larger animals , one can observe that the length increase for each 

 shedding expressed in percentage,, h^^.s, varied much; it can lie 

 betv/een 7 and 20 per _cent» Also hereivlth the temperature appears 

 to be of importance: Dannevig (37) mentions that in the neighbor- 

 hood of Flizi'devigen, 28 marked lobsters from 21-22 en, long shovred 

 an increase of llo6 per cent rjithan average temperatiire of 8e48 

 degrees; in another yearjj lobsters .of 20-21 cm* had increased in 

 length about 7o3 per cent at a tei.ipcratiAre of 7e52 degrees. Lob- 

 sters of the same age are hence not always equally large and the 

 equally lar^e are not equally old* It ir therefore impossible, 

 even in limited regions j, to establish the boundaries of the yeor 

 classes through measurements* 



How old are the lobsters vrhich weigh more 'than a kilogram 

 heavy a^nd are more than a half -neter long, let us not distinctly 

 say I'.dth acawrv-cya One supposes thot they shed once a year at n 

 length of 23<»30 cm^ and from 30 cmo every tv;o years; and increase 

 in length everytime 10 percent and later 7 per cent (for old indi- 

 vidvals the percentage increase in length at each moulting will 

 alv; ys be less) so one ai-rives at an age of 24 years » 



The males grow not only more rapidly than the fem/^.les in 

 that they sned each year, but they also become larger* The very 

 large, individuals r re therefore a Iv.T.ys males; Herrick (70) reported 

 on a lobster of 50 cmo length '^nd 11 kg, iThile riiximuiri for the 

 American lobster is indicated at a length of 60 cm« and a weight 

 of 15 kg. 



o 



I have tried to gather together the various observations on 

 .the groTjth and to cojubine them for a growth curve a 



There is a rather simple method to determine the weight of a 

 lobster from its lengtho The weight (in grams) is namely a03xL'^; 

 L is the length of the lobster in centimeters (measured from the 

 point of the rostrvm. tn the end of the telson, Vk'hose hr.irs are 

 included)© In Table 27 the relationship is graphically .displayed. 

 Mien, however, the lobster becomes sexually mature, the weight of 

 the miiles increased more strongly than is ir^dicated from the above 

 formula while .the weight of the females reinains in good accord 

 with the formulae The variation by the males is probably explained 

 therev;ith that their clav/s increase proportionrtsly greater in 

 weight v;ith. increasing lengthio I/iy analysis concerns Dutch loi-sters 

 about tv/o months after shedding* For anlKir Is v;ith very old sliells 

 the T/eight comes out soiuewhat higher-s ■ 



Utilization 



Lobster stockj protection and artificial rearing. In many 

 lob. ter districts the statistics exhibit a regular decline of the 

 catch; some pertain to those, in Eur.ope as well as in America, which 

 earlier v;ere reckoned for tlie most productive3 And yet it is 



148 



