﻿170 
  REPOKT 
  OF 
  COMMISfilONEIl 
  OF 
  FTSIT 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  care 
  for 
  the 
  tir.st 
  two 
  weeks, 
  but 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  careful 
  attention 
  they 
  

   did 
  no 
  better 
  than 
  in 
  former 
  years. 
  Although 
  the 
  number 
  received 
  

   from 
  the 
  hatchery 
  was 
  estimated 
  at 
  30,000, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  lirst 
  week 
  

   only 
  8,000 
  were 
  alive. 
  Diatoms 
  infested 
  thorn, 
  they 
  became 
  inactive, 
  

   and 
  metamoi'phosis 
  was 
  retarded. 
  None 
  reached 
  the 
  second 
  stag-e 
  

   until 
  the 
  ninth 
  day. 
  Kven 
  after 
  tiie 
  plant 
  was 
  completed, 
  and 
  with 
  

   the 
  water 
  constantly 
  stiri-ed, 
  only 
  the 
  most 
  vigorous 
  rallied, 
  and 
  l)ut 
  

   11 
  reached 
  the 
  fourth 
  stage 
  after 
  more 
  than 
  25 
  days. 
  Thus 
  it 
  would 
  

   seem 
  that 
  the 
  physical 
  and 
  biological 
  conditions 
  were 
  not 
  more 
  favor- 
  

   able 
  than 
  in 
  other 
  years. 
  The 
  temperature 
  and 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   were 
  at 
  an 
  average, 
  the 
  plankton 
  was 
  not 
  especially 
  rich, 
  and 
  the 
  

   natural 
  enemies 
  were 
  present 
  in 
  great 
  abundance. 
  In 
  the 
  past 
  live 
  

   years 
  diatoms 
  had 
  n(^\'er 
  been 
  seen 
  so 
  al)undant 
  or 
  their 
  growth 
  so 
  

   rapid. 
  

  

  EXPERIMENTS 
  IN 
  HATCHING 
  EGGS. 
  

  

  Several 
  experiments 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  tost 
  the 
  efficiency 
  of 
  the 
  bags 
  as 
  a 
  

   hatching 
  device, 
  and 
  also 
  for 
  comparison 
  with 
  fry 
  from 
  the 
  hatcheries. 
  

   According 
  to 
  the 
  hatchery 
  records, 
  about 
  5,000,000 
  eggs 
  from 
  the 
  

   Woods 
  Hole 
  Station 
  and 
  2,000,000 
  from 
  Gloucester 
  were 
  turned 
  over 
  

   to 
  us 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  Although 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  method 
  of 
  determin- 
  

   ing 
  what 
  percentage 
  hatched, 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  fry 
  from 
  these 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  rearing 
  experiments. 
  The 
  eggs 
  collected 
  from 
  

   southern 
  New 
  England 
  waters 
  seemed 
  to 
  hatch 
  more 
  quickly 
  and 
  

   better 
  than 
  those 
  received 
  from 
  Gloucester, 
  and 
  the 
  fry 
  were 
  more 
  

   hardy. 
  This 
  can 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  in 
  part 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  

   and 
  Noank 
  eggs 
  are 
  further 
  developed 
  when 
  collected 
  than 
  Gloucester 
  

   eggs. 
  Very 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  Gloucester 
  fry 
  became 
  lobsterlings, 
  but 
  as 
  

   those 
  eggs 
  did 
  not 
  begin 
  to 
  hatch 
  until 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  

   ex[)eriments 
  seemed 
  to 
  prove 
  futile, 
  the 
  results 
  are 
  not 
  especially 
  

   significant. 
  A 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  habits, 
  rate 
  of 
  growth, 
  and 
  vitality 
  

   of 
  fry 
  from 
  the 
  hatchery 
  and 
  those 
  hatched 
  in 
  the 
  bags 
  did 
  not 
  show 
  

   any 
  apprecia])le 
  dill'erences. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  serious 
  objection 
  to 
  the 
  apparatus 
  as 
  a 
  hatchery 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  

   diatoms 
  multiply 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  completely 
  coating 
  the 
  unhatched 
  eggs 
  

   and 
  possibly 
  killing 
  them. 
  This 
  may 
  not 
  prove 
  serious. 
  By 
  exclud- 
  

   ing 
  direct 
  sunlight 
  the 
  diatoms 
  may 
  be 
  eliminated. 
  

  

  SUMMARY 
  OF 
  RESULTS 
  AND 
  CONCLUSIONS 
  FROM 
  THE 
  WORK 
  FOR 
  1002. 
  

  

  1. 
  The 
  physical 
  and 
  biological 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  Woods 
  

   Hole, 
  at 
  least 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1898, 
  1899, 
  1900, 
  1901, 
  and 
  1902, 
  were 
  

   extremely 
  unfavorable 
  for 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  lobster 
  fry. 
  Future 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  in 
  lobster 
  culture 
  should 
  be 
  tried 
  in 
  other 
  localities. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  gentle 
  agitation 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  obtained 
  

   with 
  this 
  stirring 
  device, 
  was 
  again 
  demonstrated 
  and 
  under 
  most 
  

  

  