﻿236 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  Massachusetts, 
  New 
  Hampshire, 
  and 
  Maine 
  prohibit 
  

   the 
  holding 
  of 
  the 
  "berried" 
  lobsters 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  arrangements 
  

   are 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  State 
  authorities 
  by 
  which 
  certain 
  officials 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  are 
  appointed 
  deputy 
  wardens 
  and 
  authorized 
  to 
  hold 
  egg- 
  

   bearing 
  lobsters 
  for 
  fish-cultural 
  purposes 
  in 
  live-boxes. 
  Early 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  lobster 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  territory 
  referred 
  to 
  above 
  are 
  

   visited 
  by 
  agents 
  of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  who 
  arrange 
  with 
  them 
  to 
  hold 
  

   all 
  of 
  their 
  egg 
  lobsters 
  in 
  live-cars 
  until 
  called 
  for, 
  at 
  a 
  price 
  agreed 
  on. 
  

  

  Collections 
  are 
  made 
  from 
  Woods 
  Hole 
  and 
  Gloucester 
  by 
  steam 
  

   launches 
  and 
  sailing 
  vessels. 
  The 
  steam 
  launches 
  visit 
  the 
  near 
  points 
  

   three 
  to 
  four 
  times 
  a 
  week 
  to 
  obtain 
  egg-bearing 
  lobsters. 
  The 
  vessels 
  

   collect 
  at 
  more 
  distant 
  points 
  in 
  Connecticut 
  and 
  Maine. 
  Local 
  agents 
  

   at 
  Boston 
  and 
  Plymouth, 
  Massachusetts, 
  and 
  Kittery 
  Point, 
  Maine, 
  

   also 
  collect 
  egg-bearing 
  lobsters, 
  which 
  are 
  held 
  in 
  live-boxes 
  until 
  the 
  

   agent 
  has 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  trip. 
  On 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  

   vessel 
  or 
  launch 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  the 
  lobsters 
  are 
  transferred 
  to 
  tanks 
  

   supplied 
  with 
  running 
  water 
  and 
  held 
  until 
  the 
  spawn-taker 
  is 
  ready 
  to 
  

   strip 
  the 
  eggs. 
  

  

  TAKING 
  AND 
  MEASURING 
  THE 
  EGGS. 
  

  

  The 
  receptacle 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  spawn-taker 
  strips 
  the 
  eggs 
  from 
  a 
  

   lobster 
  is 
  either 
  a 
  glass 
  jar 
  (9 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter) 
  or 
  a 
  water-bucket, 
  

   which, 
  after 
  thorough 
  cleaning, 
  is 
  i^artly 
  filled 
  with 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  operator, 
  with 
  his 
  left 
  hand, 
  grasps 
  the 
  lobster 
  from 
  above 
  and 
  

   turns 
  it 
  on 
  its 
  back, 
  lowering 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  spawning 
  vessel 
  head 
  down- 
  

   ward. 
  By 
  pressing 
  it 
  firmly 
  against 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  jar 
  it 
  is 
  prevented 
  

   from 
  using 
  the 
  anterior 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  body 
  or 
  its 
  mandibles. 
  The 
  hand 
  is 
  

   then 
  slipped 
  farther 
  back 
  toward 
  the 
  tail 
  and 
  the 
  segmented 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  body 
  is 
  held 
  firmly 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  closing. 
  The 
  lobster 
  is 
  then 
  ready 
  

   for 
  stripping. 
  A 
  rather 
  dull, 
  short-bladed 
  knife 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  separate 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  from 
  the 
  swimmerets, 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  attached 
  by 
  hair-like 
  

   fibers; 
  stripping 
  begins 
  at 
  the 
  last 
  pair 
  of 
  swimmerets 
  and 
  gradually 
  

   proceeds 
  toward 
  the 
  body. 
  As 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  scraped 
  off 
  they 
  fall 
  into 
  

   the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  jar. 
  Some 
  which 
  adhere 
  to 
  the 
  claws 
  of 
  the 
  lobster 
  

   are 
  washed 
  oft 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  of 
  water. 
  The 
  lobster 
  is 
  

   then 
  put 
  back 
  into 
  a 
  tank, 
  where 
  it 
  remains 
  until 
  liberated. 
  

  

  Lobsters 
  received 
  by 
  the 
  local 
  agents 
  at 
  Boston 
  and 
  Kittery 
  Point 
  

   are 
  held 
  until 
  a 
  suitable 
  quantity 
  is 
  on 
  hand 
  and 
  are 
  then 
  stripped, 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  being 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  station 
  in 
  transportation 
  cans 
  and 
  the 
  adults 
  

   released. 
  Early 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  the 
  eggs 
  stand 
  transportation 
  well, 
  but 
  

   late 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  as 
  incubation 
  becomes 
  more 
  advanced, 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  

   delicate 
  and 
  are 
  quickly 
  atfected 
  by 
  rough 
  handling 
  or 
  sudden 
  changes 
  

   in 
  temperature. 
  

  

  Before 
  being 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  hatching-vessels 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  accu- 
  

   rately 
  measured, 
  generally 
  with 
  a 
  glass 
  graduate, 
  into 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  

   poured, 
  the 
  water 
  being 
  drawn 
  off. 
  The 
  basis 
  of 
  measure 
  is 
  an 
  ounce, 
  

   which 
  contains 
  about 
  0,090 
  eggs. 
  

  

  