REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 123 



period. For more than a decade experiments were pushed with 

 vigor by the various States, the United States Government, and also 

 by European governments. The many difficulties, however, pre- 

 vented success till 1900, when the honor of having offered the first 

 and, up to the present time, the only solution of the problem was 

 won by the Rhode Island Commission at Wickford. It has taken, 

 nevertheless, since the discovery of the principle, five years of slow 

 and tedious experiments to develop the scheme to the point where 

 it is practical and economical. 



Fifty per cent, in round numbers (48.2 per cent, actually) have been 

 reared from the first to the fourth stage in lots of 20,000. 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 Woods Hole. 



For the benefit of those who are interested in the practical side 

 of lobster culture, and who may not have followed the development 

 of the plan as given in previous Reports, a brief consideration of the 

 lobster culture work is here given, which, while it does not pretend 

 to be more than an outline of the subject, yet will go somewhat into 

 detail concerning the methods used at Wickford. 



I. Natural History of the Lobster. 



1. Distribution. 



The American lobster is found along the Atlantic coast from 

 Labrador to Delaware. It attains its largest size and is most abun- 

 dant in the northern half of this range (Nova Scotia and Maine). 

 It is found in all depths up to 100 fathoms. In deeper water than 

 this it is very rarely found, though sometimes reported from fishing 

 banks farther off shore. 



