This swiraming around is not so much a searching for prey since 

 one may often observe the young svnimning v/hile clinging to a norsel 

 o'f food. Generally food is not gripped vith the cla-.vs v;hich are 

 held straight forirard, ,. ^ 



It will be clear from ^he preceding t?iat free sv.rimraing larvae 

 are exposed to the greatest "dangers and that this period is the - 

 most critical in their development. It vj-ould therefore be most 

 desirable if one could keep the larvae in suitr.ble nurseries dur- 

 ing these 10 or 12 days and to free them at the end of the plank- 

 tonic period* • 



This has alv/ays been the goal T/hich the numerous students 

 engaged in. the artificial lobster propagation have' set for them- 

 selves. •■'. 



It has been previously pointed out (in Chapter l) that the 

 production of lobsters in Zeeland has steadily increased during 

 later years, inmost countries horrever, Vvrhore the lobster has for 



•a long time^been the object of intensive fishing one has been 

 seriously concerned with the decline shown in this branch,- of the 

 industry. Measures toward the protection of seed and sma.ll lob- 

 sters-did not; prove to be sufficient to halt the decline »nd one 

 was forced to explore other, possibly more successful means toward 

 thds endo Therefore attempts have been ixide over a loiag period of 

 tine in IMorway and lorth America to grow lobsters from eggs. As 

 already mentioned the number of eggs is very large, 20,000 or more 



"in the case of a lobster of medium size. ■ It soon became apparent 

 thcvt it \Tas-not at all. difficult to hatch eggs v;hich had, ..been 

 scraped off the mother anir/ils. 'In 1891, 2000 Jcronen were appro- 

 priated in rlonvay for the construction of a plant toward this 

 purpose, and. in -1892 this plant was in use. Some of these little 

 islands so numerous on the NoriTegian coast near KvitingsB vrero 

 connected by means of walls so that a closed basin was croated» 

 In a few places in these walls openings were lef^b and screened 

 off to allovr for changing the water but these openings were later 

 closed when it was proven that sufficient change tool: place 

 through existing holes elsewherce 



In 1892, 450 and in 1893, 400,, lobsters were placed in this 

 basing,. Of the first 450 only 130 xrere later captured since the 

 vralls vj-ere not tight and the balance of the animals escapad. ..With 

 a plankton net larvae vrere taken, never however in the bottom 

 stagee The method then T/as not useful in practice', and orates were 

 made 90 cmo high and 65 cm, wi*de of which the walls v/ere to a 

 great ejctent screeneds These crates, lashed together, were per- 

 mitted to float in the sea and of the 8000 larvae v/hich comprised 

 the capacity of each crate 5 to 7 per cent were secured. in the 

 fourth stage of development. Although this method as well proved 

 to be useless in practice since the percentage v;as too 1o\t it v.Ti.s 

 iiov.-ever the first successful atterpt to bring a som.ewhat important 

 nimber of young lobsters past the larvae stage. 



125 



