﻿REPOET 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  77 
  

  

  States. 
  It 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  winter 
  a 
  considerable 
  con- 
  

   signment 
  of 
  oysters 
  from 
  Japan 
  was 
  planted 
  in 
  Washington 
  waters. 
  

  

  LOBSTER. 
  

  

  Lobster 
  rearing. 
  — 
  Experiments 
  in 
  the 
  hatching 
  and 
  rearing 
  of 
  lob- 
  

   sters 
  were 
  continued 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1902, 
  in 
  

   charge 
  of 
  Mr. 
  George 
  H. 
  Sherwood. 
  A 
  special 
  floating 
  nursery 
  was 
  

   constructed 
  and 
  moored 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Great 
  Harbor. 
  Eggs 
  and 
  

   newly-hatched 
  larvae 
  were 
  supplied 
  from 
  the 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  hatchery 
  as 
  

   required, 
  and 
  other 
  facilities 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  were 
  freely 
  used. 
  Con- 
  

   siderable 
  progress 
  was 
  made 
  beyond 
  the 
  previous 
  year's 
  work, 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  methods 
  which 
  have 
  now 
  been 
  developed 
  are 
  prac- 
  

   ticable 
  for 
  operations 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  drawbacks 
  

   this 
  season 
  was 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  abundance 
  of 
  minute 
  diatoms 
  which 
  

   thickly 
  covered 
  eggs 
  and 
  larvse, 
  and 
  seriously 
  interferred 
  with 
  hatch- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  growth. 
  A 
  final 
  and 
  complete 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  lobster-rearing 
  

   experiments 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  special 
  commission 
  having 
  this 
  

   matter 
  in 
  charge. 
  

  

  Handhooh 
  of 
  the 
  lobster. 
  — 
  Interest 
  in 
  the 
  lobster 
  continues 
  unabated 
  

   among 
  fishermen, 
  legislators, 
  state 
  fishery 
  authorities, 
  and 
  biologists, 
  

   and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  active 
  demand 
  for 
  printed 
  information 
  in 
  regard 
  

   to 
  the 
  habits, 
  growth, 
  spawning, 
  development, 
  etc., 
  of 
  the 
  lobster, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  the 
  methods 
  and 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  lobster 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  mono- 
  

   graphic 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  American 
  lobster 
  by 
  Prof. 
  F. 
  H. 
  Herrick, 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  about 
  seven 
  years 
  ago, 
  is 
  now 
  out 
  of 
  print 
  

   and 
  no 
  other 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  general 
  subject 
  is 
  available 
  for 
  distribution. 
  

   With 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  supplying 
  the 
  demand, 
  the 
  Commission 
  has 
  decided 
  to 
  

   issue 
  a 
  handbook 
  on 
  the 
  lobster 
  and 
  its 
  fisheries, 
  and 
  to 
  this 
  end 
  has 
  

   engaged 
  Professor 
  Herrick 
  to 
  condense 
  and 
  bring 
  up 
  to 
  date 
  his 
  work 
  

   referred 
  to. 
  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1902 
  Professor 
  Herrick 
  visited 
  

   the 
  important 
  lobster 
  fishing 
  communities 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  collected 
  

   much 
  new 
  material 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  lobster. 
  The 
  lobster 
  

   fisheries, 
  lobster 
  legislation, 
  lobster 
  rearing, 
  and 
  other 
  matters 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  economic 
  aspects 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  will 
  be 
  discussed 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  H. 
  M. 
  Smith. 
  

  

  BLUE 
  CRAB. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  blue 
  or 
  edible 
  crabs 
  in 
  Chesa- 
  

   peake 
  Bay, 
  where 
  the 
  fishery 
  was 
  already 
  of 
  great 
  extent, 
  and 
  the 
  

   appearance 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  markets 
  of 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  soft-shell 
  

   crabs 
  of 
  very 
  small 
  size, 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  crabs 
  

   may 
  be 
  declining. 
  The 
  Commission 
  therefore 
  decided 
  to 
  begin 
  an 
  

   inquiry 
  into 
  the 
  habits, 
  breeding, 
  abundance, 
  etc. 
  , 
  of 
  the 
  crab 
  in 
  Chesa- 
  

   peake 
  Bay, 
  and 
  assigned 
  Prof. 
  W. 
  P. 
  Hay 
  to 
  the 
  work, 
  in 
  conjunction 
  

   with 
  his 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  diamond-back 
  terrapin 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  waters. 
  

  

  