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Laa diagrammea auivanta lliuatrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ••cioeow MMuinoN ran ourt (ANSI and ISO TEST CHAUT N,. 2) la 12.8 1^ Itt §Sm ■?? \Siis, S k& 1 ■ 2.0 il 1.6 'eSJ Clltl Uoin SIrxl ' (716) 2as-san-Fa> "nsm fe5,^^?i**sir^*-.^r C?^- ^V;v'-\.'. • OCORQE V SEMIONAL PAPER No. 31a A. 1*1t SUPPLEMENT TOTHB ANNUAL REPORT OP THX PI8HBRIBS BRANCH DEPARTifXNT OP NAVAL 9BRVICB 1917-18 REPORT UPON LOBSTER INVESTIGATIONS AT LONG BEACH POND, NOVA SCOTIA DUKINO THE SUMMER OF 1915 BY A. P. KNIGHT, M.A., M.L., F.R.S.C. Profeawr of Animal Bloloty, Queen'a University. KInsaton. Ont. Member of tha Biological Board o( Canada. Bdng t H- r i -tf Investigations carried on under the Biologpcal Board, with ■ Jfficers instructed by the Department of Naval Service OTTAWA J. DC LABROQUERIB TACHft PRINTER TO THE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 191S 23365— lA • OEOROE V UWIONAI. Mnn No. !•• A. Ittt I oovTxim. Paoi. Hecommrndatioiw Acknowledrmento Pound diiitiiunii»h«l fn.m ,wnd, letkuKc Firtt hstchinc of fry. 1915 Impuundinir arrHiiKfuipnU Failure in rearinjr fry and cauiw Temperature and weather at ihe ix.nd Wanned water ounreiited , KQ Winter conditionniii the pond Effeeti* of wnfinement of lob«ter» Muddy Iwttom and iu effeft Mortality amonKut adult lobHterit. Efflr-layirw and riou-fertilwed. and puu.ity of e^r^ Moulting ppoocB, "^ (|Q Blind lobflten and sight re»tored • •• '• •• •• •• •• , an Proportion of .terile and fertile femaleH and of males ' ^ Question of annual spawning ^«j How to increase . ; • ly of fertilized eng* Matincr-eneloaurr lobsters Study of HabiU *^ , do Posture of lotisterg when spawniiiff, etc Postiire of lobsters when restin* 7n Biennial spawning YO Beview of resulto and posmbilitics. 71 23365— liA f • MONOI V UMIONAL MMR No. M« II A. itia Mimi nnmaAnon it torn bbacii Hn, ii. K£CfJMM£NDATI' vs. of coHectlng .t..i.,i... ^.Hin, th« rel.ti,. nuS-T^^I^L '.nd f^SitJ or by tho F.sherie. Dppa,tn.-nt .t different ,x.i..t« .loiuj the ra.ritimo ^.^^1^^^! ACKXOWLKDOMEXTS. POUND AND POND. Don/"„ir*^"l"i''r'"' '^P"'» *''« •*««lw •»•«« di.ting„i,h carefully between the natural pond of »„ne 5 aerw and the artificial pound of about »hr.;-fou,th* of an Icre enclosed by eenw^nt wall, Hnd furming the nortlntirt part of Zj^S ' tmirin. houi .ml plant for «rinitlolJl^" '"^ '""'^" cm h. JSi th« ss 94 DXPABTMElfT OF TBE XArAL SKRVIOS 8 QEORQE V, A. 191S Lut year, 1914, because of the exceaeive leakage of water from the pound, tho Board ajvroved of the location of an experimental rearing plant of four boxea at the southwest end of the pond, and my report upon the operations of that year has been already published. LEAKAQE. On December 18, 1914, the Board was notified that the leakage, which had per- sisted throughout the previous summer, had been stopped, and that there was at that date a depth of 6i feet of water in the pound at low tida Ihiring the winter of 1915, however, the leakage again developed and was again reported stopped on June 36, 1916. At this date there was said to bia a depth oi 5 feet 8 inches of water at low tide. On my arrival, July 3, 1915, the pound was again leaking, not copiously, it is true, but sufSciently to show that in the course of a few days or weeks the rearing boxes, 4 feet in depth, would likely be resting in the mud As a precaution, there- fore, against