REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OP INLAND FISHERIES. Ill 



VIII. The Propagation of Lobster Fry for the Purpose of 

 Increasing the Supply of Lobsters in the Waters of 

 the State. Methods of Artificial Propagation and 

 Cultivation. 



LOBSTER CULTURE IN 1905. 



BY earnest W. BARNES, 



ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF THE WICKFOKD EXPERIMENT STATION. 



The first mature lobster eggs were scraped into a hatching bag 

 about noon on the 21st of May, and by 1 P. M. of the same day nearly 

 all had hatched. These eggs were obtained from one egg lobster, 

 and no more lobsters with mature eggs were found till the 24th. The 

 hatching then proceeded quite rapidly. The last lot of eggs was 

 hatched on the 21st of July. By August 1st all the fry had reached 

 the fourth stage, except a few weak undersized ones. Consequently, 

 after a continuous run of 71 days, the engine was shut down and the 

 season closed. The work usually closes by the middle or last of 

 July, and it is quite remarkable that the season should last till the 

 first of August. 



The weather conditions throughout the season were very good. 

 The absence of any bad storms and the many bright warm days made 

 the season one of the best the station has had. 



Among the improvements which were installed this year are the 

 following : 



WINDOW improvements. 



Instead of covering the windows with scrim, a copper wire netting 

 of twenty meshes to the inch was used. To prevent its becoming 

 broken by the frequent bending which is apt to occur in the handling 

 of the bag, it was mounted in a wooden frame, and this was fastened 



