Gone Scalloping

The water was so warm you almost didn’t need waders. The October sun glinted off the water in the pond and at Sengekontacket people congregated in small groups, heads bent over their peep sights, long dip nets tucked beneath their arms. Bert Combra had his signature unlit cigar stuck in his mouth. Who are these creatures, someone might say who had just landed here from the moon.

They’re family scallopers, of course. This was opening weekend for the recreational scallop season in Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and Chilmark, and Islanders of all ages wasted little time getting out on the pond to dip up a half bushel or so of sweet bay scallops. There was rhythm in this ritual and also a reminder: We’re lucky here, we’ve got one of the last bay scallop fisheries on the East Coast.

And really there is nothing else like it. Spend a couple pleasant hours outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, no high-tech equipment required, just a box, a net, waders and a shellfish permit. Fill the basket, take it home and spend another hour or so shucking creamy scallops into a clean bowl. Some for dinner, some for the neighbors, some for the freezer.

An Island way of life that thankfully has not yet disappeared.