Historically, the bay scallop harvest has been a significant economic engine for Long Island and New York City fisherman, fish markets, and restaurants. However, in 2019, 90% of the shellfish died off before the harvest began. This mortality event was catastrophic for local baymen and restaurant owners throughout the region. The Peconic Bay Scallop industry has a long history with a great deal of influence on Long Island Culture and culinary tradition; as climate change impacts baymen’s yields, New Yorkers should commemorate that history while reckoning with a changing world.
A live Atlantic Bay Scallop with eyes visible. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Bay scallops live in shallow waters, among eelgrass beds.[3] Characterized by the bright, tiny blue eyes which line the outer rim of their shells, the bay scallop “can swim backwards by contracting and relaxing its large adductor muscle to open and close its shells.”[4] Bay scallops are filter feeders and draw water through their gills to filter out plankton. In addition to being a popular choice for New Yorkers, Bay scallops also feed sea stars, drills, crabs, and whelks. After spawning in the summer, these bivalves attach themselves to the eelgrass; as they grow, they drop to the bay bottom.[5] According to an 1896 column in the South Side Signal, “visitors in the summer may see them lying, shells and fish mingled, by hundreds of thousands in five feet of shoaling water.”[6] Scallops are sensitive to changing environmental conditions and can be negatively impacted by seagrass loss, an increase in freshwater, or increased turbidity.[7]
In the late 19th century, the scallop season began September 1st. Baymen of the East End set sail at daylight on small boats, just big enough for two men, heading for known scallop beds. They threw out the dredges, “three on a side. The dredges sink to the bottom of the bay, where the scallops cling. As the boat sails along, pulling the dredges after it, the scallops are hauled in, and the baymen find out what sort of luck they have had.”[8] A good day’s haul would “produce about 30 bushels in the shell, and the 30 bushels in the shell will produce about 90 quarts for the market.”[9]
It was not just the baymen who labored over the scallops. The scallop industry involved the labor of entire communities. During the winter months, men, women, and children performed the skilled labor, colloquially known as opening:
The opener takes a scallop in his left hand, deftly separates the shells with a knife held in the right, and, quick as a wink, removes the growth known as the rim around the white, meaty, eatable part… Many of the openers are so expert that they keep a steady stream of scallops flying into the box.[10]
During the winter, when agricultural work ceased, Long Island farmers’ wives and daughters joined the openers. According to one reporter, “the girls and women often make the best openers… One married woman at New Suffolk last winter made $3 a day, and she quit work long enough every day to go home and prepare her husband’s meals.”[11]
By the 20th century, the scallop market had grown and provided business for baymen in Jamesport, Mattituck, Riverhead, New Suffolk, Shelter Island, and Greenport. Every morning, onlookers watched as “the boats go down the bay, remaining until they are loaded, and generally return with anywhere from 80 to 100 bushels.”[12] Captain Sidney Smith and George A. Vail were “perhaps the largest dealers” of scallops in Riverhead on Eastern Long Island.[13] Smith and Vail erected many small scallop houses which they rented to the “scallop men” responsible for opening the shells. Captain Smith did not collect “rent” in dollars; he collected payment in scallop shells to be used by oystermen. By collecting the discards from the scallop industry and recycling them to benefit the oyster industry, Smith contributed to successful harvests on two fronts.
Scallops were served in just about everything. One 1896 column described the many ways to cook scallops — they could be fried in batter, baked, stewed, scrambled, served over salads, and more:
The most general way of cooking scallops is to fry them. Rinse the scallops in cold water and drain them well; then roll in breadcrumbs, to which salt and pepper have been added. Dip the scallops in a beaten egg and again in the crumbs. Drop the covered scallops into hot lard and cook them until they are a rich golden brown. Serve with sliced lemon. Tartare sauce, too, is exceedingly nice with fried scallops. When fried, scallops may be rolled in Indian meal instead of the egg and crumbs.[14]
In 1939, United Fruit Bananas ran an advertisement for Banana Scallops- a dish containing melted fat or oil, eggs, salt, bananas, corn meal, and scallops- to push banana and scallop consumption.
Source: Endicott Daily Bulletin , September 27, 1939.
Scallops were shipped from Long Island to Fulton Fish Market in New York City: “some arrive in butter tubs without ice, some have ice in the tubs with the scallops, a few shippers pack their tubs in barrels.”[15] In New York City, Long Island scallops were pitted against Rhode Island and Maine shellfish. Theodore Muller Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Oyster and Chop House, located at 642 Sixth Avenue in New York City, served scallops 35 different ways.[16] At Walton’s Old Homestead Oyster and Chop House on Eighth Avenue, diners could order scallops in a stew (milk stew or cream stew), fried (with or without bacon), fricasseed on toast, broiled (with bacon, in milk, in cream, or with celery), or a la newburg.[17] As Long Island baymen flooded New York City fish markets with their product, scallops became an integral part of New York City cuisine and culture. Scallops were a New York City cultural landmark, attracting tourists and Manhattan residents alike; consuming scallops was equated with society life, museums, art, music and innovations. By bringing their crop to market in New York City, Long Island baymen influenced the cultural palates of New York City diners.
