The Opelousas courier., 1899-11-04
LOBSTERS ARE A R
NATURAL SUPPLY DYING OUT AND
DETERMINATION IMMINENT.

commissioners to Restock the Waters
Along the New England Coast - The
Eggs In the Hatcheries.
Notwithstanding the efforts of the
United States fish commission to re-
stock the waters along the New Eng
land coast with Holsters, the annual
supply of $500, 900 pounds from
Maine is nearly exhausted, and the
government having become alarmed,
has sent the fish commission steamer
Grampus, Captain Griffin, to the
Maine coast to buy female Holsters
and transplant them at the hatcheries
in Gloucester.
The relative scarcity of the crusta-
Gear has caused an increase in price
of the canned article in every Maine
town, and the prices now are higher
than ever before.
Fifteen years ago the annual catch
of Holsters along the New England
coast exceeded 100, 600, 600, and over
$4,000 men were employed in the in
dustry. Of this business, declares
the Bangor Commercial, Maine fur,
nished than one-half, but today
over so per cent. of the canned lob
sters are brought from the British
provinces.
An old lobster fisherman, who for
years has followed the business, said
the other day that when he began the
live Holsters were regarded as a nuls-
ance because of their interference
with fish bait, and often they were
destroyed as ruthlessly rs crabs are
today. The farmers along the coast
would drive down to the waters edge
at low tide and fork them up on their
wagons in great numbers. They
were then shipped to market and sold
at a ridiculously low price-4 cents a
pound at wholesale in New York.
The lobster as a dish soon grew in
general appreciation, and then the
fishermen found more profit in gather
ing them than trolling for fish. Then
the canning factories began to be
erected Oh the coast and rapidly ex-
tended the consumption of the lob
sters. As the industry increased, the
canning factories multiplied, until the
high-water mark of the lobster can
ming business was reached in about
1888, when the output of the Maine
factories was over $500, 900 pounds,
representing a value of $500, 600,
Today the lobster industry has de-
clined to such a point that it may
never again play such an important
part in the commerce of the country
unless the present object of the fish
commission is accomplished. The
latter established a fish hatchery at
Woods Holl, Mass, three years ago,
and since it was put in operation
of the vessels belonging to the depart
ment at Washington has made annual
trips to the Maine coast for
seed Holsters to transfer them
at the hatchery. Other hatcheries
have been put in operation along
the coast, but no big results have
been obtained.
"The lobster is slow to grow" said
the old salt, "and then, too, they
have so many enemies in the water
that the percentage that ever reaches
maturity is necessarily small. In the
early days Of the lobster industry
only large ones were taken by the
fisherman. These were SO abundant
that the small ones were ignored. In
those days a single lobster filled two
or three cans, while today it takes
several of the average size to fill q
can. Even in the British provinces,
where the canning industry thrives
best, most of the large Holsters have
been killed, and the managers OF the
factories calculate upon from three to
five Holsters to fill a an. A fifteen
FOUNDER would be a big curiosity.
Only a month ago a lobster weighing
eighteen pounds was taken near Port
land, and it was such a curiosity that
it was sent to a museum in Boston.
There is a lobster preserved in the
Smithsonian Institution that weighed
eighteen pounds when it was cap
tured, and those who have see it de-
clare that it was a young one and had
not attained its full growth when
taken.
"Reliable records show that speci-
mems weighing from thirty to thirty
five pounds were captured. Such a
lobster would measure nearly five feet
long, including claws, and prove a
mighty formidable antagonist for Il
in the water"
Captain Griffin Of the Grampus says
he had no trouble in getting enough
female Holsters from the fishermen.
The steamer takes a trip each day to
the fishing grounds and buys up all
the female Holsters at a good price.
The fishermen are much more willing
to catch female Holsters than they
were some years ago, on account of
the high price paid by the government
for them. Formerly the fishermen
would take a female with eggs at
tachcd, and. scraping the eggs from
her, release her. The eggs were con
sidered as much of o delicacy as shad
roe nowadays.
"The work of catching the lobster
is nothing compared with the hatch
ing" said Captain Griffin. 1.-THE
work of Matching the young ones at
the different stations ends about the
first of July. The female lobster
breeds once only in two years, but
--- ill., l.