possible injury to our larve, the boxes were reduced in depth to 21 feet. On the assumption that there would be, as intimated, 6i feet of water at low tide, a space of 4 feet would intervene between the bottom of our shallow boxes and the mud beneath. At Wiekford, RI. — the original home of the plant — the depth of water below the boxes is 12 feet at low tide, excepting at one comer, where it is only 51* feet. At Long Beach it was hoped that a depth of 4 feet might suffice to test the scheme. Last yecu: at low tide there were only betTi3en 20 and 22 inches of water below our boxes; this year, after operating our plant for seventeen days, the boxes were resting in the mud, so great was the leakage. Fig. 3.— West (ide of oement ptrand Hhowing leakaga of water. Over the ironrocU at the upper teft hand cnrner of the. illuatratinn ram be seen the gearing of the rearing apparatus inside of the oement pound. At the extreme low water of August 7, two of the boxes were resting 5 inches in the mud. Measurements at eleven different '^ints around our apparatus gave the i LOBSTER IXVESTlUATtoys SB SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a JfsrSi?"'**^ "^Jl*"' ^i '""''^''' ^' "' ^' *^' ^»' !»• 23. SW. 2«. 24. or an mreMge ofSl inches, in which to float our apparatus. It can scarcely be expected that an to operate succewfully in a depth of 21 inches. " FIRST HATCHING. ♦). Z^"' ii"' ''" «l'u",* '^'" *^"^*' ^2. "nd in two days we had about 40.000 larva, in the four boxes. While only an odd diatom could be found on the fry during the first day, large numbers were visible by the fifteenth. As the diatoms increased, the fry became fuzzy ■ to the naked eye. Both last year and this the effect of the diatoms was largely, ,f not solely, mechanical. Feeding was interfered with, the animak became exhausted w.lj the effort of swimming, sank to the bottom, and soon died. Hi-fJ™ T^r • ^^J"* "'T* *^" mortality was that last year it was caused by the diatom 5yn«im t«vM<«n« whereas this year it was caui^d hyUcmophora Lynghyei. WJy the principal d^tructive organism should have be«n diffe*«nt in the two years is difficult to understand unless it were due to the fact that in 1914 the sea-water reach- ing our boxes came through the sand, gravel, and mud of the sea-wall, whereas, in 1916 It came through an earthenware pipe from the open sea. f-f. . T"" "/,* *r""* apparent that this season's fry were likely to share the same fate as those of last year, the contents of two of the boxes were transferred to St f,!!Jl ^^' 'n*"^f' J(P°«1»"«' ^0 »«'« their lives. MeanwhUe the leakage steadily grew worse. On the 19th the average depth of water below the boxes was only 10 r V i* VT^^' ^"^^ ^««t"«tion became impossible, because the water drawn in through the bottom windows gradually became muddy. It was resolved, therefore not to use more than two boxes for rearing purposes for the remainder of the season. Ihe other two were fitted up with shelters, or nests, for adult lobsters, so that more of XS.uSd '^"'"'"' ""'^^ "'^" **'^'" *'""' '"'' ^""'"^ ''' ^^^ '^"'"P'rtnients DETENTION DEVICES. It should, perhaps, bo explained that we employed five different devices, or enclo- sures, for impounding adults. The smallest wa« the crate, about 3 feet by 2 feet bv 2 feet, which floated on the water, and could be used for temporary purposes onlv The second was our rearing boxes. 