REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 17 



PROPAGATION OF LOBSTERS. 



At the experimental laboratory at Wickford your Commission has 

 continued its work upon the hatching and rearing of lobsters to the 

 bottom stage, and has made further experiments in attempting to 

 improve the methods. The problem undertaken eleven years ago 

 was to discover a method by which newly hatched lobsters could be 

 protected until they reached the bottom stage. This has been 

 accomplished, and for several years the annual output of such lob- 

 sters has been many times greater than that from any of the several 

 stations in this country and abroad, where efforts have been made to 

 do this. With the report of your Commissioners of last year was 

 published a resume of this work from its beginning, to which you are 

 respectfully referred for a full description of the apparatus and 

 methods and an account of the experiments and results. During the 

 last year a number of new experiments were carried on in the en- 

 deavor to further improve the method. These met, as usual, with 

 varying degrees of success. A new pattern of the apparatus was 

 tried in a part of the plant and gave greater facility in handling the 

 heavy cars. Certain experiments made wdth reduced speed of the 

 propellers and with varying conditions of light yielded experience at 

 the expense of the lobsters. Some of the old floats which have been 

 in use for several years are too far gone for further use, and new ones 

 are being built on the improved pattern to take their places. 



Experiments were made during the summer looking to the installa- 

 tion of electric power to take the place of the rather cumbrous power 

 and driving system now in use. After many trials and failures, a 

 feasible scheme was finally put into operation on a small scale and 

 run for some time. It did not, however, seem safe to change the 

 whole installation until further tests could be carried out. Such an 

 installation as is contemplated would greatly extend the possibilities 

 of this method of fish culture which has proved uniquely successful 

 at Wickford and which has received favorable recognition at home 

 and abroad. 



