to provide an adequate spawning stock, then 

 certain sections in this paper offer alternatives 

 for consideration. 



Returning to the initial objective, I reasoned 

 that by measuring these berried females, separ- 

 ated from all of the reclaimed lobsters, and by 

 asking the pound owners the origin of the 

 stock (Maine or Canada) and when he im- 

 pounded them, we would gain information on: 

 (1) time of egg extrusion, (2) size at egg ex- 

 trusion, (3) possible differences in the preced- 

 ing categories between Maine and Canadian 

 stocks. 



I must reiterate that there is an 81-mm (3-3/16 

 inches) and 127-mm (5 inches) legal minimum 

 and maximum carapace length in Maine. There- 

 fore, the berried female measurements should 

 fall anywhere within that range. 



On the basis of this study, I believe that 

 females extrude their eggs sometime between 

 May and July. In this regard, there is no dif- 

 ference between Maine and Canadian stocks, 

 at least when kept in pounds in Maine. To 

 further attest to the period of egg extrusion, 

 pound owners maintain that fall impoundments 

 of lobsters have not resulted in any berried 

 females when the lobsters are reclaimed in 

 the winter. 



For the native stock in pounds, the average 

 length of berried females is 102-mm (approxi- 

 mately 4 inches) carapace length, with a size 

 range from 83-mm (approximately 3-V4 inches) 

 to 127-mm (5 inches) carapace length (Table 

 2). I concluded from this information that most 

 females in coastal waters off Maine are not 

 mature until they are between 90- and 100-mm 

 carapace length. 



It appears that females from certain parts 

 of Canada extrude their eggs at a smaller size 

 than the stocks from Maine. Whether this is 

 environmentally and/or genetically linked, it 

 is impossible to determine from these data. 



Comparing this information on the possible 

 size at maturity with the size composition of 

 the commercial catch led us to an immediate 

 decision to study this relationship in more 

 detail. Krouse (1971) 3 examined gonads of 

 males and females from 1968 through 1970, 

 and his results compare favorably with the 



3 Krouse, J. S. 1971. Maturity, sex ratio, and size 

 composition of the natural population of the American 

 lobster (Homariis americanus) along the coast of Maine. 

 Maine Dep. Sea Shore Fish., Completion Rep., Proj. 

 3-14-R, 17 p. (Manuscr.) 



Table 2. — Carapace measurements of berried females taken from lobster pounds in Maine. 



Sampling location 



Type of stock 



Sample 

 size 



Range in 



length 



(mm) 



Mean 



length 



(mm) 



Standard 

 deviation 



Standard 

 error 





12 



July 



Boothbay Harbor, Maine 



Native-local 



56 



88-121 



109.09 



8.17 



1.09 



M3 



22 



July 



Medomak, Maine 



Native-local 



75 



81-127 



101.11 



8.39 



.97 



<J\ 



26 



July 



Vinalhaven, Maine 



Native-local 



51 



86-122 



107.18 



7.20 



1.01 



rH 



18 



A +z .: *: 



Tenents Harbor, Maine 



Native-local 



217 



85-126 



101.07 



8.23 



.56 





■--. 



July 



Pigeon Hill, Maine 



Native-local 



16 



87-126 



101.31 



10.91 



2.73 





20 



July 



East Boothbay, Maine 



Native-Nova Scotia 



19 



88-125 



102.92 



9-92 



1.12 





27 



July 



Hancock, Maine 



Native- Canadian 



Hi 



79-121 



97.00 



13.12 



2.05 





27 



July 



Sunshine, Maine 



Native-local 



m 



92-121 



108.27 



7.16 



1.17 





29 



July 



Camden, Maine 



Native- Canadian 



52 



83-120 



98.92 



7.96 



1.10 





2 



August 



Beals Island, Maine 



Newfoundland 



19 



81-116 



90.31 



7-17 



1.07 



on 



2 



August 



South Addison, Maine 



Nova Scotla-Newf Id 



19 



81-116 



89.86 



6.90 



.99 





2 



August 



Friendship, Maine 



Native-local 



51 



86-125 



103.71 



6.89 



.97 





9 



August 



Jonesport, Maine 



Native-Canadian 



50 



80-121 



92.22 



9.11 



1.29 





9 



August 



Beals Island, Maine 



Newfoundland 



51 



80-105 



88.15 



6.58 



.92 





5 



August 



Hancock, Maine 



Native-local 



23 



95-123 



108.71 



7.68 



1.60 





I? 



Sept. 



Boothbay Harbor, Maine 



Native-local 



50 



81-120 



95.12 



8.57 



1.21 





10 



July 



Boothbay Harbor, Maine 



Native-local 



68 



85-117 



101.78 



7.99 



.97 





11 



July 



Friendship, Maine 



Native-local 



51 



90-125 



105.16 



7.93 



1.11 





11 



July 



Friendship, Maine 



Native-local 



35 



88-118 



102.63 



7.77 



1.31 



OD 



L5 



July 



Trevett, Maine 



Magdelein Island 



133 



79-112 



87.10 



6.09 



.53 



<& 



22 



July 



Sunshine, Maine 



Native-local 



23 



98-119 



107.61 



5.19 



1.08 



2? 



22 



July 



Stonington, Maine 



Natlve-P.E.I. 



19 



81-116 



97.71 



11.17 



2.56 





2t 



July 



Friendship, Maine 



Native-local 



63 



90-127 



106.91 



8.33 



1.05 





25 



July 



South Addison, Maine 



Nova Scotla-Newf 'Id 



217 



81-113 



90.61 



6.27 



.13 





- 



Sept. 



Stonington, Maine 



Natlve-P.E.I. 



25 



82-119 



98.21 



8.72 



1.71 





1] 



July 



Friendship, Maine 



Native-local 



29 



87-122 



102.72 



9-30 



1.73 



M5 



in 



July 



Boothbay Harbor, Maine 



Native- Canadian 



51 



82-119 



100.37 



9.23 



1.29 



ON 



28 



July 



Trevett, Maine 



Magdelein Island 



60 



81-100 



87.70 



1.31 



.56 





31 



July 



Jonesport , Maine 



Magdelein Island 



129 



80-127 



89.31 



8.06 



.71 





7 



July 



Friendship, Maine 



Native-local 



56 



83-115 



97.91 



8.70 



1.16 



° 



B 



July 



Trevett, Maine 



Native-local 



105 



83-119 



98.26 



8.10 



.82 



ON 



'S 



July 



Southport , Maine 



Native-local 



110 



83-119 



98.25 



7.79 



.66 





2>. 



July 



Beals Island, Maine 



Canadian 



259 



80-115 



90.68 



7.51 



.17 











Native-local 



1150 



83-127 



102.08 



8.90 



.26 





Native-Canadian 



287 



"80-125 



• 



10. ; : 



.61 





Canadian 



917 



80-127 



89.61 



6.99 



.23 





Total 



2381 





'-• 



