﻿CII 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  y. 
  The 
  American 
  Lobster 
  (Romarus 
  americanus). 
  

  

  Attention 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  called 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  

   for 
  1883 
  to 
  the 
  increasing 
  scarcity 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  lobster 
  and 
  the 
  dan- 
  

   ger 
  of 
  its 
  practical 
  extinction 
  as 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  commerce 
  within 
  a 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  short 
  time. 
  Investigations 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  clearly 
  in- 
  

   dicate 
  that 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  lobsters, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  their 
  average 
  size, 
  has 
  

   been 
  rapidly 
  decreasing 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year 
  on 
  many 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  

   where 
  the 
  fishery 
  has 
  been 
  vigorously 
  pushed. 
  A 
  study 
  of 
  their 
  habits 
  

   shows 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  decrease 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  possible 
  with 
  lobsters 
  than 
  with 
  

   the 
  true 
  fishes, 
  which 
  are, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  more 
  secure 
  from 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  man. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  States 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  lobster 
  fishery, 
  except 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  

   whose 
  fishery 
  is 
  small, 
  have 
  enacted 
  protective 
  laws, 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  

   failed 
  to 
  stop 
  the 
  diminution, 
  though 
  they 
  may 
  have 
  checked 
  it 
  some- 
  

   what. 
  As 
  a 
  result, 
  we 
  are 
  already 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  dependent 
  on 
  the 
  British 
  

   Provinces 
  for 
  the 
  supplies 
  of 
  our 
  larger 
  markets. 
  The 
  same 
  trouble 
  

   with 
  the 
  lobster 
  supply 
  exists 
  in 
  Europe, 
  where 
  this 
  fishery 
  has 
  been 
  

   controlled 
  by 
  legislation 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  In 
  Norway, 
  which 
  country 
  

   has 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  European 
  fishery, 
  as 
  a 
  last 
  resort 
  they 
  have 
  

   sought 
  relief 
  in 
  artificial 
  lobster 
  culture, 
  and 
  experiments 
  in 
  this 
  have 
  

   been 
  carried 
  on 
  there 
  since 
  1873. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  strongest 
  evidences 
  of 
  de- 
  

   crease 
  in 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  our 
  lobsters 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  continual 
  dimi- 
  

   nution 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  those 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  markets, 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  lobsters 
  now 
  canned 
  being 
  less 
  than 
  10 
  inches 
  in 
  length. 
  An 
  inves- 
  

   tigation 
  shows 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  steady 
  demand 
  for 
  lobsters 
  of 
  all 
  sizes, 
  

   and 
  that 
  but 
  a 
  limited 
  protection 
  is 
  afforded 
  by 
  either 
  laws 
  or 
  custom. 
  

  

  The 
  Delaware 
  Breakwater 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  practically 
  the 
  south- 
  

   ern 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  lobster, 
  though 
  a 
  few 
  specimens 
  

   have 
  been 
  found 
  south 
  of 
  this 
  ; 
  while 
  it 
  was 
  formerly 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  New 
  England, 
  and 
  especially 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Massa- 
  

   chusetts, 
  in 
  suitable 
  localities. 
  Maine 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  principal 
  source 
  of 
  

   supply 
  for 
  all 
  the 
  larger 
  markets 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  the 
  yearly 
  fishery 
  of 
  

   that 
  State 
  greatly 
  exceeding 
  in 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  those 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  

   States 
  combined. 
  Lobsters 
  are 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  migrate, 
  except 
  over 
  very 
  

   short 
  distances, 
  mainly 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  fall, 
  when 
  they 
  change 
  their 
  

   grounds, 
  moving 
  into 
  deeper 
  water 
  on 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  cold 
  weather, 
  

   and 
  returning 
  in 
  late 
  spring 
  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  shore, 
  where 
  the 
  shallower 
  

   grounds 
  probably 
  furnish 
  a 
  better 
  supply 
  of 
  food. 
  

  

  Lobsters 
  are 
  found 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  year 
  with 
  spawn 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  

   abdomen. 
  This 
  fact 
  is 
  recorded 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  American 
  and 
  the 
  European 
  

   species, 
  but 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  this 
  spawn 
  is 
  carried 
  before 
  hatching 
  

   and 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  hatching 
  season 
  are 
  not 
  precisely 
  known. 
  From 
  

   observations 
  made 
  by 
  fishermen 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  hatch 
  in 
  the 
  

   wells 
  of 
  their 
  smacks 
  in 
  the 
  greatest 
  abundance 
  during 
  May, 
  June, 
  and 
  

   July, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  hatching 
  at 
  other 
  seasons 
  is 
  only 
  an 
  accidental 
  or 
  

   occasional 
  occurrence. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  improbable 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  

   hatched 
  during 
  cold 
  weather 
  perish 
  soon 
  after 
  they 
  leave 
  the 
  egg. 
  The 
  

  

  