The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-06-13
MANY MILLIONS
1CRAWFISH EGGS
NOW AVAILABLE
PLACED IN JAR AT HATCH
cry NOW BEING OPERATED
IN CONNECTION WITH LO-
CAL AQUARIUM

n ndII nlllllOn eggs, ordinarily.
sounds like a lot OF eggs. but
these are not turtle eggs. chicken
or bird eggs; they are crawfish
eggs and that many, and often
more, sometimes a couple hun
dred thousand more. come from
one female crawfish, and are
placed in single jar at the craw-
fish hatchery, now being oper-
ated by the Florida Works Prog
ress administration in Kew West,
in connection with the Key West
Tropical Aquarium.
Emory Lowe Pierce, Jr., who
has been superintendent Of the
aquarium for the last year. Is in
charge of the development and
propagation of crawfish in the
waters around Key West. Kew
West has wanted the hatchery
started again ever since the state
conservation commission operated
an experimental hatchery here
some time ago. Little more than
a week ago it was announced
that the hatchery had been APP
proved by the Florida WPA FOL
lowing conferences between Gov
ernor Dave Sholtz. WPA Admin
istrator f. A. Pynchon and Shell
Fish Commissioner Davis.
Makes Arrangements
District Director Thomas ID.
Orr, Immediately following re-
ceipt of authorization for the
hatchery, started making arrange
ments, and by the middle OF the
week the hatchery was in opera
ton. A dozen men are employed
at the site OF the hatchery, and
three or four fishermen are EN-
plOyed to gather the spawning
crawiish take them TO the hatch
cry.
After reaching the hatchery
they are placed in narrow
trough and watched carefully un-
til one day before the eggs are
due to hatch. They are then
scraped, with a wooden knife
from the abdomen of the female
and placed in jars through which
water from the aquarium courses
Mr.. Pierce is maintaining a half
dozen of these jars, each contain
ing the eggs from a single craw-
fish.
The eggs hatch. and the larvae
arise to the surface, pass iron
the jars into large troughs filled
with water where they are re-
tanned for about "a hours. From
the troughs they are transferred
to galvanized iron cans, taken tC
protected waters and left to de-
velop. Placing them in protected
waters rather than the open area
of the reefs, is hoped to increase
the proportion of larvae develop
ing to maturity.
Only small proportion of the
eggs Matched will ever reach ma.
turity, Mr.. Pierce says. He does
not estimate. the number, but
hazards a guess OF from so to rs
out of anywhere from 100000 tc
100000 eggs. Even this, it is be.
lieved, is decidedly better pro,
portion than is reaching maturity
now under natural conditions fol
during the past several years, the
crawfish production in the waters
around Key West has been steadily
declining. This condition, it is
hoped. will be remedied within the
next few years, since crawfisF
, reach maturity in scarcely NOR,
than year.
Has Scientific Value
In addition to the hoped for re
plenishing of Key West waters
with crawfish, the hatchery has Z
decided scientific value, Mr.
Pierce says. Little is known Of
the life of this crustacean, the
relative number which reach ma
turity, ways of increasing thi:
proportion and the numberles.
stages through which the larvae
Mr.. Pierce is of the opinion that
the crawfish larvae pass through
more stages than the tadpole
and for this reason this should be
an immensely interesting study.
Since there is little past ex.
perience on which to base the
benefits of hatchery, the value
of the project to commercial
fishermen and dealers is not def
initely known. 1t is pointed OUT
that if the hatchery reaches any
where near a stage OF successful
ness, which is assumed at the out
set, crawfishermen viii be assured
Continued on Page Four)