The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-04-22
TO PROPAGATE THE LOBSTER.
This Is the Schooner Grampus' Mis-.
sion in These Waters.

She Is One of the Fleet of the United
States Fish Commissioners Proceeding
Along Coast to Collect Seed Lobsters-
Something About the Vessel and Work
the Commission Is Doing.
The United States Fish Commission
will devote considerable money ana time
this seasnn to the Matching of Holsters
and the experiment which was COM
menced in these waters last season by the
United States Fish Commission steamer
Fish Hawk will be continued this year
on larger scale than ever before. More
loDsters come from the State Of Maine
tnan from any other part Of the Atlantic
coast, and 1t is the purpose Of the United
o1ates Fish Commission to increase the
supply OF this crustaoean in these waters
by means of scientific Matching.
yesterday afternoon the handsome
schooner Grampus. which is one CT the
United States Fish Commission feet,
sailed into the hatbor and dropped anchor
OH the breakwater. II is not her first
visit to this port By an means, and the
schooner and her officers and crew are
pretty well known in Portland. The
Grampus Is now on her way to the
eastern ports of Names coast and her
object is to secure seed lobsters for hatch
ing purposes. She was here only few
weeks ago when she sailed down as far
east as Mount Desert and stopping at al
most every fishing hamlet on the coast
explained to the lobster dealers ard the
fishermen her object and just what she
wishes to accomplish. On her way back
again the Grampus collected something
like $50 seed Holsters which were taken
to the hatcherios at Gloucester, stripped
of their spawn which are now being
Matched and the fry will he liberated
along the coast as near the place from
which the seed Holsters were obtained as
possible. Now the Grampus is on her
way to the eastward again and will once
moro call Mt oil of the fishing hamlets.
urge the fishermen to gather seed HOLSTERS
and save them until she comes back
again. The schooner expects to begin
her return trip to the Gloucester
hatcheries about the last of April and
hopes to be able to take to the hatcheries
with her large number of seed Holsters
The Grampus was built eleven years
ago under the supervision of Capt. j. W.
Collins for the United States Fish Com
mission service, and is in every way
fittel for the work she is engaged in.
Amifships she carries large tank in,
which the seed Holsters are placed when
they are collected and the accommoda-
tions for the crew are first class in every
Capt. E. E. Hahn, who is
bright young man about thirty years old,
and who was horn In Waldoboro, Me-,
commands the Grampus. Her compile
imeut consists of two mates, a steward,
five seamen and cabin boy, aud every
one of these men from the cabin boy up
wards is enthusiastic over the work
which the vessel Is doing, and which
they say is of great benefit to the state
and tho fishing industry. 81
Captain Hmm. who commands this fine
schooner has been on board of her in one
capacity or another for ten years. He is
thoroughly familiar with the business
and his two mates are also thoroughly
o0nversant with the work which the
schooner is now engaged in. AS has been
said ths accom- m odations for the crew on
board the Grampus are very pleasant and
we'll arranged. In her cabin there is room
for the officers and two or three scientists
vessel when she is engaged in wholly.
scientific WORK as is sometimes the case.
Forward of the cabin is neatly fitted.up
and well arranged laboratory which is
made uss Of i'll the collecting and CLASH
fcation OF specimens picked up by the
drag nets when the schooner is at sea
and in the preparing of these marine
specimens for shipment to Washington.
Then the Dig tank ia placed amidships
and the forward part of the vessel Is &C.
oupied as gallery and quarters for the
crew.
The Grampus has not always been en-
gagged In this work, which she is now do
ing, as it is only within the last three or
four years that the Fish Commission has
turned it's attention to the propagation OF
Holsters. She has oruised from the West
Indies to the coast Of La brador, studying
the habits and migration of the mackerel,
studying the deep sea temperatures and
other scientific questions. Every fall the
Grampus goes off on the Banks and
catches spawn cod, which are carried to
the Matching station at Woods Holl, the
spawn stripped from the fish and Matched
out and the fry afterwards liberated on
the Banks again.
4 But it is the lobster Matching which it
of the greatest interest to the people of
Maine, and in this work the Grampus
will be off this coast for some months
this season. 1t will be remembered that
last summer the United States Fish
Commission steamer the Fish Hawk, ar
rived at Orr's island, about the middle
of July, began to collect seed Holsters
and for some weeks was engaged in