10 feet by 10 feet by 2J feet, with revolving paddles inside, so as to aerate the water, as described in the report of last yoap The third was the compartment, 20 feet by 10 feet by the varying depth of the water at h\„h and at low tide. Ihe wooden slats of which it was constructed were only about 4* feet Sin fh '"" ."^^ from the illustration, there were six of these compartments ^ u * tu*'*'"*' r""*^- ^^"^ ^°"'*'' enclosure was the pound, and the fifth, liio pond, but these two latter were so large that is was impossible to use them for observa- !v«r ^"'PP'"'- ^^^ compartments could be used for observation purposes only at low 1, r^" J'f ?IT'^ ° /^u"" r"**'^''*"'" *«^ *" «"^« «« sub-divisions of the pound, in which lobsters could be kept for experimental and observational purposes FAILURE. We had even worse luek this season than last. Of the 20,000 fry which we tried to rear in the two remaining boxes, beginning July 12. only twenty-one remained alive on the 30th of July, and they were all in the second stage of development. Not one had moulted a second time, and they had taken thirteen days before moulting even aa DEPARTMSyT OF THE \ArAL SOtVICB 8 GEORGE V, A. Itlft once. Of the 20,000 to ^"^.OOO fry which we tried to rear at a second trial, becinninc August 2, only 146 were alive on August 17, and these alao were all in the second stage. In the August rearing the larvie were shaded from the sunlight by heavy painted canvas screens lying close over the boxes; in July they were not The effect of the shading appeared to be to reduce the first stage from thirteen days to nine days, and to lessen the number of diatoms ; but the larvK died jvst the same. It is, of course, true that the warmer water in August (about one degree) may have had more to do with the shortening of the first stage than the exclusion of light. Indeed, the influence of direct sunlight upon lame is still an open question. To be sure, the fry, when left to themselves, swim straight into the light, but it does not follow that because they do so, th»> r'^sult to themselves is necessarily beneficial. Fig. S.— Showing the interior of the cemtnt pcnind. The six Uttioed oomi artmentH are for retaining lobsten ao that the; can be studied at cloae range. Leaving out for the prpscnt the influence of light, it may well be asked: "What favourable conditions exist at Wickford, that enable the operators there to raise 40 lier cent, of their fry to the crawling or fourth sta^c. which do not exist at Long Beach pond!" And the answer is: first, too slight a depth of water under our rearing boxes, thus favouring the entrance of mud and diatoms from the bottom; secondly, the presence in the water of an unusual number of diatoms not generally found in open sea-water;* thirdly, too low a temperature of water. While the temperature at Wickford varies during the rearing season from 68° to 75°, the mean average temper- ature at Long Beach this season was only 5809° for July, and 58-9° for August. The two following tables give the daily temperatures at Long Beach for July and August, respectively: — • Professor McClement's Report " Diatoms and Lobster Rearing" — Contributions to Cana- dian Biology, 1915-1«. Supp. 6th Ann. Rep. Dept. Naval Service (Fisheries), Ottawa, 1917. LOBBTBR lyrHBTIOATloya jj SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a T««P«uTt,H«, and kind of weather at Long Beach Pond, during the month of July Me.n ,ver.