2 COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



our hatching cars, and still provide for the necessary circulation of 

 "live" water. Heretofore it had been impossible to confine such 

 minute forms of life — as flatfish fry, oyster "spat," clam larvse, 

 etc., — without at the same time preventing the necessary circulation 

 of water. This problem was partially solved about two years ago 

 by pumping water into the retaining cars and allowing it to pass out 

 through boxes of gravel and sand placed over the windows in the 

 bottom of the car. This past year, by the addition of side windows, 

 composed of frames filled with gravel, sufficient "live" water was 

 obtained to make it unnecessary to pump water into the cars. Very 

 small forms were, however, unable to escape. 



(6) In these special cars several thousand fry of the winter 

 flounder (P. americanus) were successfully reared through their 

 critical transition period or metamorphosis. This is the first time 

 — at least in large numbers — that this has ever been accomplished. 



(c) The number of lobsters reared to the first "bottom stage" 

 and liberated in the waters of the State was greater than ever before. 

 511,274 were reared to this stage, while in 1908, the best previous 

 year, 322,672 were reared. 



(d) From a counted lot of 10,000 lobster fry, less than one day 

 old, 6,946, or a little less than 70 per cent., were reared to the bottom 

 stage. Our best previous result was 50.6 per cent., in a lot of 1,000 

 two-day old fry. The best results heretofore obtained in this or 

 foreign countries were 6.6 per cent., in Europe, from 1,500 second 

 stage fry, and 21 per cent., at Woods Hole, where the Wickford 

 methods were used, and the starting number (3,000) was estimated. 



(e) From the fry hatched from the eggs of one lobster, 7,465 

 bottom stage lobsters were reared. Under the conditions of nature 

 probably not over 15 or 20 ever reach that stage. Our best previous 

 record was an average of about 1,500 per lobster from a lot of 56 egg 

 lobsters taken at the best part of the season. 



(/) Improvements were made in the apparatus which gave an 

 increased facility in handling the cars and rafts and made a greater 

 extension of our apparatus possible. 



