494 



Part III. — Eleventh Annual lieport 



removed from each female lobster received ; (7) Each case of canned 

 lobsters must bear an otlicial label, notifying that the lobsters have been 

 legally caught and packed; (8) All traps, boxes, or cages used for the 

 taking of lobsters shall have the laths or slats inches apart, so as to 

 allow of the escape of small lobsters. 



An account is given of an attempt made to bring over living lobsters to 

 London by a system invented by Mr M'Gray. The experiment, owing 

 to a number of untoward circumstances, was only partially successful, but 

 it has convinced the promoters of the practicability of the scheme ; and it 

 is stated that they ' will later on arrange for the acquisition of a 15-knot 

 f boat, specially fitted with the necessary apparatus, for the con . u .^nce of 

 ' live lobsters in large quantities across the Atlantic. This will enable 

 ' them to supply the markets of London and Paris with first-class lobsters, 

 1 delivered alive in those cities, at less than half the price now paid for 

 ' English lobsters of equal quality.' The report contains a great deal of 

 interesting information as to the oyster fisheries, the construction of fish- 

 freezing and cold stores for the preservation of bait, the fisheries of British 

 Columbia, &c. 



NEWFOUNDLAND. 



In their Report for 1892, the Fisheries Commission describe the work 

 which has been done in the course of the year.* 



In an interesting retrospect it is pointed out, that prior to the establish- 

 ment of the Commission, in 1889, the fisheries of the colony had been 

 almost entirely neglected, so far as any supervision or guardianship was 

 concerned, and that they were consequently in a condition of ' alarming 

 ' decline.' Two lines of action were decided on by the Commission : — 

 (1) a careful investigation and study of the nature and habits of the 

 commercial fishes, the causes which injuriously affect the fisheries, and the 

 best modes of regulating, restoring, and protecting them ; (2) the artificial 

 propagation of food fishes, to aid in restocking exhausted grounds. Both 

 of these have been consistently adhered to. 



At the Dildo sea-fish hatchery, considerable improvements were made 

 last year. A new spawning-pond was completed, 48 feet in length, 23 in 

 width, and 11 feet deep, and capable of containing 96,000 gallons of 

 water. It is supplied with sea water partly by means of an 18-feet Eclipse 

 windmill, which is said to work most satisfactorily. Considerable diffi- 

 culties and disappointments were encountered. Of the 600 spawners 

 kept in the wells from the previous hatching season, nearly all perished 

 from the intense cold, and a fresh collection was with difficulty procured. 

 Much trouble was also occasioned with the boiler, which frequently gave 

 out, and caused heavy losses of ova. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, 

 265,250,000 of cod eggs were collected, of which 165,250,000 were 

 hatched successfully and planted, the yield being therefore 62 J per cent., 

 which was very satisfactory. During the three years the hatchery has been 

 in operation, 222 millions of cod eggs have been hatched, and placed in 

 the waters of Trinity Bay ; and it is stated that the fishermen report 

 having observed large shoals of young codfish in the bay during the 

 summer and fall, such as they had never seen before the artificial propa- 

 gation commenced, and which they attribute to the operation of the 

 hatchery. Very large numbers of lobster eggs were also hatched. In 

 1891 the number of lobsters stripped was 28,639, which yielded 

 678,012,000 eggs, from which 79'8 per cent., or 541,195,000 young 

 lobsters, were hatched. In 1892 the number of lobsters stripped was 



* Annual Report of the Newfoundland Fisheries Commission for the Year 1892, 

 St John's, 1893. 



