New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-07
THE LOBSTER SUPPLY SHORT.
WHY THERE rs A SCARCITY IN TIE MARKET-EF
FORTS FOR ARTIFICIAL MATCHING

WHY THERE rs A SCARCITY IN TIE MARKET-EF-
FORTS FOR ARTIFICIAL MATCHING.
HOLSTERS are stu scarce" said President /" ID.
Huntington OF the New-York State Game and
Fisheries Commission, 10 a Tribune reporter the
other day. "and the annual catch continues to
diminish. The supply from Long Island Sound
especially is very much smaller than in former
years The season opened well in May, but the
long and unusually heavy storm that came on in
the early part of that month and lasted about three
weeks spoiled the business. Very few Holsters
could be taken and they were sold at retail for %
cents a pound In June conditions were more
favorable. The catch increased and the price went
down 10 IL cents pound which made them cheap
food Now they are from Is to Is cents pound.
robsters are palatable but at % pound they
are dear for there being so much shell ana waste
the edible part at that price would cost about 81
cents "A pound.
There a-c several causes for the scarcity OK
Holsters The annual overcatch has been great lot
many years Egg clearing Holsters have oeen caught
both in and out Of season. so ina, '"e' nav
had but Iittle chance to spawn. Then there Is the
,.rr,onso canning business carried on in Newfound-
Land Maine and Massachusetts. Another cause TOT
the scarcity IS that by means OF the modern Felrs
orator railroad cars Holsters are now disriouteu
in remote inland towns where they were never
seen Till recent years. The destruction OF Try
,,abv lobstorsJ By other fish, and by the Try eating
..
another and a grea, cause. is the catchng ana
smuggling into market Of young Holsters which are
under the size prescribed by law
eyes | believe there are remedies by which the
present Increasing deficiency In tho supply coul'
h. overcome In the first place. our law IN this
STAT. il not stringent enough. But fun compliance
with the law even II ia. would greatly I'M
proy. the supply Of legally marketable Holsters In a
fow years , =, J.. , ,.ow.-,,,,
Artificial Matching is getting TO be a po"erru u
agent FOR increasing the supply OF loosters. /, u
eo,v and riqky process. but IL has been proVed 10
D.. ,Nn,,iy. both here and elsewhere. At the state
hatchery cold Spring IIarbOr. l.. /. We were very
mn s,lcr.s sful having placed lJbVp eggs ol "HVi
only III fOD were Matched and the Try pihtru Al
though ~. placed fewer eggs THIS year, we were
NOR successful having Matched and p anted nearly
5nO go Fry The fry when planted Wtre VIZ
small averaging less than one-half inch IN lehgth
Inn tho. arr perfect litt' cnnnibaIs. ana eat one
another up at = great rate. ., +,
"ff Il thousand should BE- put into recepta'tie,,
yerttir. To- saw that IN zen days at least one-hdii
Of fh.n, would be- eaten mp by the other half ana
n thev were allowed e remain they WouIi go on
vr.sil. and claw one another TIL one gives up, ahu
.han the victor dcyours the vanquished with great
elaboration and apparent relish was NOT sue
ful I'm my personal lobster atching eNperlNents
a, nv home in New Rochelle TINS season. built
several nlatirg wooden propagnting boxes AZ my
own expense in order to test their utlllty IN IHSe
| placed about 10000 eggs only "A day or TWO be-
;or, the great northeasterly storm In the early
part Of May During the three weeks duration OF
that storm the water became so treshehed ny
cuplous rain AMI rolled by the waves that the eggs
uar. all spoiled