The Long Island News and the Owl ran a recipe for Chicken Potato Chip Scallop in 1946. They recommended this dish to be served alongside molded cranberry salad, an assorted relish tray, hot rolls, fudge cake squares, and coffee. The author assured readers it was a good way of using up leftover poultry. Source: https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071443/1946-01-04/ed-1/seq-6.pdf
Fears that the scallop industry may collapse due to overharvesting gave rise to early conservation and stewardship measures on Long Island’s East End. In 1924, the local government put out a new two-inch catch law resulting in conflict between baymen and community officials. In November of 1924, eight baymen (representing baymen of Greenport, New Suffolk, and Jamesport) met at a schoolhouse in New Suffolk to discuss the suitability of the new law. Captain Downs, in favor of the law, argued the law was necessary “otherwise there would come a time when there would be very few scallops left in the bay.”[18] Other baymen feared the two-inch law would hurt profits and their ability to feed their families.
Bay Scallops are prone to dramatic fluctuations in population, adding a rocky and unpredictable element to this industry.[19] In 1927, reporters reported on a dismal opening day; “only a single pint of the shellfish is known to have been caught when there should have been hundreds of gallons opened that night and sent to market.”[20]
Four years later, however, baymen rejoiced,
elated at the fine catches of scallops they have been making during the past week in the vicinity of East Island, some of the boats averaging 60 bushels per day. The scallops are about the largest that have ever been caught in the bay and are of unusually fine flavor.[21]
The good times did not last. In the 1930s, eelgrass wasting disease decimated the scallop’s habitat and led to a drastic decline.[22] The Long Island Traveler reported “Apparently the good old days, not so long since, when anyone could gather a bushel of scallops in an hour’s time have gone forever.”[23] Though an unpredictable product, scallops appeared on the dinner tables of New Yorkers whenever they were abundant enough to be affordable. New Yorkers continued to find inventive ways to serve these shellfish.
In 1985, the first of a series of brown tide algal blooms swept through Long Island waters and decimated bay scallop populations. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, the scallop population rebounded but was limited by a severe brown tide in 1995. In 1997, East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery initiated restoration efforts, followed by intense restoration efforts in 2006, led by Long Island University and Cornell Cooperative Extension. By all accounts, these efforts seem to have worked — in 2017, bay scallops accounted for 1.57 million in revenue.[24]
By the late 2010s, scallops had become a staple of New York holiday dinners. In New York City, diners at Midtown Catch Seafood, Dorian’s, Fish Tales, and Citarella looked forward to this seasonal dish. John Ross, an East End Chef, states “The Peconic Bay scallop is not just another local shellfish. It is much more than that.”[25] The Peconic Bay scallop is a cultural lynchpin which binds together New York City and Long Island. Chef John Ross expounded on the importance of the scallops, saying:
Creative chefs have come to the North Fork and have found new ways to cook and present these treasures and… have done it in a way that preserves our unique heritage and culture. The Peconic Bay Scallop is one of the most important elements in the emergence of a true North Fork cuisine.[26]
2019 was another catastrophic year for East End baymen. In November 2019, Charity Robey reported, “When the scallops are abundant, gulls pluck them from shallows, drop them on the macadam from a height, and swoop down to eat the meat from the cracked shell… for the first time in years, the yacht club parking lot was not carpet-bombed with scallop shells.”[27] On the Friday before opening day, community stakeholders packed the East End Maritime Museum, crowding to hear Stephen Tettelbach speak. Tettelbach, a shellfish ecologist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, could only confirm nearly 90% of the scallop population had died. The price of scallops during the 2019 season (estimated at approximately $40 per pound) was simply too high for many restaurants to serve without operating at a loss.[28]
On December 6, 2019, Governor Cuomo requested a federal fishery disaster declaration for the Peconic Bay Scallop industry. The DEC undertook diagnostic studies of a sample of 32 bay scallops. On January 31st, 2020, Bill Seggos, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, announced the detection of a parasite in Peconic Bay Scallops associated with the 2019 large scale mortality event.[29] Scientists believe this mortality event stemmed from the combined effects of this parasite, high summer water temperatures, and low dissolved oxygen during the previous spawning season.[30]
New Yorkers built a thriving industry around scallops, a resource subject to the effects of overharvesting, climate change, and predation. Intrepid restaurateurs built a tradition of culinary excellence around this valuable resource. This industry exemplified the intricacies of regional economic exchanges dependent on an unpredictable resource. The story of the scallop industry demonstrates the dangers of climate change. Stressed from warmer temperatures, loss of habitat, an influx of pathogens and parasites, and the effects of ocean acidification, Peconic Bay scallops may be in a permanent decline. In the years to come, the East End may need to adapt to a permanently diminished but not extinct scallop supply. For baymen and restaurateurs, the scallop failure set into motion harsh economic realities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the bay scallop mortality event has largely disappeared from the news. East End and New York City restaurants, already reeling from the scallop die off, shuttered their doors for months or closed altogether. It is too soon to say how this turn of events will impact the future of the scallop industry and New York cuisine.
