Shellfish-Harbormaster Building Dedication

By Jon Alden

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Westport – Saturday, September 22, 2007 Over 75 friends, family members, and former associates of “Ab” Palmer were present today as the shellfish/harbormaster’s office was named in his honor. Ab, as anyone who new Albert called him, was the Westport Shellfish Officer and Harbormaster from 1960 to 1981. He was also appointed a special police officer. Palmer, the longtime shellfish constable also filled many other positions in Westport. The naming event took place at the shellfish/harbormaster’s office on Westport Point at 10 a.m. Gary Sherman, the current shellfish warden, officiated. Tours were given throughout the morning of the shellfish hatchery building.

In his opening remarks, Gary Sherman pointed out the Ab appointed both him and Bob Pierce as deputy shellfish officers. Gary now has 35 years of service and Bob has 40 years. Gary Sherman along with his duties as Shellfish Warden is also Wharfinger at Will.

Paul Macomber, a deputy shellfish officer, gave guided tours of the Hatchery building. The hatchery is raising quahogs from its own seed stock, and scallops that were acquired from the Taylor AG Farm. The small scallops provided quite a show as they swam in spurts throughout the tank to the visitors’ astonishment.

Paul pointed out that the large, mysterious, multi-hued transparent tubes in the hatchery, reminiscent of a mad scientist’s laboratory, are used to raise algae for feeding the baby quahogs. Algae require their own unique lighting requirements, and necessitate photosynthesis in order to survive.

The quahogs are placed in a large, round closed-tank system, and a mixture of algae and water is filtered in. The density of the algae determines the quantity introduced for feeding the infant quahogs.

The quahogs pictured here a four months old!

Shirley, Ab’s wife, was present as was most of her family at the unveiling of the two new plaques on front of the Harbormaster’s office. Shirley gave a wonderful speech about Ab that brought a lot of tears to the eyes of friends and family. Ab passed away in 2007.

Read Shirley Palmer’s heartfelt speech at the dedication.

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