74 ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY 



in the safety of hatching jars. This is now done at numerous hatcheries 

 along the coast, one of the largest of which is at Boothbay Harbor, 

 Maine. The eggs after being carefully scraped from the swimmerets 

 of the female are put into glass jars where they are kept in running water 

 and carefully tended until they hatch and, preferably, have reached 

 the bottom-seeking stage, when they are taken out to sea and liberated 

 at favorable localities along the coast. Many millions of such young 

 lobsters are liberated each season. 



Besides this rearing of young, other expedients are recommended and 

 are being applied in some regions, as follows: 



1. Have a standard trap with an entrance too small to admit the 

 largest lobsters, which are thus saved for breeders, and with slats so 

 far apart that lobsters less than 10 inches in length can escape. 



2. License every lobster fisherman. 



3. Protect the berried lobsters by forbidding their sale, and offer a 

 bounty upon them at the hatcheries where they may be stripped. This 

 bounty will tend to prevent dishonest fishermen from stripping the 

 females and then selling them in the open markets. 



4. Abolish the closed season and permit fishing throughout the year. 

 Spiny lobsters, genus Palinurus. These lobsters which are often 



large and spiny but are without claws are found in various parts of the 

 world. P. vulgaris, the common spiny or rock lobster is common in 

 southern and western Europe and is an important article of food. 

 It's meat is largely confined to the thorax and abdomen and is said to 

 be as delicious as that of the true lobsters. 



P. interruptus is found on the western coast of North America and 

 often reaches a considerable size. 



Crayfish, or Crawfish, genus Cambarus (eastern U. S.) and Astacus 

 (Europe and Pacific coast of U. S.), Fig. 53. These two genera, of 

 which there are many species, have a greater economic importance, 

 both positive and negative, than is commonly realized. The positive 

 side will first be briefly discussed. 



For many years they have been so extensively used as food in 

 European countries that it has been profitable to rear them artificially. 

 Their use in the U. S., though not so general, is increasing; for example, 

 16,000 pounds of Cambarus were sold from New Orleans Co., La., 

 in a year, and over 55,000 pounds from Monroe Co., Fla. On the 

 Pacific coast the larger genus, Astacus, is collected in large numbers, 



