30 ABOUT LOBSTERS 



cars, and tidal pounds where the infection is known to be 

 present. With the constant discharge of water from infected 

 storage places into open water, the organism has been traced 

 for miles until the dilution by the sea itself makes detection 

 impossible. 



From transmission studies, it has been found that 

 healthy lobsters that have devoured infected, weak, or dead 

 lobsters, and even those that did not have access to diseased 

 tissue but lived in the sea water contaminated with the 

 organism, fell victim to the disease. 



Since to eliminate the disease is to remove the Red- 

 Tail organism, and since there is no known cure for the dis- 

 ease once the lobster has become infected, the next best 

 procedure is to attempt to remove the breeding places of the 

 organism and to keep healthy lobsters as far as possible from 

 becoming exposed to the disease. To even attempt this, 

 strict sanitation of all lobster storage places must be main- 

 tained. 10 



The true host, the lobster, must be present for the dis- 

 ease to last over a period of time. This is shown by the fact 

 that in the absence of lobster tissue and with continuous 

 flushing by fresh sea water, the organism slowly disappears. 

 It is, therefore, most important that dead lobsters and lob- 

 ster parts be constantly removed from storage places and 

 destroyed. They should never be disposed of where they 

 may cause a contamination of either artificial or natural 

 habitats of lobsters. Weak lobsters should be considered 

 suspect, especially after the water temperature has reached 

 45° F., and either be isolated and observed in separate tanks 

 or cars, or disposed of. 



To insure minimum loss, it is recommended that tidal 

 pounds should not be stocked during warm weather but at 

 a time when the temperature of the water is 45° F. or below. 

 If, however, tidal pounds must be stocked, the general rule 

 applies. Remove as completely as possible every day, and 

 destroy by burning or burying, all dead lobsters and lobster 



See Pounds, page 1 1 



