REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. pom | 
During the summer and fall of 1915 berried lobsters to the number 
of 17,808 were purchased and placed in the Boothbay Harbor pound, 
to be carried through the winter. When removed in April this stock 
was found not to have stood confinement well, the loss amounting 
to 4,898 individuals, or 29 per cent of the original number, while 
among the survivors barren and scantily egged ones were plentiful. 
Only 123,929,000 eggs were realized, an average of less than 10,000 
per lobster, which is a very low average. The poor results may in 
art be attributed to an abnormally warm fall and winter. No ice 
ormed on the pound until the middle of February, and as a conse- 
uence the lobsters failed to burrow in the mud and remain quiet, as 
they usually do, and losses of eggs were caused by their continual 
crawling over the bottom of the inclosure. The high temperature 
also forced the development of the eggs and caused the hatching of 
large numbers in the pound, this being evidenced by the appearance 
of many of the lobsters. A contributing cause of loss was the impos- 
sibility of securing suitable food at all times. A compensating 
feature of the year’s work was that the quality of the fry produced 
and distributed was most excellent. 
Additions to the supply of lobster eggs for this station were made 
by the purchase of 6,510,000, resulting from 289 berried lobsters 
waidh had been collected by the Maine Department of Sea and Shore 
Fisheries during the winter and held in live cars; also by collections 
from freshly caught lobsters during the spring months. The latter 
numbered 476, and from them 13,164,000 eggs were obtained, an 
average of 28,000 per lobster. 
In February a search was instituted for cod eggs, and a little later 
for haddock eggs also, regular trips being made to the fishing grounds 
by the station steamer and a force of spawn takers whenever the 
weather permitted. Very few fish of either species were taken, how- 
ever, and there was an entire absence of haddock in spawning condi- 
tion. As a result of the spring’s work 11,203,000 cod eggs were 
taken, a very small return for the effort expended. 
During March and April 5,450 brood flatfish, taken in fyke nets in 
the vicinity of the station, were placed in retaining tanks in the 
hatchery. Part of these fish were allowed to spawn naturally, while 
the others were overhauled daily and the mature eggs taken and fer- 
tilized. Altogether 618,308,000 eggs were obtained, from which 
583,707,000 fry were hatched and distributed. This egg yield not 
only represents the largest number ever obtained at Boothbay Harbor 
station, but the losses during incubation were smaller than heretofore 
and the fry hatched were strong and of excellent quality. 
The surplus pollock eggs accumulating at the Gloucester station 
from time to time during the winter were transferred by means of 
the steamer Gannet to the Boothbay Harbor station, four trips being 
made for the purpose. As on previous occasions, the eggs did not 
stand transportation well; and, though various methods were 
employed in making the shipments, all were equally unsuccessful, 
only 48,892,000 of the original 126,080,000 carried reaching the 
station in good order. : 
During the first two months of the fiscal year the employees of the 
Gloucester station made small collections of eggs of the mackerel and 
butterfish. The mackerel eggs proved very poor and only an insig- 
nificant number of fry were hatched, but the butterfish eggs yielded 
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