2l6 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



ll\ l;l: III I U' il 1 

 From a flash-light photograph. 



THE LOBSTER QUESTION. 



THE artificial propagation of the lobster has 

 been studied and experimented upon by the 

 United States Fisheries Bureau ever since 1888. 

 The experiments were attended with greater suc- 

 cess from year to year, the number of lobsters 

 hatched annually varying during recent years, from 

 fifty to one hundred million fry. 



The artificial hatching of lobsters on a large scale 

 is not difficult, but carrying them through the critical 

 periods of infancy is quite another matter, and 

 hitherto it has been necessary to liberate them at 

 so early an age that the artificial method has pro- 

 duced only very moderate results. In its three 

 earlier stages of development, the lobster is a free- 

 swimming creature, exposed to a host of natural 

 enemies, and on account of its helplessness its pro- 

 tection in the hatchery is necessary until the fourth 

 stage, when it is old enough to sink to the bottom. 



The difficulties in the way of success were lack 

 of suitable food, tendency to cannibalism during 

 the frequent moultings of the shell, and infection 

 from diatom growths. 



At the end of each season's work more or less 

 progress in lobster culture has been recorded. Dif- 

 ferent methods of feeding were tried until satisfac- 

 tory foods were discovered, the most practical being 

 the flesh of the menhaden. Experiments in differ- 

 ent regions showed that some localities yielded bet- 

 ter results than others ; the best being a protected bay 

 where water temperature was higher and its density 

 lower than at the original experiment stations. 



Cannibalism among the )-oung fry proved so seri- 



ous that it could only be prevented by the constant 

 agitation oj the water, and experiments in this line 

 by mechanical means rapidly led to better results. 

 The proportion of fry carried through to the fourth 

 or "lobsterling" stage has been greater as a result 

 of the recent experiments than ever before, and the 

 outlook is now very hopeful. The United States 

 Bureau of Fisheries and the Rhode Island Fish 

 Commission are entitled to great credit for the 

 recent progress in lobster culture. 



Restrictions on lobster fishing have been ineffec- 

 tive, and the supply of lobsters has long been declin- 

 ing. In iS8q the catch for the year was thirty 

 million pounds, worth over $833,000. In 1902 the 

 catch was only half that amount, but was valued 

 at over $1,271,000. 



The lobster has proved one of the most difficult 

 species to deal with, from the fish-culturist's point 

 of view. It is not only difficult to handle in infancy, 

 as has been stated, but is of very slow growth. It 

 does not reach the breeding age for four or five 

 years, and does not attain good marketable size 

 until seven or eight years old. Although the re- 

 sults of the last two or three season's investigations 

 are most encouraging, we must not expect any early 

 effect on a fishery so nearly exhausted, and so per- 

 sistently carried on, as that based on the lobster. 



The methods of hatching, and of carrying the 

 young as far as the lobsterling stage, having been 

 well developed, it is now proposed to secure the 

 cooperation of the lobstermen in rearing the small 

 lobsters in enclosures or " oounds." 



