42 



made with reference to the stripping of the berried lobster are 

 liable to the construction that they are unfair and prejudicial, 

 not to say erroneous. The Board as a further argument against 

 the protection of the berried lobster tries to throw doubt on the 

 ability of the officers of the Committees being able to determine 

 whether a berried lobster has been stripped. This it may be 

 urged is not fair to the Committees which are trying to protect 

 the berried lobster, nor is it fair to the fishermen. It might be 

 supposed that in the Northumberland district from the fact that 

 the season is one of a few months, the temptation to strip the 

 berried lobster would be greater than in districts where the 

 berried female is altogether protected, that each year in fact the 

 habit of returning the berried lobster would have to be acquired 

 afresh. This does not appear to be the case, and so convinced 

 are the fishermen becoming of the value of the protection of the 

 berried lobster that many of them to my own knowledge 

 voluntarily return them when caught at all seasons. 



The Fishery Officers of the Nortliumberland Committee are 

 trained to distinguish berried lobsters which have had the ova 

 removed, and the few lobsters they discover in this condition 

 each year are sent to me for further examination. So far the 

 Committee has not failed to obtain conviction except once when 

 the defence was that the lobster was caught outside the Com- 

 mittee's district. I A'enture to state that it is possible in every 

 case to state whether the lobster was a berried lobster, and 

 furthermore to state whether the ova were shed naturally or 

 forcibly removed, no matter how long the lobster may have 

 been kept after the operation. 



I quite agree Avith what is said of the saving which would 

 accrue to a district if the berried females could be protected in 

 a hatchery. It is an important question, and has been handled 

 to some extent at the Marine Laboratory. From the figures 

 which have been furnished above it is at once apparent that 

 each district could if it were found practicable furnish berried 

 lobsters for a large hatchery. 



Maturity of the Male Lobsters. — Some useful notes are 

 added with regard to the period of maturity of the male lobster. 

 The specimens examined include lobsters sent from the North- 

 umberland coast. The conclusion is that the male lobster 

 reaches maturity between 8 and 9 inches, and that therefore the 

 9 in. limit protects some of the males on attaining maturity. 