«e t«n.,«„tare of water = 58 09". Mean average tem.^rature of air = 59 7". DBPASTUrST OF TBI VAVAh BMKVWB • QEOROE V, A. 191t TuPBRATUBi and kind of weather at Long Beach Pond during the month of August, 191&. DMe. Wind. Tamperature air outride. Weather. Maximnm. Mean. Minimum. Aa«. 1... 8.Fair«d 10 A.M. Calm and Okmdy N. Sun ihininff. NE. NE. 8. 8W. ohanscd to N. Calm. 8W. NE. 8W. 9. 8. NE. 8W. 8W. Total. • 6S-S 66-6 64-7 6S6 61 64-0 61 610 61-6 61 660 66-0 6S-0 630 640 60-5 60-0 80-6 60-5 64-7 630 61 6 5u6 596 ee-s 60-0 61 60'B 60-0 • 60-6 670 578 880 80-0 860 647 88-0 860 86-0 86-6 86-6 670 67-5 67-0 670 670 676 66-0 67 5 570 67 66-0 860 66-0 66-6 6«-0 S6-S 57-3 65-6 78-0 720 64-8 60-8 68-8 608 66-6 58-5 63-0 660 60-0 60-0 61 86-6 64-0 630 63-0 s'owy- .. a... „ 8. . . 61-3 "Mi" Foggjr. Fair. « 4... 86-5 68-1 Fair. Cloudy. .. 6. . . ,. 7... 00-0 ■■'eo-6' "■ Fair. Fair. .. 8. . . n 9.. .. 10.. 600 50-8 "m-o" Forey. .. 11... 6k-9 Fair. „ U... <. IS... „ 14... 60-0 68-7 86-5 Fair. Foggy. Foggy. ., 16... 680 Foggy. .. 16... .. 17... 668 ■■'67-7 ■ 10023 Foggy. Foggy. 1«»87 Auguit Mean average temperature of water =58 '9^ July Mean average teniiwmtnre of water=58'0!f Mean average temperature of air=^62 ' 3° Mean average temperature of air=89-7°. On this subject the Rhode Island Commission remarks: — The temperature of the water is of paramount importance in order to obtain the best results. Although it is possible to rear lobsters with some success in cold water, the best results will be obtained with water at a temperature of 65° to 75° F. This higher temperature results in a more rapid development of the lobrters. This more rapid development results, first, in a reduction of the expenses of operating the plant, because of the less time required, and, second, in a greater proportion of fry reared to the fourth stage, because in the shorter time there is less chance for death from cannibalism, i>arasites and injury. Prof. A. B. Macallum has suggested that, in order to overcome the handicap of •cold water, we should use sea-water that has been heated to 66° or 70°. This appears -to be a good suggestion, unless its adoption would increase to too great an extent the •coat of operating our plant At a moderate calculation, about 2 cubic feet of water per minute enters, and, of course, leaves each rearing box. To heat this quantity of LOBSTSB IXVMBTt&ATlOys -- "SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a tion of Wfol^ !^f • •*''"* ". ""'^^'^ "' *'*^-**» •««•• the total ooMump. WINTERING IN THE POUND h.d winS in thTwuT^ ThL w ""• '''f P't"W«,«>n«l"io'» "f the lobsters which and op.ngrcdo^'lS^- S^«^ ""-Ply covered with growtha of Kreen, brown. pound lobsters, on the one Vind anH o^^L?' ?^' i. T difference between pond and to the differen;eLtween the dtt an^^^^^^ -- -™P«-We a gentleman. *^ " *""P """^ *•>« cleanliness and drtss of CONFINEMENT. lob j«\s7otTh::"Ls:'°^^^^^^^ ,"'^ "^^ /^'^ --»> *•«« -- to, adequate exercise alt^rtedw^reranS^^^^^^ "'v'f' "^"--'*''«t«'^^ <'f deterioration b health due Ip^tnt iTtkrcai^T'^^^^^ ^"n' *'^ '"-«*^*'' ^P^" *•*« lobsJ^rsoonT^'om^ apparent. In the case of the smaller crates and cars, the animals soon die. In the DBPAarMtmr or tan vaVal taitricM • OeORQE V, A. 101» Istrger compaitiueiits of the pound, or pond, the ill-effecta nuty not become appsMnt for Mveral monthi, but ilowly and