ABOUT LOBSTERS 111 



The common causes of high pound losses are: 



1. Overcrowding of the pound 



2. Feeding putrid bait 



3. Red Tail disease 2 



4. Shell disease 



5. Weak lobsters 



6. Wrong salinity and temperature of water 



The first two causes can be readily overcome, but Red 

 Tail is more serious, and there are other causes which lob- 

 ster biologists have not been able to diagnose. Severe winter 

 mortalities can occur when neither Red Tail nor Shell Dis- 

 ease can be detected. 



On the whole, it might seem as though sloppy pound- 

 keeping is responsible for high losses. Such is not the case. 

 The most scrupulously tended pound may be infected with 

 Red Tail; and of two adjoining pounds under the same own- 

 ership one may be cursed with a 30 per cent loss and the 

 other with a 5 per cent loss. 



Careful poundkeepers keep their pounds clean, and 

 when they are empty of lobsters rake up all residue of bait, 

 and even remove dead seaweed. But that is not enough. To- 

 day ( 1960 ) , Sea and Shore Fisheries furnish men to direct 

 the chlorination of a pound. This treatment disinfects the 

 surface scum of the floor of the pound. It is this scum which 

 carries most of the bacteria of Red Tail and other diseases. 

 The chlorine is in the form of pellets which are scattered 

 about two feet apart over the mud of the empty pound. The 

 pound owner pays the cost of the pellets and furnishes the 

 men to spread them. A pound of 35,000 to 40,000 pounds 

 capacity of lobster will require four drums of chlorine at 

 $40.00 per drum. Some poundkeepers chlorinate twice dur- 

 ing the season, especially in times of threatened epidemic of 

 Red Tail. 



Flushing out the objectionable scum with a high pres- 

 sure hose as a means of reducing bacteria is not recom- 

 mended, at least not until after chlorination. The contam- 



2 See page 29. 



