﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  233 
  

  

  year 
  the 
  length 
  is 
  5 
  to 
  7 
  inches. 
  By 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  4i 
  or 
  5 
  years 
  a 
  length 
  

   of 
  about 
  10 
  inches 
  is 
  reached. 
  The 
  rate 
  of 
  growth, 
  however, 
  depends 
  

   gceatly 
  on 
  the 
  environment, 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  food 
  being 
  a 
  very 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  factor. 
  

  

  The 
  adult 
  lobster 
  usually 
  molts 
  in 
  summer, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  

   female, 
  shortly 
  after 
  the 
  hatching 
  of 
  the 
  eggs, 
  As 
  several 
  months 
  are 
  

   required 
  for 
  the 
  new 
  shell 
  to 
  acquire 
  the 
  liardness 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  f 
  as 
  newly- 
  

   laid 
  eggs 
  are 
  rarely 
  found 
  on 
  a 
  soft-shell 
  lobster; 
  as 
  molting 
  does 
  not 
  

   ensue 
  while 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  swimmerets; 
  and, 
  furthermore, 
  as 
  

   dissection 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  ovaries 
  of 
  a 
  lobster 
  whose 
  eggs 
  have 
  

   recently 
  hatched 
  are 
  in 
  an 
  immature 
  condition 
  and 
  will 
  not 
  yield 
  eggs 
  

   until 
  the 
  succeeding 
  year, 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  the 
  mature 
  lobster 
  deposits 
  

   eggs 
  not 
  offcener 
  than 
  once 
  in 
  two 
  years, 
  with 
  an 
  alternating 
  molt. 
  

  

  SIZE 
  AND 
  WEIGHT. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  size 
  of 
  lobsters 
  caught 
  for 
  market 
  is 
  now 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  

   it 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  earlier 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  fishery, 
  and 
  their 
  average 
  weight 
  is 
  

   probably 
  not 
  over 
  2 
  pounds. 
  A 
  lobster 
  9 
  inches 
  long 
  weighs, 
  on 
  an 
  

   average, 
  1| 
  pounds; 
  a 
  lO.Vinch 
  lobster. 
  If 
  pounds; 
  a 
  12-inch 
  lobster, 
  3 
  

   pounds; 
  and 
  a 
  15-inch 
  lobster, 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  pounds; 
  while 
  a 
  lobster 
  20 
  inches 
  

   long 
  weighs 
  20 
  pounds 
  or 
  more. 
  Lobsters 
  weighing 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  15 
  or 
  

   20 
  pounds 
  are 
  uncommon, 
  and 
  those 
  weighing 
  over 
  20 
  pounds 
  are 
  very 
  

   rare. 
  Up 
  to 
  a 
  recent 
  date, 
  the 
  largest 
  lobster 
  of 
  authenticated 
  weight 
  

   wat 
  about 
  25 
  xionnds. 
  In 
  1897, 
  however, 
  3 
  lobsters, 
  each 
  weighing 
  over 
  

   30 
  pounds, 
  were 
  taken 
  oft' 
  Sandy 
  Hook, 
  N. 
  J.,the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  

   being 
  33 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  male 
  lobster 
  weighs 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  female 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  length, 
  

   the 
  difterence 
  in 
  11-inch 
  lobsters, 
  for 
  instance, 
  being 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  

   of 
  a 
  pound. 
  

  

  The 
  size 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  lobster 
  attains 
  sexual 
  maturity 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  

   important 
  question. 
  In 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  and 
  Middle 
  States 
  and 
  the 
  

   OaTiadian 
  Provinces 
  the 
  laws 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  minimum 
  size 
  of 
  market- 
  

   able 
  lobsters 
  are 
  quite 
  various 
  and 
  illustrate 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  definite 
  

   information 
  on 
  this 
  subject. 
  In 
  Maine, 
  Massachusetts, 
  New 
  Hamp- 
  

   shire, 
  and 
  New 
  York 
  the 
  minimum 
  limit 
  of 
  size 
  of 
  lobsters 
  that 
  maybe 
  

   sold 
  is 
  now 
  10.] 
  inches; 
  in 
  Rhode 
  Island 
  it 
  is 
  10 
  inches, 
  and 
  in 
  Con- 
  

   necticut 
  it 
  is 
  9 
  inches. 
  In 
  the 
  British 
  Provinces 
  the 
  limit 
  is 
  much 
  

   lower 
  than 
  in 
  Maine. 
  

  

  Investigations 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  

   coast 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  female 
  lobster 
  attains 
  maturity 
  when 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  12 
  

   inches 
  long. 
  Comparatively 
  few 
  lobsters 
  under 
  9 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  

   lay 
  eggs. 
  Of 
  over 
  1,000 
  egg-bearing 
  lobsters 
  collected 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  

   during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  years, 
  less 
  than 
  2 
  per 
  cent 
  were 
  under 
  9 
  inches 
  long. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  have 
  reached 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  10^^ 
  

   inches 
  most 
  lobsters 
  will 
  have 
  produced 
  eggs, 
  and 
  this 
  should 
  be 
  the 
  

   minimum 
  size 
  permitted 
  in 
  the 
  markets. 
  

  

  