Erin Becker is an independent researcher from Long Island, NY. Her research interests focus on the convergence of women, labor, and the environment through a global extractive maritime economy. She is the co-host of the Scholars Beyond the Tower Podcast.
[1] “FRIED SCALLOPS: MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING A DELECTABLE DISH: Surprising Ignorance on the Part of the General Public as to the Every Day Life of a Very Common Shell-fish- How Scallops First Came on the Market- The Manner of Their Capture,” The Madrid Herald, January 4, 1906, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn89071374/1906-01-04/ed-1/seq-4/
[2] The Madrid Herald, January 4, 1906, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn89071374/1906-01-04/ed-1/seq-4/
[3] Chesapeake Bay Program, Bay Scallop: Argopecten irradians https://www.chesapeakebay.net/S=0/fieldguide/critter/bay_scallop
[4] Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Bay Scallops: General Information https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/mollusc/bay-scallops/information/
[5] Chesapeake Bay Program, Bay Scallop: Argopecten irradians https://www.chesapeakebay.net/S=0/fieldguide/critter/bay_scallop
[6] South Side Signal, November 21, 1896, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031038/1896-11-21/ed-1/seq-1/
[7] Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Bay Scallops: General Information https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/mollusc/bay-scallops/information/
[8] The Madrid Herald, January 4, 1906, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn89071374/1906-01-04/ed-1/seq-4/
[9] South Side Signal, November 21, 1896, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031038/1896-11-21/ed-1/seq-1/
[10] “FRIED SCALLOPS: MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING A DELECTABLE DISH: Surprising Ignorance on the Part of the General Public as to the Every Day Life of a Very Common Shell-fish- How Scallops First Came on the Market- The Manner of Their Capture,” The Madrid Herald, January 4, 1906, Page 4. Image 4. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn89071374/1906-01-04/ed-1/seq-4/
[11] The Madrid Herald, January 4, 1906, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn89071374/1906-01-04/ed-1/seq-4/
[12] The East Hampton Star, November 16, 1900, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83030960/1900-11-16/ed-1/seq-4/
[13] Ibid.
[14] “THE SCALLOP COMES: How it May Be Prepared in Fries, Salads, or Baked Dishes” The Sun. November 8, 1896, Page 28.. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83030272/1896-11-08/ed-1/seq-28/
[15] The Suffolk County News, September 27, 1935, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031477/1935-09-27/ed-1/seq-11/
[16] Rare Book Division, The New York Public Library. "Theodore Muller Ladies' and Gentlemen's Oyster and Chop House" New York Public Library Digital Collections. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c130e984-c7e7a0ef-e040-e00a180671dd
[17] Rare Book Division, The New York Public Library. "DAILY MENU [held by] WALTON'S OLD HOMESTEAD OYSTER AND CHOP HOUSE [at] "245 EIGHTH AVENUE, NEW YORK" (REST;)" New York Public Library Digital Collections. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47db-7f3f-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
[18] East Hampton Star, November 28, 1924, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83030960/1924-11-28/ed-1/seq-3/
[19] Peconic Estuary Program: Protecting & Restoring Long Island’s Peconic Bays, “Restoring the Peconic Bay Scallop” https://www.peconicestuary.org/peconic-bay-scallop/
[20] County Review, September 8, 1927, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84035791/1927-09-08/ed-1/seq-3/
[21] The Suffolk County news, October 9, 1931, Page 11, Image 11. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031477/1931-10-09/ed-1/seq-11/
[22] Frederick Short, Lisa Muehlstein, and David Porter, “Eelgrass Wasting Disease: Cause and Recurrence of a Marine Epidemic”, December 1987. Biological Bulletin. Vol 173. No 3.
[23] The Long Island Traveler, September 7, 1933, http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031476/1933-09-07/ed-1/seq-5/
[24] Grant Parpan, “Prognosticators say it will be a rough season for the Peconic Bay scallop” The Suffolk Times (Nov 1, 2019) https://suffolktimes.timesreview.com/2019/11/prognosticators-say-it-will-be-a-rough-season-for-the-peconic-bay-scallop/
[25] John Ross, “Its Peconic Bay scallop season on the North Fork” (November 4, 2019). Northforker. https://northforker.com/2019/11/its-peconic-bay-scallop-season-on-the-north-fork/
[26] Ibid.
[27] Charity Robey, “The Baymen’s Nightmare: All the Scallops are Dead,” New York Times (Nov 7, 2019) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/nyregion/peconic-bay-scallop-season.html
[28] Melkorka Licea, “Severe Peconic Bay scallop shortage has doubled prices of prized delicacy” New York Post (November 30, 2019). https://nypost.com/2019/11/30/severe-peconic-bay-scallop-shortage-has-doubled-prices-of-prized-delicacy/
[29] “DEC Announces Detection of Parasite in Peconic Bay Scallops: Bay Scallop parasite considered contributing cause of die-off last year” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (January 31, 2020). https://www.dec.ny.gov/press/119444.html
[30] Mike Harrington, “Peconic Bay Scallops die-off tied to newly detected parasite” Newsday. (January 31, 2020). https://www.newsday.com/long-island/environment/peconic-bay-scallops-dieoff-parasite-1.41278101