XL VI REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



planting of only four lobsters out of one hundred and fifty, with which 

 the messengers started. 



In June, 1879, the third attempt was made under the supervision of 

 Mr. L. Stone, and twenty-two lobsters were taken to the Pacific with 

 the loss of a single individual. These were all females, and, although 

 they carried a large number of eggs, it is not known that they accom- 

 plished the purpose of the transfer. 



The determination of the best methods of shipping lobsters long dis- 

 tances overland has been a difficult problem, but was simplified by the 

 introduction of cars built specially for transporting live fish. The ex- 

 periments made by the late Capt. H. O. Chester at Wood's Holl, Massa- 

 chusetts, in 1886, demonstrated the practicability of carrying them 

 safely with a limited supply of sea water, at a low temperature, in a 

 packing of rock weed (Fucus) and his methods were applied in the 

 fourth trial in June, 1888, by Mr. J. F. Ellis, in charge of the Fish Com- 

 mission Car No. 3, with the efficient help of Mr. R. S. Johnson, Mr. 

 Trenholm, and Mr. John Jansen. This party left Wood's Holl, Massa- 

 chusetts, June 14, 1888, with 614 lobsters, of which 360 were females, 

 eight of them having eggs attached to their swimmerets. The length of 

 the lobsters ranged from 8 inches to about 12 inches. 150,000 loose 

 eggs, cut from the swimmerets, were carried in the ice box on twelve 

 cloth-bottom trays, combined into one package, and sprinkled with salt 

 water twice daily during the trip. The eight egg-bearing lobsters died 

 on the way and 46,000 eggs were taken from them and added to the 

 stock on the trays. 



The lobsters were placed between layers of moist rock- weed in cover- 

 less wooden trays, with bottoms consisting of five or six narrow slats, 

 the trays measuring 22 inches in length, 17 inches in width, 6 inches in 

 depth, and holding about 6 lobsters each. These crates were placed in 

 the fish-transportation tanks, or refrigerators, under the floor of the 

 car. The temperature of the carrying tanks was controlled as far as 

 possible by the use of ice. Coarse salt was provided in large quantity 

 for making a freezing mixture with the ice and to make a brine for use 

 upon the lobsters if the supply of sea water became exhausted. Com- 

 plete details of the methods followed in this transfer will be found in a 

 report by Mr. Rathbun in the Bulletin of the Fish Commission for 

 1888. The car reached Sacramento, June 22, and was dispatched to 

 Monterey June 23, where 162 lobsters were deposited in the sea and 

 the remaining 170 placed in floating boxes in the bay for deposit later. 

 The loose eggs were put into hatching boxes June 24 and began hatch- 

 ing slowly June 28. The embryos were not liberated up to the time of 

 closing this report. By this effort 332 lobsters and many eggs were 

 carried across the continent in good condition and the requirements of 

 successful transfer pretty thoroughly established. Still more favorable 

 results are to be expected by making shipments in the spring or au- 

 tumn, when the temperature will present less difficulty and the lobsters 

 are in the most healthy state, 



