LOBSTER, CRAB, AND SHRIMP 265 



weed or paper and then with cracked ice. Burlap is 

 tacked over the top of the barrel. Lobsters are mar- 

 keted alive, boiled, and canned. In America most of 

 the lobsters are sold alive, and prepared for the table 

 by boiling. Since boiled lobsters are easier to handle 

 than live lobsters, one might expect that boiled ones 

 would be more in demand than live ones. But because 

 of a fear that the lobsters might have been dead be- 

 fore they were placed in the boiler, boiled lobsters 

 do not find a ready market. 



The demand for live lobsters in the United States 

 exceeds the supply. On this account none are canned. 

 But in Canada a large number of short lobsters are 

 taken. Since these little lobsters are too small to be 

 legally sold in the United States they are canned. 

 Since there is no law to prevent the sale of small 

 canned lobsters, a large proportion of the canned 

 lobster is sold in the United States. 



The first step in the canning process is the boiling 

 of the live lobsters. This is carried out by immersion 

 for thirty minutes in weak brine heated to the boiling 

 point. After cooling, the meat is removed from the 

 shell, and packed in cans lined with parchment paper, 

 some tail, claw, and arm meat being put in each can. 

 After the covers have been crimped on, the cans are 

 exhausted, sealed, and sterilized by heating with 

 steam under pressure. 



The American Crab Industry 



When the present size and importance of the 

 American crab industry is considered, it is hard to 

 believe that this has all been developed within the 



