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October 23, 1997 - The Scallop, Up Close and Personal6A • The Suffolk Times • October 23, 1997 The Sca We couldn't make it the first day o scallop season but we were able to get ou the following week. Even at that late date I was surprised to see 20 or more boa and people trying their luck at this annua scalloping event. There was every kind o craft and every kind of device to help locate these elu- sive bivalves. There were wood- Focus en boats, fiberglass On boats, aluminum boats, sparkling Mature chrome and plush - seated pleasure by Paul boats plus our own Stoutenburgh stubby canoe with its little outboard — all spread out acros Hallocks Bay in Orient, each with its ow particular spot that would hopefully yiel the best results. Many had light boxes that allow you t see through the glare and ripple of th water's surface so that you can see th bottom more clearly. Some were home made, others looked more professional all tapered from a large glass bottom to narrower viewing top. Each had a hea bent over, peering into the clear water, on hand holding the box, the other workin the scoop net. There were even a few wh had face masks on and again you'd se them bent over, their faces in the wate peering below. Then there were those wh just drifted or paddled along in their boats looking into the water. This method i okay if there is no wind to create a ripple on the water, but those days are hard t come by and, of course, this type of view ing only allows you to work the shallow areas of the bay. I, myself, used a wetsuit with fact mask, snorkel and flippers, lying flat o my stomach and paddling along the sur face. It allowed me to see clearly no mat ter what the surface condition. By no the water temperature is cold enough t make a wetsuit most desirable. The las time I went scalloping I used what i called a "farmer john" wetsuit, which i like a pair of overalls made of spong rubber. They work fine when the water i warmer; the problem is your arms, side and head are exposed. How I froze. I ca remember when I got out of the water, was shaking so badly it was hard to con 110a, UJ) f trol my hands. Not this time. I wore a t jacket over the farmer johns and it was perfectly warm. is The world under water has always fas- t cinated me and half the fun of scalloping f is the experience of looking around when you are down there. To float above a field of eel grass waving, not in the wind but in the motion of the sea, is almost like being in an enchanted world of suspended ani- mation. There's no sound except my breath through the snorkel. The eel grass is coated with small organisms and the dust of s drifting particles n that continually d float down. It set- tles on everything o from the eel grass e to the litter - covered e bottom, to the big, old and forlorn- ; looking sand crabs a that scurry away d with claws opened e in defense from the g demon floating o above. I often see e these "hermits" of r the crab family at o this time of the year. I wonder if s because of their age they have lost the o ability to shed their - shells, for they are coated with moss and look ragged. Perhaps, like many old ani- mals, they are outcasts and will soon be absorbed by the eating world that awaits n the sick and old. - On close examination of one section of a - relatively muddy bottom, I was able to see w the faint outline of a horseshoe crab. We o seldom see these ancient creatures of our t bay bottoms except in the spring, when s they come to our beaches to mate and lay s their eggs. Then they disappear until the e next year, when they repeat their 200 -mil- s lion - year -old routine once again. Where do s they go? What do they do? Here before me n was the answer. Half buried in the mud, my I friend was leisurely eating worms and mol- - lusks that he had plowed through. Close and Personal In its slow and plodding routine, it spends its life mostly hidden from our view. I was glad to be able to see my horseshoe crab in its element, for now when I think about these creatures in the middle of winter, I'll know they're safe and sound buried in the soft mud awaiting that magical day in May when they will once again appear as the sun sets over our beaches to carry on their clans with the eye view that let me see right inside the scallop. The sun was low and seemed to illuminate right into the innards as the partly opened scallop was busy feeding. Never had I seen such a perfect picture of a scallop. Once again those glaring blue eyes that stretched across the opening daz- zled me. Here amongst the mud and duff of the bottom, this almost jewel -like crea- ture was busy filtering out its life sub- stance from the nutrient -rich bay water. I wish others could have experi- enced that wonder- ful moment there on the bottom of Hal - locks Bay where man and scallop met eye to "eyes." Schools of spear- ing or silversides continuously milled around me as I pad- dled along. They were enjoying the riled water and fluff I'd stirred up with my flippers as I moved about, their silvery sides flash- ing. How I wish I had a mess of them to take home. Rolled in flour, the "complete fish" is fried