of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



495 



20,870, yielding 484,286,000 eggs, from which 88-2 per cent, or 

 427,285,000 young lobsters, were hatched and planted. These figures 

 refer to the quantities manipulated in the floating boxes or incubators. 

 In addition, 2,500,000 were hatched at Dildo hatchery. Since the work 

 began, the enormous number of 1,376,228,380 lobster eggs have been saved 

 from the destruction of the lobster factories (where they are boiled and 

 canned with the parent lobsters), hatched and set free. It is probable 

 that the lobster takes a considerable number of years before reaching 

 adult size, or a size sufficiently large to be retained in the lobster traps, 

 and .fe' ,.,e is not yet, of course, any indication of the results of these 

 experiments on the abundance of lobsters. From the wholesale destruc- 

 tion of the eggs, which has gone on for years at the canning factories, 

 the lobster fisheries in Newfoundland- — as indeed almost everywhere — are 

 rapidly declining. Last season's fishery was a failure, many of the 

 factories having to close early in June, owing to the scarcity of lobsters ; 

 and the Superintendent of Fisheries (Mr Adolph Nielsen) strongly 

 recommends a limitation in the number of the factories, and a definition 

 of the grounds on which their traps should be allowed to fish, and also a 

 close-time in accordance with what has been ascertained as to the life- 

 history of the lobster. In Newfoundland waters, the principal spawning 

 time of the lobster is from 20th to 25th July to 20th August, the lobster 

 being a few days later in commencing to spawn on the eastern and 

 northern coasts than on the southern and western. The present open 

 season — from 1st April to 20th August — is therefore too long, and should 

 strictly terminate about the 20th or 25th July, in order to afford full 

 protection to the spawning lobsters ; but as this would unduly limit the 

 fishing period in some places, Mr Nielsen recommends the open season 

 to be from 1st April to 1st August on the coast between Cape Ray and 

 Cape Race, and from 1st April to 5th August on the coast between Cape 

 Race and Cape St John. 



In an appendix, Mr Nielsen gives the results of observations made in 

 connection with the Labrador fisheries. 



NORWAY. 



The seafish hatchery at Flodevig, under the direction of Captain G. 

 M. Dannevig, was greatly improved last year by the substitution of a new 

 pump and boiler, the former throwing about 9000 gallons of sea-water an 

 hour. Forty-two hatching-boxes were in operation during last spring 

 (1893), and 240,000,000 young cod were hatched and planted in the 

 fishing-grounds along the coast. Young cod of the last two years' growth 

 are increasing in numbers along the south coast of Norway, and it is now 

 generally believed that this is owing mainly to the influence of the 

 hatchery. Captain Dannevig intends to arrange for the hatching of turbot, 

 brill, plaice, and halibut, as well as cod. The first three named are very 

 scarce around the south coast of Norway (where beam-trawling is not 

 practised or practicable), and are mostly imported from Denmark. The 

 halibut fishery has greatly fallen off during the last ten or fifteen years. 

 The law in regard to lobsters has been altered, the close time being extended. 

 The minimum close time is now two and a half months, from the middle 

 of July to the beginning of October, instead of one month (August). 

 Power is still given to the County Council (Amtsformandskaber) to extend 

 the close time in their districts as may be thought proper ; in some cases 

 it included seven months. No lobster is allowed to be caught under 

 8 inches (21 centimetres) ; but, as yet, the capture or sale of females bearing 

 eggs is not interfered with. Captain Dannevig last season hatched out 

 2 I 



