20'^ 'I'hirh/si.rlh A,, mm I Mrr/imj 



c()iiij)ai-ativ('lv y()uii<;- lohstci's, vou aiv tlirowiii^- ^ivat strciss upon 

 very valuable breeders. If you take out the 9 to 11 inch lobsters, 

 you are taking out those whieli can Iji'ood now, and those which 

 would breed again and again if you loft them alone, and of 

 course, you arc ilirowing additional stress upon tliat limited 

 period, by e.\eiu])t iii,i:- tlie olliei' lohslers. amoni;- wliieb are the 

 very hirge lol)stei's wliieli ai-e I'apidly declined in llicir breeding 

 capacity. 



Mr. Field: It is a question wlictbei' lliey are rapidly de- 

 clining. There was no question according to various ol)serva- 

 tions that they increase up to 17 inclies. and after tliat, we do 

 not know anything about Ibeni. At Ki inches you liave 19,00it 

 eggs. 



Professor Mead: You liad only 10,000. that was less. 



^Ir. Field : We do not know how ra])idly the decline is. The 

 chances are tbe decline is about the same as the increasing curve. 



President: Any further discussion of the paper? 



]\Ir. Field : I ought to say, that ]X'rhaps Dr. Mead overlooks 

 the fact or assumes that a tremendous number would be destroy- 

 ed, and that is doubtless true; at the same time there would be a 

 large number which would get by, for the reason there is a rela- 

 tively short period in their lives where they are exposed to cap- 

 ture, whereas, at the present time, they are exposed to capture 

 throughout their entire life. 



Professor ]\Iead : I am interested in this subp'ct, and have 

 talked with Dr. Field a great many times, and we have always 

 failed to agree as to tbe effect of protecting ihe young or old. 

 just as some ])eople present have failed to agi'cc on the general 

 principle of "Fry \s. Fingerlings." dust now he brought up 

 tbe objection to his theory, which ])resenls itself to everyone, 

 that hy allowing the old lohsters to he exempt, great stress is 

 brought upon the young, lie said, in explanation of bis curvi'. 

 that it would he a teri'ihh' thing if all of the old egg-bearing 

 lohstci's wi'i'c wiped out. Of course, it is e(|ually true that if all 

 the voung ones were wiped out. it would b(» uu foi'tunafe. It 

 scH'ms to me there is one tiling thai oui^-ht not to he overlooked. 