sufely the lobeten' hedth and ritallty are under- aiined and tbey finally raMumb to the admne oonditioni. No doubt, by a long eoune of braedinc and artificial ■election, it nii«ht be po«- rfble, in the eaae of the lobater, juat as in tiie case of our domesticated animals, t» breed a stock that would be leas sensitive to the ill-effects of confinement, but, until we have bred such a strain, the nearer we can make the conditions of confinement approximate to the conditions in which the animal lives in the sea, the lower will be the mortality. Ml'DDV BOTTOM. Neat to the copiou* growth of weeds, blinding and encumbering the lobsters wbich had wintered at Long Beach, perhaps the next most unfavourable condition was the mud. There is, of course, mud and mud. Eveiy lobtter fisherman knows pttfectly well that during winter and early spring the largest catohes arr made off shore, on muddy or sandy bottom. In late spring or early summer the fishermen move their traps towards the shr- and find the best fishing on rocky bottom along the siue of kelp or other kinds ea-weed. But, while the lobster finds a congenial home on a soft sea-bottom, it «. not follow that the animal, when compelled to pass the winter in Long Beach pound, necessarily finds the mud therein equally congenial. The mud of the pound has a disgusting odour, largely due to the gas, sulphuretted hydrogen. Every one who is familiar with this gas knows its characteristic odour, and the characteristic odour could be obtained anywhere in the central area of Uie pound ler simply driving a wand down into the mud. For example, at low water on the morning of August 8 a spruce wend six-sixteeuths by seven-sixteenths was pushed 6J feet into the mud by the mere pressure of the hand. This was at the north end of our engine house. At the south end, 3 feet were found. At the south end of our hatching boxes, 5 feet. At all points, on withdrawing the wand, the characteristic odour of sulphuretted hydrogen was experienced, and the adherent mud had all the appearance of a sulphide precipitate. That the gas was really sulphurettej hydrogen became evident in anotlier way. The ga. -ladened mud blackened any board, oar, or boat that was painted with white lead, and which remained in contact with the mud for a few liours. Moreover, it precipitated soluble salts of silver, copper, iron, etc., and there is no doubt that the surface of the gill filaments were darkened and their function partially destroyed by sulphides or other particles of mud. In this way it is easy to understand how the gills of lobsters in the pound gradually turned, first, to a grey colour, and finally became almost black. Dr. McGill, chief analyst of the Inland Revenue laboratory, Ottawa, made an examination of the mud, the super-natant sea-water, and the gills of an adult lobster which had died in tlie pound. He reports as follows: "The mud is chiefly silica, with a considerable amount of inter-mixed sulphide of iron. The gills of the lobster con- tained iron and phosphates, with a possible trace of sulphur." Dean Goodwin, D.Pc. of the KinKBton School of Mining, reports a similar finding to that of Dr. McGill. MORTALITY. The severe conditions under which the animals passed the winter seem to have affected their general health and caused a rather high death-rate. Of course, it is quite impoRwhle to estimate the death-rate amoTig lobsters in their natural habitat. In the sea. allowance must be made for those that die of hunger, or are killed by enemies. In the pond and pound the adults have no enemies, and, consequently, should show a low rate of mortality, otherwise there would be no reason for placing them in sanctuaries. We can only form an idea of the rate of mortality in satictnaries 109BTBH IKVgaTKUrnOig -, SCMIONAL PAPER No. 38a Jy keeping track of tboM which die from yeu to year and .»