Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-12-19
THE LOBSTER LAWS.
The Legislature viii Probably be
Asked to Make Several Changes.



In an interview With the commissioner Of
sea anl shore fisheries. he In substance
said. that the coming winter Legislature
wouh evidently be called upoa to tinker the
existing lobster law, AZ tie instance Of the
various interests Involved. There are ps.ts-
tons circulating along the eesst by the fish,
legal length of the lobster be made 10 ~
inches long during the entire year. Should
this become Law il you'd practically stop
,he canning Of HOLSTERS. for the reason that
at the price paid for market HOLSTERS they
could only be canned as a loss.
The Gamers in some localities aver that
II any further restriction he placed upon the
taking and selling of HOLSTERS that il should
be by close season ~ order rot no lnjure
their business; Gamers in other sections
frankly say that the lobster is fast dlsap-
pesring from the coast Of Maine, already
bringing price in the markets that prae-
ticsily places IL beyond the means Of the
poorer clssses.and that at the presen, prices
for canned goods they cannot b. put up a,
profit sufficient to be werthy Of contention
and that they advocate ten and half inch
Law throughout the year. While some from
It'll other places on the coast favor a can
ming season without any restrictions a. to
are whatever
The fab in ~ 81.
they are required by law to return 20 their
native element all l0bsssrs measuring
less than ten and one half inches In length
from July LET, until April goth. at which
time they are a lowed TO retain sIl over nine
inches in length Thi. they claim is plain
Is IN tis interest Of the canning establish
nents. During the winter months Holsters
are high in price. those between nine an!
ten and one-hslf In length usually bringing
on an average at this time about three dol
lars per hundred while they would bring
this price the fishermen are compelled 10
throw them away but after tho Gamers be-
Hn operations in the spring the fishermen
are ailowed to retain these Holsters which
have not increased 10 size 10 any apprc-
cable extenil and rtsIize ON an average
from the factory ~ % per hundred.
Another consideration in this connection
- that lobster does not grow appreciabIy
IN length from one shedding to another, ,he
shedding of the she'll, or more properly
speaking moulting Of the lobster occurring
usually during the months of June and Au-
gust, thus the same lobster liberated In
March would be about the sanle size 10
June whereas If the fishermen were al
loved to sell these HOLSTERS 10 the markets
during the winter months, they would real
ne about three dollars per hundred.
The exact time the lobster moults "a as
yet unknown. bat when very small they
nptlt every few days, the intervals increas-
my III length between the moutiugs until
the lobster has attained the size of nine
inches, at which time il Ia generally believed
that he shedding occurs annually.
Preparatory 10 this process there is formed
under the Old she'll q thin elastic. flexible
membrane destined to hccutnc tn. future
she'll. covering the flesh of the entire fish
and capable of being expanded and elong-
ated when released from confinement
While this new she'll Is forming under the
protection of the obi one the flesh of the lob
7tcT becomes very vascular and filled with
blood. simultaneously with these changes
there appears a longitudinal ridge or raised
line along the crbter of the back which attht
proper time wbcu the pressure from within
Il great enough opens and allows the lob
S,er ~ his new dress to escape from the old
tight fitting she'll, at hich time he under
goes comparatively sudden increase in
sue. After the old she'll has been cast ow-
ing 20 the very soft condition of the new
she'll the lobster falls an easy prey TO its
natural enemies so perforce he at once
Guides himself by crawling uadcr the rocks
ami awaits the action of the sea water on
,he she'll TO harden 1t, nature thus practi-
caliy creating close season through the
wonderful instinct with which the lobster
has been endowed by the Creator
Nj the different interests mite in adyo-
eating the protection of the spawn bearing
lobster here again has nature favored the
lobster with wonderful system for repro
ductlon not other fish who are subject 20
natural conditions in fertllziug their spawn
and for which reason comparatively few
are hatched every egg of the lobster will
hatch under natural conditions. being fer
tilized before leaving the swimmeretts of
the female fish, which fact accounts for the
remarkable fecundity of the lobster.
The commissioner stated that he had been
able to secure one specimen only of female
lobster with eggs attached less than ten
inches in length, and that he had come to
the conclusion that il was the exception
rather than the rule that the lobster re-
produced it's kind before attaining nine
inches, and that in his opinion TIM only pos
sible way to arrive 1t a proper solution of a
question of such great Importance TO the
State. was the establishing of an
experiment station On the coast of Maine for
the purpose of pursuing II systematic. scicn-
iitic investigations, IN order TO be enabled 10
suggest what remedy would b. The most
effective in restoring our lobster fishery aud
that until such station was established
investigation madc aud a conclusion reached
that such restrictive legislation be enacted
~ would leave no doubt as to its fulfilling
tho dqsired pud