82 CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS. 



lobster does, but only about 8 to 10 young in a year. What is 

 the result ? Is the dogfish a thousand times less numerous than the 

 lobster? N"o; it is increasing constantly and is extremely numer- 

 ous. It is said that the most numerous bird in the world is a 

 petrel, which lays only one egg, but takes care of it. I feel that 

 there is a good deal to be said on the other side, then. I would 

 like, if time permitted, to speak of the clam, the scallop and the 

 oyster, for Ehode Island is proud of its shellfish industry, which. 

 is one of the very best in the world. 



I believe in uniformity of laws. In regard to length, I wish 

 the length could be raised to 10% inches; but it is a great deal 

 easier to sit in the State House and talk about raising the limit 

 of length of lobsters than it is to be a lobsterman, and see your 

 next year's profits go to the wall because of a change in the length. 

 I understand that in Maine there has been a movement to measure 

 not the whole length of the lobster, but just the thorax. I could 

 not find out whether that was true or not, but it seems to me that, 

 it is a good suggestion. You can pull a 9-inch lobster to any requi-. 

 site length, but you cannot pull out the shell. 



Mr. Donahue (answering). I will say, in regard to measuring,, 

 that the Maine measure is 4% inches from the end of the horn or 

 nose to the center of the back end of the shell. We had trouble 

 in regard to the pulling out of lobsters, so we adopted this new 

 measurement, and now stretching or pulling is out of the question. 