..».:.:„. ■/ the «UM of death. For e«mple. of W7 lo^tS.^' ?„ til ^j*^' '' ^'^ 318 placed m the pond and pound thit MaMn ri915) .11 h«- lU- . J /^ T* 10- by death being a total Sf thir?"igTt B^ "u« m Al^r^TSf^ '"' *^ KJO-LAYIXG. aboufhalfThe Vli^"* ?"i!i '"f ""T" ^"^ '^^ lieculiarities. The fimt wa. that aKhe i2„d r« rartl?^ " ' ' few hundred egg, i„ place of many thou.an£ lized. ^^ °" P'*'''""y ^ P^' •*«» °' the mother, were unfe^t^ net. Subsequent rJLhS^lver.how^tW th-^^"'"^^ •^'"? ^'^^'^ "P >» ""« lit-rj-r.^ Sti^s -""Y-"'"^^^^ 22 had no eggs on them. 1 only had .1 full complement of egm. 2 had died. 3 we^: SSL^SSt'e""?' '•'"'"'^•"'"' "» '""'" -"" «he.e female,. tne tittj female,. It happened, unfortunately, at the time of this examination thTt t :^:u^nr:r^^t.;^C^Ve2.:srr^«Cr T^^ supposed that the less of eggs by four of theL femairo^of the tenTv on"." '\^ only .n^tanee of the kind which oame under our not^ ^Lf ^earo'rOn Z£ « DBPAtTMMNT Of TMM WAVAL MWWflOa • QEonae v, a. iti* oeoMion a female, which wu known to c»ny a few afga, waa kter found to be without any. In a third inttanee two female*, both with efgt, were placed in a crate and a law daya afterwardi one of them was found to hare loat her egva. Here, then, we hare reoorda of three different oecationa on which lobatera loat their eggs a ahort time after eatrudinf them. If unfertiliied ent "go bad" and drop off within a few weeka or even montha after extro»ion, it ii eaij to undenUnd how our fiihermen find not mora than an average of 80 per cent (according to one member of the Shell Fiih Commisiion of 1919-18) of the femalea carrying egga. It may be, too, that mothers, when preaied by hunge.*, eat their egga, whether fertiliced or not fertiliied. I hare myself watched a ...male tearing off unfertiliied egga from her (vimmereta, paMing them forward and tranaferring them to her mouth with her maxillipedea. On examining her abdomen, the egg duitera could be seen ragged and torn on each aide and partly removed. It could not be aaid in this instance that the eating of her egga was the reault of hunger, because all the lobsters in tha. pound thia summer r.ere well cared for and regularly fed. The fourth instance of the lose of eggs was the most ramarkable of all. In thia case none of the eggs adhered to the abdomen. The first intimation we had that eggs were being laid was seeing them floating around in the current on the floor of one of our rearing boxee. These were all soft and jelly-like, and undoubtedly, diseased and unfertilized. i;^ .. ^'«: *--:Moth« lobiit*ri eartyinff newly extruded anri. Iheee are attached to thr jwirw) swtronimg feet on Iho under rarfuce of the abdomen. T^ .e»^™8?W». 'J>e molhen nlwayi bend the Utter pwt of the abdomen and tail under the body ao that the em are as weU proteoted a* if carried in a covered cup. In the illuatration tiie abdomen ia extend«d ao aa to exonae the pgga to view. '^ lOBUTMk isvatTioATioya 8EMI0NAL MPCR No. 3«« MUULTINQ. weM w«.l«n^ kJ .if • 1 'i "• '" e'^'r-pnwnt menace, «o that the animah r.