CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS. 79 



can, and what the result is, — which is the most important thing, 

 — I will say that the returns from the Maine lobster catch for the 

 past three years, not including this year, has been as follows : 

 in 1905 our catch was 11,137,947 pounds of lobster, at a value of 

 $1,394,000; in 1906 we had an increase to 15,014,374 pounds, 

 valued at $1,640,000; in 1907 we were still on the increase, and 

 had 17,397,342 pounds, at a value of $1,888,000. This is the 

 amount of money that the lobster fishermen pulled from the water 

 in that year. We now think we are on the right road in Maine, 

 because we are gaining. Previous to this we were going the other 

 way. 



As to the seed lobster, I will say that we have a method there 

 of buying the seed lobsters from fishermen. The reason they used 

 to strip the seed from the lobster was that it was illegal to have 

 a seed-bearing lobster in their possession, so in order not to have 

 one they would make it seedless, and then it could go onto the 

 market as an ordinary lobster. The State passed a law appropriat- 

 ing $5,000 to buy these seed lobsters from the fishermen. The 

 method we are adopting now is to pay the fishermen 25 per cent, 

 more than the regular market price for legal lobsters for these 

 seed lobsters, making it an inducement for them to save these seed 

 Ibbsters for the State. If they object to having these seed lobsters 

 taken to the hatchery, and prefer to have them liberated, we will 

 liberate them there in their harbor, with the privilege to them of 

 catching them again, and we will buy them again if they catch 

 them. So you see we are getting ahead in this work. We have 

 paid four times for one seed lobster in a season, but that is an ex- 

 ception. We have paid for several three times, but we think that 

 system is beneficial. We are selling to the United States hatch- 

 eries in Boothbay harbor. Last year they hatched almost 140,000,- 

 000 small lobsters, and liberated them on the coast of Maine. The 

 number of lobsters that matured is problematic. They have all 

 kinds of enemies, especially in the swimming period on top of 

 the water; but the fishermen report that they never saw so many 

 small lobsters before on the coast of Maine. From Casco Bay 

 east to Eastport our stock this year shows a material increase. In 

 that section the small lobster is almost invariably liberated. From 

 Casco Bay west, however, the catch is dropping off, and has been 

 dropping off; and it will show a smaller catch this year than for 

 the last ten years. 



