﻿146 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  was 
  activeh' 
  pushed 
  for 
  three 
  years. 
  In 
  the 
  investigations 
  and 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  the 
  sj^ecial 
  commission 
  had 
  the 
  valuable 
  services 
  of 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  D. 
  

   Mead, 
  who, 
  as 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Rhode 
  Island 
  Commission 
  of 
  Inland 
  

   Fisheries, 
  cooperated 
  with 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  in 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  methods 
  of 
  clam 
  culture 
  and 
  lobster 
  rearing-; 
  of 
  Prof. 
  James 
  

   L. 
  Kellogg, 
  of 
  Williams 
  College, 
  who 
  gave 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  natural 
  his- 
  

   tory 
  of 
  the 
  clam 
  and 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  experimental 
  beds 
  of 
  planted 
  

   clams; 
  of 
  Mr. 
  George 
  H, 
  Sherwood, 
  of 
  Brown 
  Universit}^, 
  who 
  was 
  in 
  

   immediate 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  hatching 
  and 
  rearing 
  of 
  lobsters; 
  and 
  of 
  Prof. 
  

   Frederic 
  P. 
  Gorham, 
  of 
  Brown 
  University, 
  who 
  studied 
  the 
  causes 
  

   of 
  mortality 
  in 
  artiticially 
  hatched 
  lobster 
  fry. 
  Doctor 
  Mead's 
  work 
  

   was 
  carried 
  on 
  principally 
  in 
  Narragansett 
  Bay; 
  Professor 
  Kellogg's 
  

   at 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  Essex, 
  and 
  other 
  points 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast, 
  

   and 
  Mr. 
  Sherwood's 
  and 
  Professor 
  Gojham's 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  and 
  

   Wickford. 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  C. 
  Kendall, 
  assistant 
  of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  laid 
  out 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  beds 
  of 
  planted 
  clams 
  on 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Casco 
  Bay, 
  Maine, 
  

   and 
  also 
  experimented 
  in 
  the 
  rearing 
  of 
  lobsters 
  at 
  Orrs 
  Island, 
  Maine. 
  

  

  RESUI.TS 
  OF 
  THE 
  EXPERIMENTS, 
  AND 
  RECOMMENDATIONS. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  reports 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Sherwood, 
  Professor 
  Kellogg, 
  and 
  Professor 
  

   Gorham, 
  which 
  follow, 
  a 
  detailed 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  lines 
  of 
  

   work 
  and 
  their 
  outcome 
  is 
  given. 
  Following 
  is 
  an 
  epitome 
  of 
  the 
  

   principal 
  conclusions 
  reached 
  and 
  work 
  accomplished 
  by 
  the 
  special 
  

   commission 
  : 
  

  

  LohstcTS. 
  — 
  1. 
  The 
  hatching 
  of 
  lobsters 
  as 
  ordinarily 
  conducted 
  has 
  

   had 
  but 
  little 
  effect 
  in 
  arresting 
  the 
  decline 
  in 
  the 
  ffshery, 
  owing 
  in 
  

   part 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  larvte 
  nmst 
  be 
  planted 
  'soon 
  after 
  hatching 
  

   and 
  a 
  ver}^ 
  large 
  percentage 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  cjuickly 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  in 
  

   part 
  to 
  the 
  comparatively 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  fry 
  liberated 
  when 
  the 
  

   extent 
  of 
  the 
  fisheiy 
  and 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds 
  are 
  consid- 
  

   ered. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  artificial 
  rearing 
  of 
  lobsters 
  until 
  they 
  have 
  passed 
  the 
  most 
  

   vulnerable 
  period 
  of 
  their 
  existence 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  vitally 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  steps 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  supply, 
  and 
  one 
  that 
  is 
  

   most 
  appropriate 
  for 
  the 
  general 
  government 
  to 
  undertake. 
  

  

  3. 
  While 
  the 
  rearing 
  of 
  lobsters 
  presents 
  difficulties, 
  these 
  are 
  not 
  

   insurmountable, 
  and 
  the 
  special 
  commission 
  has 
  developed 
  a 
  method 
  

   which 
  is 
  applicable 
  to 
  economic 
  conditions. 
  

  

  4. 
  In 
  the 
  most 
  favorable 
  experiments 
  upward 
  of 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  

   larvse 
  have 
  been 
  reared 
  beyond 
  the 
  free-swimming 
  stage, 
  and 
  there 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  doubt 
  that 
  this 
  record 
  ma}^ 
  be 
  equaled 
  or 
  sur- 
  

   passed 
  on 
  a 
  commercial 
  scale 
  as 
  greater 
  experience 
  is 
  gained. 
  

  

  Clams. 
  — 
  1. 
  The 
  supply 
  of 
  soft 
  clams 
  is 
  susceptible 
  of 
  great 
  increase, 
  

   and 
  the 
  fisher}^ 
  can 
  be 
  placed 
  on 
  an 
  enduring 
  basis 
  by 
  the 
  institution 
  

   of 
  cultural 
  methods. 
  

  

  