~H.ut"lltfo XTa Xr;7/th~^^ "' tT' ^'T'"'^' ""«* """ material from the Mr Wh^t ^^iTpIv .?•" ""* "m 'i "' *•'" f "'''°" °^ ^••*» them would .ucc.eedTmo^'-S'ttrl'w*!^^^^^^^ *«"» -- »' BUND LOMTKRS. wh«thr,1h*'"-'.!'^ blind lobatera. the fin,t quenion that oorurred to me wu. to uk r^If r;nr~«"f •' --» - ?=-- « Tlf l„ 1 \u *'uT''''^ "•"*• '" *'"' !«»<'• »' '»«» found that .he was gtill Mi^ IMI but, TO»»lly .wkiM, th. PXH.. of „K.»ltin, ,«.<,L ,r .15,1 • NUMBRRS OP EriG-BEARI.Vn FEMALEM. diH-- --"••- -.-"=-" Srr:,t;- .^: lisnctth. 6 ft ft ?^^ A 7! 8 10 No. M>1«. S 1 3 6 45 'io m ao 168 ■ 4i" 143 au 170 No. Fenulei 32 148 27 167 4 47 1 4 47 9 140 1 29 lift 27 166 1 38 169 29 IIM Frmalv with I IS 1 4 34 •> Totalii. 1 7 6 93 1 14 113 29 308 1 73 268 53 336 1 70 317 56 351 lienith. in. 10* lOi 10 10 !0S 11 lU Hi 111 12 No. Malei. No. FemalHi "!• 1 18 31 10 11 2 » 1 4 IS ISi 14 14i 16 Totals I.SIS 1 71 lOS ' is' 62 11 •n 2 14 Kenialn with 1 17 28 2 20 Tot»I». 1.344 . 1 l.tS 183 1 36 93 21 41 4 23 1 11 1 8 1 1 3 3 IB" ! 2.667 Pnroentafie of feni*le« which carry esga 12 ' ■ — I.*.W^,J?S;;;':S'u'irt'te„''^.^° **•-■•" ^-«'> «» -• »»' *>••' -- over tw™ty year, .g., wh«. DMfABTMgMT 09 TMM XATAl MMMftOt • MOHM V, A. itia ThaM icoTM indioats that a muoh hifW paroantaf* of fanalaa an bairiad alone the llaaaechnaato ooaat than in St. Marj** bajr or tha Bajr of Fum^. Inquiriaa mad* aaoac tbo lob«lor lahonnan. both laat auniiMr and thii, go to ahow that o«l of trary 1,000 to t,000 advha. only from two to thraa are fonnd to earry •§§». la it not time that othar atatiatiea baaidaa meaauramenta of length ahonld ba oolloetad and puUiahad in oar annnal rapwtat In ooQaotint atatiatiea, the important pointo are: (a) the reUtire numben of make and fnnalaa caught during a taaion; (6) the percentage of femalea that carry nature, or npa, egg* during the open aeaaon; (c) the percentage of femalea whioK eatrude new egg* during July, August, and September; (rf) and eapecially, the pro- portion of these egga which are fertilised and unfertilised. With such statistics before us for a few years we should soon know whether wa are making good the wastage of bbston or not. At present we do not know. In a rague way we conr'jde that, berause millions of newly hatched fry are being planted annually in the i ^, therefore, we muat neoeaaarily be increasing our lobater supply, or, at least, kee^ng the supply up to the numbers annually trapped by the fishermen. The fallacy of this reasoning is clearly realii.fto.)ed and dropinni otT. in" nil ANNLAL HfAWMNO. ZV" .J^rL "'"' y""*"'^ t" »»" «'tai..ed i.. th« iHHind all wiutor, and mSt .row Houic. ,Kht u,«.. the .uhjoct of a.u.ual .p«.v„i„K. Of f»rty.H,.v..,. f.. „„U pK .. th., pound ..iM..d«ummor. l»ll. thirty had extrud.nl ,««« hy the end o SeZn.^ llien, were co..«,,ed with thi^^, females. flft«.« mal.^. U^yng out of luHiderattn ^"fSiTw^'itt:?- ""'" '? TV" '"T'' ^ p'"«««'- o'^^i-iiJ^^^^r ^ ^•wSX:t:t'ir;^/s^^^ s^^'Ste:- .ml eggs .o Juno of thin year. Ah a matter of fact. n,o«t ..f the egjl we^ " kid " tr.:;h:fX:iriui'::r:s!r:-" "-^ ""•""•"' "'^-'" ""♦'• •'"•^ ■• »'"-^- i2 had no eggH on them, beins probably hat.l.ed off in the intervul iMtvvuen April 8 and July 7. li were in the act of hatching their isgnH. 