PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 25. 37 



Lobster M eat. -- Section 5 of Chapter 643, Acts of 1913, 

 authorized the Commissioners on Fisheries and Game to make 

 suitable rules and regulations relative to the sale of lobster 

 meat. After a public hearing on Feb. 4, 1914, at which op- 

 portunity was given to dealers and others to present testi- 

 mony upon the question of granting permits, it was finally 

 decided, after due consideration, that it would be manifestly 

 unfair to the business interests if the dealers, especially in 

 Boston, were not given the privilege of removing lobster meat 

 from the shell for sale at their regular places of business. 

 These same conditions did not apply equally to localities out- 

 side of Boston, where lobster shipments from outside of the 

 State were not handled. The regulation of these permits was 

 extremely important, since it afforded excellent opportunities 

 for the illegal evasion of the short-lobster law. The policy of 

 the department has been to issue as few permits as possible, 

 and only to those dealers having law-abiding records. In 1913, 

 53 permits were issued; in 1914, 38. Each applicant was re- 

 quired to submit, on a regulation blank form, information 

 regarding the localities from which he received lobsters, the 

 approximate amount obtained from each place and the exact 

 location where the meat was to be taken from the shell. 



Lobstermen's Associations. Most noteworthy and far-reach- 

 ing steps in the preservation of the lobster fishery have been 

 made by Massachusetts fishermen upon their own initiative. 

 These men realize that their business is seriously threatened, 

 and stand ready to do all in their power to preserve a fishery 

 which for many years has been their main source of livelihood. 

 Within the past year a series of associations, starting with the 

 Cape Ann Lobstermen's Association, has been formed along the 

 coast from Rockport to Plymouth. These associations have 

 regular meetings, and the entire federation meets annually to 

 suggest and draft proposed legislative measures for the benefit 

 of the lobster industry. 'The purpose of these associations is to 

 protect the lobstermen who desire to obtain an honest living, 

 and to improve the condition of the fishery by the protection 

 of the "short" and "egg" lobsters. It is also desirable that 

 certain areas be set apart as reservations, where no fishin 

 be allowed. Each association has a number of unpaid 

 who see that the laws are rigidly enforced. Pra 



