ies) 
American Fisheries Society. 1 
will be a tremendous proposition when you consider rearing to 
the fourth stage from 70,000,000 to 200,000,000 lobsters. We 
shall probably take 175,000,000 to 200,000,000 eggs on the 
Maine coast. 
President: Let us have some of them. 
Mr. Titcomb: The people on the Maine coast would rather 
have their lobsters killed than give them away. 
President: I understand that what lobsters you take, the 
fry has to be returned to their waters. 
Mr. Titcomb: ‘That is the understanding and the law. Un- 
doubtedly there are 200,000,000 or 300,000,000 eggs going to 
waste there every season, but the fishermen themselves will sell 
the female lobsters, stripping the eggs from them first, rather 
than sell them to us for the same price. 
Dr. Gorham: In rearing lobsters to the fourth stage, the 
question of temperature is very important. In Maine, where 
the temperature is low, it takes twenty-one days to carry them 
through to the fourth stage, while at Wideford in July, it takes 
less than nine days to carry them through to the same stage. 
That would be an argument in favor of establishing rearing sta- 
tions in the warmer waters. The temperature is an extremely 
important factor in determining the rapidity with which the fry 
go through their various moults. 
Mr. E. D. Roberts: - You have spoken about your fourth 
moult lobsters. I will present you with a fifth. 
(Laughter. ) 
(Mr. Roberts referred to a little lobster pin which he was 
distributing. ) 
