Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-02-11
SHORT LoBSTERs.
Unless the Law is Enforced Lobsters
Will Soon Disappear.
Violation Of Law Now Going on in
This Section. a

The catching Of short Holsters along
the Maine coast and the shipping Of
them to Chlcago and other western
cities is going ON at an alarming rate.
/ Unless prompt measures are taken to
correct the abuse it will be but a COM
/ paratlvely short time before the lob
ster shall have entirely disappeared
from this section of the Atlantic sea-
board.
| This is the substance of a statement
made by representative of a whole
sale fish dealer who was recently in
town.
| 1.-The situation at present is about as
, had as it can be-" he said. THE fish
/ el men seem to have no idea for the fu-
ture and it makes little difference to
them whether or not the lobster
comes up to the requirements of the
! law. The meat is much priced all over
the country and Holsters bring good
prices, even if they are few inches
short.
This systematic capture of short
, Holsters is not confined to any one
section but is practically. almost
, generally. along the whole coast. I
believe that 1T is feature e, which
Should be looked to as we'll as. the pro-
lection of our deer and moose. What
Maine needs is more lobster wardens,
lots of them, and a rigid enforcement
of the law. ~,
Already the supply of Holsters along
the coast is much smaller than it was
few years ago. While they retail, even
! along the coast, for ten or IL cents per
pound, it used to be possible to pur-
chase enough to feed a family of six
! for that price. Every year, from now
until the last lobster has been eaten,
the price will increase.
''The law on the subject is very clear
and, moreover, it is very wise. All per-
sons are prohibited from capturing lob
sters which are not at least 1917 inches
in length. 1t is easy to see that if the
young ones are taken it will only be a
question of time before the whole coast
will be depleted.
There is no installing the outlook.
We must have a more rigid enforce
mont of the law or the Maine lobster
will be a thing of the past within the
next few years."
Thousands of Holsters are shipped
alive from Maine to Chicago and other
Western cities. in tanks every year.
Broiled live Holsters are in demand at
restaurants and cafes all over the
country and Maine furnishes a goodly
proportion of them. But unless the
short lobster law is obeyed the supply
will soon run OUT
The law upon this subject is very ex-
plicit, and reads as follows:
1T is unlawful to catch. buy or sell,
or expose for sale, or possess for any
purpose, any lobster less than ten and
cne-half inches in length, alive or
dead, cooked or uncooked, measured in
manner asfollows: Taking the length of
the back of the lobster, measured from
the bone of the nose to the end of the
hone of the middle flipper of the tail,
the length to be taken in gauge with
a cleat upon each end of the same,
measuring ten and one-half inches be-
tween the cleats, with the lobster laid
and extended upon its back it's natural
length upon the gauge, without stretch
ing or pulling, and any lobster shorter
than the prescribed length when caught
shall be liberated alive at the risk and
cost of the parties taking them, and
under a penalty of one dollar for each
lobster so caught, bought sold, exposed
for sale, or in possession. The possess
sion of mutilated, uncOoked Holsters
shall be prima facie evidence that they
are not Of the required length.
1T is unlawful to destroy, catch, buy,
SELL expose for sale or possess any fe-
male Holsters in spawn or with eggs at
tached at any season of the year, under
a penalty of, ten dollars for each lob
ster 50 destroyed, caught, bought, sold,
exposed for sale, or possessed. pro-
vided, however, if it appears that it
was intended to 1iberate them in ac-
cordance with the provisions Of this
act, the person having such Holsters in
possession shall not be liable to any of
the penalties herein provided for,
though he may have failed, for any
cause not within his control, to $50
libcrate them" d.