Dannevig, Gunder M. 



1911 Om mindstemaal og utklaelming av hummer* Aarsberetning 

 ved. Norges Fiskerier for 1911, 2d hefte, pp» 313-331, 

 illus. 



Concerning minimum size ' and rearing of lobster 



After the discussion of Dr« Appell/f's bill by the interested 

 corporations and official representatives, I hereby present the 

 lobster case for^ renewed discussion and beg to make some remtirks. •• 



First I would like to express iiy great admiration for the vrork 

 which Dr» Appell;^f has made in order to prociare a sound basis for 

 the knovrledge of the lobster's life history. This work is of the 

 greatest importance, also because Dr. Appell^f has been the only 

 one who has devoted himself to a thorough investigation of the 

 lobster in Norway. Before I start speaking of the proposition on 

 a ne\i: law for the lobster fishery, I find it desirable to sum up 

 shortly the main points of the conclusions about the lobster's 

 natural history, on v/hich Dr. Appell/f has based his bill and pro- 

 position that the state grant monej'' for hatching. 



The lobster carries the spawn under the tail for about a year, 

 after: which time the spavm is hatched. The young now swims around 

 for 3-4' weeks and during this time it casts the skin three tines. 

 After the 3d change of shell, altViough not yet an inch long, it hns 

 acquired the body shape of the adult lobster and lives at the bottom. 

 But hovv"- the young lobster arranges its life, at the bottom, and what it 

 feeds on, is still a big question, because it hr.s been almost imposs- 

 ible to catch young lobsters sjiialler than 15 centimeters long in 

 spite of great efforts. Ilovrever, this fact as v/ell as observations 

 made of lobster reared in confinement, shov/ that the young lobster 

 is even more afraid of light and more cautious than the adult lobster • 



On the West coast the power of propagation begins v^'hen the lob- 

 ster is 24-25 centimeters longj on the East coast /already v/hen it is 

 22-23 cm. long; in some cases vre have even seen lobsters of 21 cm. 

 v/ith external eggs. 



As to the lobster's laigrations, our knowledge is only based on 

 Dr. Anpell/^f's investigations as far as iTorway is concerned; but all 

 the facts we have indicate that the lobster is a stationary animal, 

 as it is proved that it lives for years on the same shoal or at the 

 same rook. Like all articulated (jointed) animals the lobster grov/s 

 in another way than fish and incimmals; the grovjth shovrs only every 

 time the animal changes shell, at which tine it suddenly increases 

 in size. Dr. Appell/f has found that the lobster usually grows about 

 1-|- centimeters each time it changes shell. During the first five 

 years it changes shell several tines each year; later only once a 

 year at the most. Through rearing experiments and measurements of 

 the lobster before and after changes of shell it has been proved 



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