90 COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



Because the lobster possesses, in a high degree, natural advantages 

 for protecting itself, except it its larval helplessness, it seemed neces- 

 sary to adopt some measure of rearing them through this latter 

 period. For more than a quarter of a century experiments were 

 pushed with vigor by the various States, the United States Govern- 

 ment, and also by European governments. The many difficulties, 

 however, prevented success till 1900, when the honor of having of- 

 ferred the first and, up to the present time, the only solution of the 

 problem was won by the Rhode Island Commissioners of Inland Fish- 

 eries, at Wickford. It took, nevertheless, after the discovery of the 

 principle, five years of slow and tedious experiments to develop the 

 scheme to the point where it was practical and economical, even on 

 a small scale. However, during the past five years the methods 

 have been so much improved that it is not only much more eco- 

 nomical and practical, but it has also become possible to extend the 

 plant to almost any desired limit. 



Furthermore, the results have been very satisfactory. Seventy 

 per cent, in round numbers (69 per cent, actually) have been reared 

 from the first to the fourth stage from a counted lot of 10,000. It is 

 in this stage that the fry commence to burrow and are, therefore, 

 more able to care for themselves. These figures will be appreciated 

 when it is recalled that the best result in Europe was 6.6 per cent, 

 starting with 1,500 fry in the second stage; and in this country, 21 

 per cent., from an estimated 3,000 fry in the first stage at the U. S. 

 Bureau of Fisheries, at Woods Hole, Mass. 



But it was soon discovered that it was not sufficient to success- 

 fully rear the lobster fry to the fourth stage. In the first place, while 

 it is true that at this stage the lobsterlings do go to the bottom, and 

 also true that they are immensely more capable of surviving than 

 when in the first three larval stages, yet the swimming habit is not 

 completely abandoned and therefore it was considered desirable to 

 rear the young lobster to a later stage — fifth or sixth stage. Fur- 

 thermore, as important as it is to be able to rear them successfully to 

 the " bottom " stages, it is of equal importance to get them safely 

 established in the ocean bottom. 



