THE SPINY LOBSTER OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA. 289 



MARKETING THE CATCH. 



The spiny lobsters are taken to the local markets alive, having been kept in the 

 wells where there was a free circulation of water. It sometimes happens when lobsters 

 are plentiful that the well will not hold the entire catch. This surplus is put into bags 

 which are carried on deck. It is necessary to keep the animals cool and wet by fre- 

 quently pouring water over them. 



At the market (Fig. 263) the catch is sorted, counted, and transferred to floating cars 

 or inclosures where it is kept until ready for shipment. Spiny lobsters which have died 

 and those in a dying condition are sold as bait to the hook-and-line fishermen. The 

 market value varies from $0.75 to $2 per dozen according to season and demand and 

 size. The average price obtained by the fishermen is $1 per dozen. The dealers sell 

 by the pound. The average spiny lobster weighs about 1% pounds or 6 dozen weigh 

 100 pounds. 



During cool weather spiny lobsters shipped to points in southern Florida are simply 

 placed in wet sacks, and under such conditions they will live four or five hours. If prop- 

 erly packed, they will live from two to three days. During the winter and spring 

 months many spiny lobsters are shipped as far north as Philadelphia, New York, and 

 Boston. They are packed in barrels containing alternate layers of ice and shellfish. 

 The method of packing is the same as that employed in preparing fish for shipment, 

 except that a layer of sponge clippings or seaweed separates the shellfish from the ice. 4 

 The average barrel will hold 10 to 12 dozen spiny lobsters. 



Spiny lobsters caught by means of the grains are seldom sold at the market but are 

 disposed of readily at the local hotels and restaurants. This product does not command 

 as high a price as the live shellfish. When caught, the tails are twisted from the back 

 and the latter thrown overboard. In order to dispose of this produce, it must be sold a 

 few hours after capture. When spiny lobsters are plentiful and bring a low price, some 

 of the fishermen salt and dry the meat for their own consumption. 



ABUSES IN THE FISHERY. 



Since there is always a ready sale for the spiny lobster, it is constantly being sought 

 by the fishermen, both for its food value and value as bait in fishing. The fishermen 

 generally believe that the supply is decreasing to some extent, since each year finds them 

 going farther and farther for their prey. However, the old fishing grounds are known 

 to yield very large catches after intervals of neglect, and it is doubtful whether these 

 grounds have been actually depleted. From observations and data obtained it is known 

 that spiny lobsters have not reached sexual maturity until they have attained a total 

 body length of 8 to 9 inches, and a great many that are sold have not had an opportunity 

 for spawning. The smaller spiny lobsters have a very delicate flavor, and those too 

 small for market are consumed either by the fishermen and their families or are used for 

 bait in fishing. 



Formerly, the egg-bearing spiny lobsters sold as well as the others, but within the 

 last few years the fishermen have been unable to sell the berried females. In this stage 

 and until after the eggs have hatched they are said to be unwholesome. 



4 The method of packing spiny lobsters in barrels with ice is not a good one, for heavy losses frequently are sustained in long- 

 distance shipments. 