like french fries and eaten the same way but with much more relish and delight. We'd spent two hours scalloping and the sun was on its way to setting. It was time to head home. Back at the house the job of cleaning the scallops awaited me and I set about the task. This was the other side of a rewarding day on the bay. One after another the top shell was flipped off; another flip and the innards were removed, leaving the gleaming white muscle to be scooped out of the shell and into the bowl. Then I came across an old familiar friend, a pea crab, hiding just inside the scallop. It's a true crab belonging to a group called "commensal" crabs, which means there's an association of two dif- ferent species living together seemingly without interfering with one another. Here just inside the veil and eye of the scallop this soft female pea -sized crab lives. The male, by the way, only visits the females to mate and does not live in the scallop. We also find these pea crabs occa- sionally in mussels and oysters. They are just another fascinating aspect of the world around us, but this time the won- ders of the natural world were below the surface of our bay. It's what makes our East End so unique and always exciting. Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh OYSTER OR PEA CRAB — Tucked safely in the soft tissues of scallops, oysters and mussels, these female pea -sized crabs live out their entire life hidden from predators. ■ _a9— —2— A - - §— not a Nuun Malin 75 Years Ago Oct. 20, 1922 `Real Ball Game' Coming: The married men and single men of Greenport will meet in a game of baseball Sunday on the polo grounds and the game should be worth seeing at any rate. Manager Beatty, having charge of the married men, is arranging a strong lineup. He will have Gagen and Hubbard as his battery. Manager "Dick" Pemberton of the single men refuses to reveal his lineup till Sunday, saying he will spring a big surprise at that time. Whence the Elephant ?: Thomas Nast, the famous cartoonist, is the father of the elephant as the Republican Party emblem. It first appeared in a cartoon in Harper's Weekly on Nov. 7, 1872. It was used in the campaign that year and has stuck ever since. Mr. Nast, at the same time, originated the donkey as the Democratic emblem. 50 Years Ago Oct. 24, 1947 Advertisements: Serious about the Series? Regardless of which team you prefer in the current struggle, you are certain to pick a winner in baked goods at Town Bake Shop, 416 Main St., Greenport. Madam Ruth, palmist and phrenologist. For a true and cur- rent reading pay her a visit. She speaks seven different lan- mystical rituals of breeding. We found scallops, not a lot, but enough to satisfy our needs. Many of them had quarter -decks or slipper shells attached to them. Usually the bottom half of the scal- lop was clean where it rested on the bot- tom. The tops were coated with a spongy layer of silt and detritus. It seemed many of the scallops were dormant, for their shells were closed. I don't know if it was their sensing my being near or if they were just resting. Yet many were partially open, showing their lacy fringes along the ever -so- beautiful line of iridescent blue eyes that outlines both the top and bottom of their shells. One sight in particular I remember was when I had dropped down for an eye -to- guages. 242 Main St., Greenport. Card of Thanks: I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all the doctors and nurses at the Eastern Long Island Hospital for their excellent care while a patient there. Also, thanks to the Methodist Sunday school for their gifts and cards. Thanks to all my other little friends who remembered me. Special thanks to Mr. Joseph Shipman, whose donation of blood saved my life. Dickie Hulse 25 Years Ago Oct. 26, 1972 Nixon Visits Suffolk: The first time a President of the United States, while in office, has ever visited Suffolk County was Monday, Oct. 23, 1972. During President Nixon's short visit to Suffolk Count i two busloads of enthu- siastic Southold Republicans were at MacArthur Airport to greet him. President and Mrs. Nixon, along with Governor Rockefeller and other dignitaries, arrived in seven heli- copters following a huge rally in Nassau County. The estimated 20,000 spectators who had gathered to greet the President gave him a roaring welcome and were highly pleased with Nixon's flattering references to Suffolk. Before and after the presidential visit, the Southold Republicans were entertained at the Colonie Hill along with some 10,000 other Republicans, who cheered their candidates and promised overwhelming victory in November. USDA Is Offering Conservation Help The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering a voluntary program that affords landowners financial and technical assis- tance for improving their land, water and wildlife resources. Owners enter into contracts with USDA to place erodible and other envi- ronmentally sensitive land in contract for 10 to 15 years. In exchange, they receive annual rental payments and a payment for up to 50 percent of the cost of estab- lishing approved practices. Signups run through Sept. 30, 1998. Call 727 -2732 or 727 -2315.