206 DESCRIPTION OF IMPORTANT FISHERIES AND THEIR PRODUCTS 



approximately ten times the volume and value of the spiny lobster. 

 Import volume of northern lobsters was approximately two-thirds of the 

 catch and was principally from Canada; import volume of spiny lobsters 

 was more than ten times the catch, consisting mostly of frozen tails 

 from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and countries of the Carib- 

 bean. Spiny lobsters are readily distinguished from the true lobster by 

 the absence of the large, crushing claws and by a flexible rather than 

 stiff tail fan. 



Northern Lobster. Although the northern lobsters are found occasion- 

 ally as far south as North Carolina and are taken in substantial volume 

 in New Jersey and Massachusetts, the primary production is centered 

 in Maine, where 24 million pounds was landed in 1960. For this reason 

 it is frequently referred to as the Maine lobster. Spasmodic efforts have 

 been made to introduce the true lobster to the Pacific Northwest Coast 

 but to date these transplants have not been successful. Market lobsters 

 average nine to ten inches in total length but may be much larger. Off- 

 shore lobsters caught incidental to ground-fish trawling off Cape Cod are 

 commonly five to six pounds each. 



Lobster pots, sometimes called traps, are the principal method of 

 catching and consist essentially of an oblong box made of ordinary wood 

 laths. The spacing of the laths is set to permit under-sized lobsters to 

 escape. The ends of the pot have cotton netting arranged in a funnel shape 

 to permit the lobster to enter the pot containing the fish bait hung in 

 the middle. The pots are weighted and lowered to the bottom with a 

 line secured to a bouy painted a distinctive color for identification. There 

 were over 700,000 pots fished in Maine during 1960^^. 



Holding Pounds. Since most of the northern lobster catch is sold alive, 

 the industry developed holding pounds as early as 1875 for storage of 

 the lobsters from the time of catch until marketing. Tidal pounds holding 

 up to several hundred thousand pounds of live lobsters are common in 

 Maine^ in order to allow conditioning of the catch of new-shell lobsters 

 during the summer and to market the lobsters to meet the seasonal 

 demand despite marked fluctuations in abundance. In addition, crates 

 or floats are anchored in live cars near docks and circulating sea water 

 tanks are used for temporary storage. Artificial sea water may be used 

 if it is free of chlorine and of metals such as copper and zinc to which 

 the lobster is sensitive. 



Shipping Lobsters Alive. Lobsters may be held and shipped alive if they 

 are kept cool (about 40 to 50°F) and moist. Barrels are commonly used 

 for truck or rail shipment and are packed with layers of lobsters and 

 seaweed with crushed ice around the side and top^"^. It is important that 

 the ice and water do not come in direct contact with the lobsters; other- 



