﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  Ill 
  

  

  A 
  brief 
  summary 
  is 
  given 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  observations 
  made, 
  

   espe(nally 
  in 
  those 
  directions 
  bearing 
  upon 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  

   of 
  the 
  species. 
  The 
  extreme 
  geographical 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  lobster 
  is 
  from 
  

   Labrador 
  to 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  and 
  its 
  range 
  in 
  depth 
  from 
  about 
  1 
  to 
  

   upward 
  of 
  100 
  fathoms, 
  but 
  its 
  distribution 
  in 
  abujidance 
  is 
  restricted 
  

   within 
  umcli 
  narrower 
  limits. 
  There 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  pronounced 
  

   coastwise 
  migration, 
  but 
  large 
  numbers 
  move 
  to 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  deep 
  

   waters 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  and 
  spring. 
  They 
  approach 
  the 
  shores 
  in 
  the 
  Vine- 
  

   yard 
  Sound 
  region 
  when 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  rises 
  to 
  between 
  

   50° 
  and 
  ~)oo 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  

  

  The 
  adult 
  lobsters 
  feed 
  chiefly 
  on 
  fish 
  and 
  invertebrates, 
  but 
  they 
  

   also 
  take 
  small 
  quantities 
  of 
  algae 
  and 
  eelgrass. 
  About 
  80 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  

   the 
  si»awning 
  females 
  extrude 
  their 
  eggs 
  during 
  July 
  and 
  August, 
  the 
  

   remainder 
  at 
  other 
  seasons, 
  but 
  the 
  hatching 
  i)eriod 
  is 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  

   late 
  spring 
  and 
  early 
  summer, 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  cases 
  being 
  

   carried, 
  therefore, 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  11 
  months. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  at 
  each 
  laying 
  varies 
  from 
  about 
  5,000, 
  in 
  an 
  8-inch 
  lobster, 
  to 
  

   over 
  (10,000 
  in 
  one 
  measuring 
  17 
  inches 
  long, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  instances 
  

   over 
  90,000 
  eggs 
  have 
  been 
  observed 
  on 
  lobsters 
  from 
  15 
  to 
  16 
  inches 
  

   long. 
  

  

  The 
  female 
  lobsters 
  become 
  sexually 
  mature 
  when 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  12 
  

   inches 
  long. 
  They 
  spawn 
  not 
  oftener 
  tliau 
  once 
  in 
  two 
  years, 
  the 
  

   spawning 
  interval 
  being 
  apparently 
  biennial. 
  Molting 
  takes 
  place 
  

   chiefly 
  during 
  the 
  four 
  mouths 
  Irom 
  June 
  to 
  September, 
  inclusive, 
  but 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  mouth 
  in 
  which 
  soft 
  lobsters 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  caught. 
  It 
  is 
  con- 
  

   cluded 
  that 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  growth 
  varies 
  considerably 
  with 
  the 
  individual 
  

   and 
  its 
  surroundings. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  lobster 
  when 
  it 
  hatches 
  

   from 
  the 
  egg 
  is 
  about 
  7.84 
  mm., 
  and 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  length 
  at 
  each 
  

   molt 
  is 
  about 
  15.3 
  jier 
  cent. 
  The 
  lobster 
  molts 
  from 
  14 
  to 
  17 
  times 
  

   during 
  the 
  first 
  year. 
  A 
  lOi-inch 
  lobster 
  has 
  molted 
  from 
  25 
  to 
  2G 
  

   times, 
  and 
  is 
  about 
  5 
  years 
  old. 
  The 
  greatest 
  size 
  attained 
  by 
  the 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  is 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  about 
  26 
  pounds, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  

   extreme 
  weights 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  being 
  unreliable. 
  

  

  The 
  lobster 
  hatches 
  from 
  the 
  egg 
  as 
  a 
  pelagic 
  free-swimming 
  larva. 
  

   It 
  lives 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ocean 
  from 
  six 
  to 
  eight 
  weeks, 
  when, 
  after 
  

   having 
  molted 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  times, 
  it 
  goes 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  appears 
  in 
  

   habit 
  and 
  structure 
  like 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  adult 
  lobster. 
  After 
  reaching 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  it 
  travels 
  toward 
  the 
  shore 
  and 
  establishes 
  itself 
  in 
  rock 
  

   jjiles 
  in 
  harbors 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  rivers, 
  where 
  it 
  remains 
  until 
  

   driven 
  out 
  by 
  ice. 
  At 
  very 
  low 
  tide 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  by 
  digging 
  away 
  

   the 
  loose 
  stones. 
  The 
  larvse 
  feed 
  upon 
  minute 
  pelagic 
  organisms 
  of 
  all 
  

   kinds, 
  showing 
  little 
  discrimination 
  at 
  this 
  time. 
  Great 
  destruction 
  is 
  

   M'roughtupon 
  the 
  free-swimming 
  stages 
  by 
  both 
  animate 
  and 
  inanimate 
  

   enemies. 
  A 
  survival 
  of 
  2 
  in 
  every 
  10,000 
  larva* 
  hatched 
  would 
  maintain 
  

   the 
  species 
  at 
  an 
  e(]uilibriuni, 
  and 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  under 
  

   the 
  present 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  probably 
  even 
  greater 
  than 
  this 
  

   implies. 
  

  

  