﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XXXIII 
  

  

  Lobster 
  work. 
  — 
  Arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  for 
  collecting 
  berried 
  lob- 
  

   sters 
  from 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Gloncester, 
  Boston 
  Bay, 
  and 
  

   Kittery 
  Point, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  further 
  extending- 
  the 
  work 
  the 
  

   schooner 
  Grampus 
  was 
  detailed 
  to 
  make 
  collections 
  along- 
  the 
  Maine 
  

   coast 
  from 
  Portland 
  to 
  Bockland. 
  Permission 
  having 
  been 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  the 
  commissioners 
  of 
  Maine, 
  New 
  Hamjishire, 
  and 
  Massachusetts 
  

   for 
  holding- 
  egg 
  lobsters 
  in 
  live-boxes 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  

   Captain 
  Hahn 
  visited 
  the 
  various 
  fishing- 
  centers 
  in 
  March 
  and 
  made 
  

   the 
  necessary 
  airangements 
  with 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  who 
  agreed 
  to 
  deliver 
  

   large 
  females 
  for 
  15 
  cents 
  each 
  and 
  small 
  ones 
  for 
  10 
  cents. 
  A 
  small 
  

   steamer 
  was 
  chartered 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  collections 
  in 
  Boston 
  and 
  Gloucester 
  

   harbors. 
  The 
  season 
  extended 
  from 
  Ajjril 
  17 
  to 
  July 
  19, 
  the 
  total 
  col- 
  

   lection 
  amounting 
  to 
  54,532,000, 
  from 
  which 
  47,869,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  

   and 
  planted. 
  These 
  results, 
  though 
  not 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  had 
  been 
  expected 
  

   from 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  territory 
  covered, 
  indicated 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  can 
  

   be 
  greatly 
  extended 
  under 
  favorable 
  conditions. 
  The 
  M^eather 
  during 
  

   the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  was 
  very 
  bad, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   territory 
  covered 
  was 
  new, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  much 
  interest 
  in 
  

   the 
  work 
  until 
  the 
  season 
  was 
  well 
  advanced. 
  The 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   lobsters 
  from 
  Boston 
  Bay 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  dealers, 
  and 
  by 
  employing 
  two 
  

   or 
  three 
  local 
  agents 
  instead 
  of 
  one 
  next 
  year 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  better 
  

   results 
  can 
  be 
  secured. 
  

  

  The 
  collections 
  by 
  localities 
  were 
  as 
  follows: 
  Boston 
  Bay, 
  23,687,000; 
  

   Gloucester 
  Harbor, 
  5,950,000; 
  Kittery 
  Point, 
  6,966,000; 
  the 
  schooner 
  

   Grampus, 
  in 
  Maine, 
  17,370,000; 
  Marblehead, 
  559,000. 
  The 
  egg 
  lobsters 
  

   collected 
  on 
  the 
  Maine 
  coast 
  were 
  transferred 
  witliout 
  difficulty 
  in 
  the 
  

   well 
  of 
  the 
  Grampus 
  to 
  Gloucester, 
  where 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  stripped 
  and 
  

   placed 
  in 
  jars, 
  the 
  lobsters 
  being- 
  liberated 
  by 
  the 
  vessel's 
  crew 
  at 
  points 
  

   along 
  the 
  Maine 
  coast 
  on 
  the 
  return 
  trip. 
  Those 
  collected 
  in 
  Boston 
  

   Bay 
  were 
  transferred 
  by 
  steamer, 
  and 
  little 
  difficulty 
  was 
  experienced 
  

   in 
  transporting' 
  them 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  On 
  the 
  first 
  

   five 
  or 
  six 
  trij)S 
  they 
  were 
  carried 
  in 
  hogsheads 
  packed 
  in 
  seaweed, 
  no 
  

   water 
  being 
  used, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  weather 
  grew 
  warmer 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  use 
  water 
  and 
  to 
  change 
  it 
  frequently 
  en 
  route. 
  Ice 
  was 
  used, 
  but 
  

   without 
  any 
  apparent 
  effect. 
  Tliis 
  failure 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  was 
  prob- 
  

   ably 
  due 
  as 
  much 
  to 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  lobsters 
  when 
  received 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  temperature, 
  since 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  been 
  shipped 
  to 
  Boston, 
  from 
  

   distant 
  points, 
  packed 
  in 
  ice. 
  A 
  vessel 
  with 
  a 
  well 
  should 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  

   transporting- 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  developed 
  as 
  heretofore, 
  in 
  the 
  McDonald 
  jar. 
  As 
  the 
  

   temjjerature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  remained 
  below 
  50° 
  until 
  June 
  1, 
  the 
  fry 
  did 
  

   not 
  commence 
  hatching 
  until 
  after 
  that 
  date, 
  but 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  on 
  they 
  

   came 
  out 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  necessitating 
  large 
  plants 
  each 
  day. 
  The 
  bulk 
  

   of 
  them 
  were 
  distributed 
  in 
  Massachusetts 
  waters 
  between 
  Marblehead 
  

   and 
  Eockport. 
  By 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  Grampus 
  11,665,000 
  were 
  shipped 
  

   to 
  Maine 
  and 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  localities 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  lobsters 
  were 
  col- 
  

   F. 
  R. 
  97 
  III 
  

  

  