Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-04-13

politicians, who dare deny the funda-
mental postulate that the chances are
of producing edible Holsters
eggs, and that any other human, or
political device Is likely to prove futile.
The fundamental cause of the decline
in the lobster supply Is two-fold. The
market today demands more than ~
ture can produce. Natures means Of
supply is daily diminishing through the
lessenins number Of large or breeding
above IL inches long
caught for market. Upon these nature
depends for the necessary supply Of
eggs. -
The law protects the wrong Holsters.
The present system Of protection"
by means Of restrictive legislation be-
gan in 1873. when little was known Of
the life history Of the lobster. So far
as it checked such abuses as wasteful
killing, and using small Holsters for
bait, it was an improvement.
But not even a complete change in
human nature can make the present
laws effective.
The reasons for the law were chiefly
based upon the obvious rapid growth OF
the young below 10 inches, and the ex-
pectation that il given chance to
breed once enough young would be
provided to keep up the supply.
Experience has proved that this law
was utterly inadequate, and as a result
Holsters are no longer found over vast
stretches where formerly "the whole
water was red wid'em."
Following Century Old Customs.
Disinterested efforts to- correct the
fundamental fallacy in the method Of
lobster fishing meet objections from
those who are intrenched in positions
to profit by existing conditions. They
have organized their brain cells and
their business, and have invested labor
and capital along lines prescribed by
century-old custom and unfortunately
sanctioned by existing law.
So long as they can still make money
by handling Holsters, they refuse to
see any necessity for change Of practice
or Of law. In the present state of pub
lie ignorance and apathy the situation
is controlled by two factors, the fish
ermen and the dealers.
The fishermen are grouped into two
types:
Those who sell directly to the con-
sumner Chiefly Summer cottages. mo-
florists and hotels), utilizing the unsal-
able for home use. This group is grow
ing smaller, and as the lobster supply
diminishes these original fishermen
are replaced by boatmen in the employ
Of the Summer residents,
2-Those who ship the whole or the
greater part of their catch to dealers
either at a contract price per pound or
per hundred or upon comission. The
chief points for such shipments are
Boston, Portland, Me-, Rockland, Me-,
Newport, r. l., in the United States,
and Yarmouth and Halifax in Nova
Scotia.
AS general tendency aliens replace
the native fishermen as the catch d.
minishes, whereby this public fishing
asset is combined still finer, and con-
verified into money which is sent to
other countries.
Nova Scotia Our Dependence.
The organized dealers, chiefly in Bos-
ton and Portland, have developed a
systematic and profitable method of
marketing, utilizing methods Of trans
portatton which in spite of the ever
increasing distance from market, is not
yet beyond profitable exploitation so
long as the consumers will pay the
cost.
The Massachusetts lobster fishermen
as free lance, is a complicating fea-
ture, to greater or less extent in
terfering with the organized business
Therefore the dealers are not at all
averse to the extirpation of the local
supply, of which less than three per
cent now comes from Massachusetts
waters.
For the chief market supply we are
now dependent directly or indirectly
upon Nova Scotian waters, many OF
the so-called Maine Holsters being
brought there from Nova Scotia dur.
ing the legal open season in Nova SEQ.
tia "a period of excessive catching and
OF low prices) and stored in huge ma.
r1ne Enclosures to wait the rise in the
market. -
This method Is profitable, but there
IS a serious economic waste through
death resulting from the excessive nee.
essary transportation and retention II
these pounds" for which the public
pays the cost.
Another source of supply beyond thu
shipments in cases by steamer to the
Boston markets is the ''smacks" which
In addition to the size legal in the
state Of Maine secure Outside the
three-mile limit" considerable ouan.
tity OF Holsters below the legal size in
Maine. 10 IL inches, but legally mar.
ketable in Massachusetts,, 9 inches.
This IS properly source of irrita.
tlon to Maine fishermen, and is by
many wrongly considered as an impor.
tant cause Of the decline of the Maine
fishery, whereas the real cause ia fail.
ure to protect the breeders.
Blind to the Facts.
The chief difficulty is that the major.
ity Of fishermen cannot see beyond the
fact that If you protect the small lob.
sters there are bound to be plenty Of
big ones'; they fail to carry the
thought farther and ask themselves
IF we catch every large lobster pos.
sible above 9 to 10 1-2 inches as soor
as it reaches the breeding age, where
Is the supply Of young to come. from?
These large Holsters are the individ.
uals which produce from $4,000 to TO-.