LII EEPOKT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



At the close of the cod season arrangements were made with the 

 fishermen and dealers to save egg-lobsters at various points along the 

 Massachusetts coast, and temporary collectors were employed and 

 stationed at Boston and Kittery Point to look after the interests of the 

 Commission in this work. The schooner Grampus was detailed to 

 make collections along the Maine coast from Kittery to Rockland, and 

 on account of the large extent of territory to be covered an additional 

 steam smack was chartered to work in connection with the Grampus. 

 As a result of operations on the coast of Maine, 22,023,000 lobster eggs 

 were collected and delivered at the station. The first eggs were takem 

 by the Grampus on April 11, and the collections were continued daily 

 from that time until July 15. The lobsters purchased in Gloucester and 

 vicinity, Kittery Point, Marblehead, and Boston were transferred to the 

 station by means of a steam launch. This launch was also utilized in 

 making the plants. 



The collections made at the various points aggregated 0,445 lobsters, 

 which yielded 72,101,000 eggs. The eggs were all hatched at Gloucester, 

 and produced 65,097,000 fry, which were distributed along the New 

 England coast from Rockland to Boston. Several of the shipments were 

 taken to Maine waters by the Grampus, and a number of shipments 

 were sent by rail in care of messengers to Portland, Maine, from which 

 point they were distributed by the schooner. Heretofore considerable 

 difficulty had been experienced in shipping lobster fry during warm 

 weather on account of losses occasioned by sudden rises in temperature, 

 as ice could not be used in the transportation cans, because it would 

 reduce the density of the water. This year, by a simple device, the 

 difficulty was overcome. A tin cylinder, attached to the cover of the 

 regular transportation can and extending to within 6 inches of the 

 bottom of the can, was kept constantly filled with crushed ice, and in 

 this way the proper temperature of the water was maintained. 



The following table shows the number of eggs collected from the 

 various fields: 



Locality. 



Gloucester and vicinity 6, 479, 000 



Marblehead 435,000 



Kittery Point and vicinity 6, 368, 000 



Maine coast, schooner Grampus 22, 023, 000 



Boston and vicinity 36, 796, 000 



Eggs 

 collected. 



Total 72,101,000 



Woods Hole Station, Massachusetts (E. F. Locke, Superintendent). 



During July and August various repairs were made to the residence 

 and other buildings, including a new floor for the lower hall of the 

 laboratory and repairs to the pool. The machine shop was removed 

 from the loft over the fire room to the lower floor of the carpenter shop. 



The station force collected in July for shipment to the Pacific coast 

 a carload of 2,017 small and 12 adult tautog, with 119 blue crabs. 