2 had newly extruded eggs upon them. 1 was dead. 1 was lo»t off the nt J coulJ not at thai date be aci^ounUHl for, probably hidden in the mud. 30 The twelve which had old eggs uik.u them on April H, but were without eggs on July 7. were placed in a .ompartment by themwlves and re-examincl again on Julv i». when seven of thorn were found to be carrying newly extrudi-d .-ggs These seven females with the two whi.-h In.r,. now ..ws on July 7 make a total of nine which had carried eggs in 1!»14. and again extruded <.ggs in 1!M.'.. The remain- ing five of the twelve escajx-d from tlu- ..nelo.surc in wbicb they were confined, and as a consequence, it became imix.sslble to identify them from others in the pound, but M. tar as these nine lobsters arc con<-.Tn.-.l. annual siwwniiig is an undoubted fact. One female, at least, of these scv.m. bore " bad " eggs, nod one oth.'r. though tlie cggs appeared normal ami of tiie us..al number, nevertheless, carried unfertilized eggs as shown by microscope examination. mow; fertilized EUU8. The problem of problems in the lol>8U.r industry is not l.ow to rear fry to the crawling stage, but how to increase the number of females which carrv fertilized eggs 23365— 2a ' ""leKKs- JtKPAItrilllST or THK XAVAL MKItriVM • MONOC V. A. 1»tS 'i?ll!!ri''"'"'.*"*"!l''."l"' ''f •" ««»• »V »«' i>"P"rt.int. ilmuKh many doul.t it; th.. hi. renwin. b. I* ,,n,r«d. at .ny «t,. h. (;.,mdi«. water.; but th- biw^itTTn nittiiiMYM .till. If Mtiiiual it|MWMiii|c i. thr ruk K«r«»ii.g agaii, t., th„ 7.1B1 a.lult. b..uirht by Mr. W. S. Tra.k thi. .«uk,„. an^.tig r.tli. • T.'i "'''•' """Tfr- ''orried frmaU. ...U K. Mr. J. W. TiAl*. eatrh of 3.«* k.b«tw. in 11.13. atnonir which h« found only thrw berried female., we are facnl with the problwn of explaiiung how it ha|>|>«n. that th.*.. w.-r.. ,h* .bout njiiut berried female, amon, Mr. Tra.k'. pureha*... if l„h.ter» .pawn annually, or 1.750 if lob.ter» .pawn b.«miall.v. .,m, larly with Mr. TIddV oateh. and with the ^tch of ov^ lobl^ flinerman in the Maritime Province.. in Z"^^"!^" Vr'^^r »' '»^ «•«"'« «•• '-•'i^h «'"• «•«« min«le with each other L!-?! * •"";^»«'«'»« »»■•«» upon th.. taroiiiR „1 MnWf, and their .ub«.,uent . .1^" .'*••'""' "'y .»"• mi.l..adn.ir. Tareinu d-KS. .eem t» indicate, however, Ihat hey are .tron«l- local i„ their habits, and. if «.. they may meet each other only ^liL'-UKlrlfw ""'■^'T"'- ""w difforont condition, aro to-day for matin*, irrn^ I r^ they were in .^.rly ..«l„„ial day. when lob.ter. were .o abundant '.^^ndt^w.! ■ *""' '* ' *" """^ •'""" '•"'•' "-"' '°'""' '^'"« "'""« '»«' •>"»'« If the f«Hliti«. for matiiw an. lackitw. thi. may be the rmi»>n why » f«w femafe. car.y fert. «ed ej,„.. If there i mating. ,h., mother, will ex^ude th^ go bad and .ubrnquently drop off. . J !L"^"''Vr"' '«/"PP?^' **"'"''"^' ♦»"•» th" IK" found in June. July. August, and September on Wrr.ed femal... are n.M.e.«.rily "good cg^.." For breeding pur- Arm? T' S ■"! T , 'u.**'"*^ "' ' """'^ '''^^ "■•'''•»' »" •^'«-"'» »'»'• ^habited, tw .^ V l.'T ? l*". Z' *•"• !♦"»•"«■''♦• i» i" "n>.v n.H,e..«ry to point out that of twenty-eiKht fcmalcH wh..;h extruded .w. in U»^ Hc„oh pond thi.^Iea^m. only five raTvir 1. ♦" r"' ; -''"^ -•'•f-- ThcK. rcult. are guite different from thL of Mt year, but the cmdition. were different in the two year.. In 1914 the matfng Wb.ter. were placed in a compartment .pecially Im-ated near the entrance of frch «,a water from 1« mtake pipe and by the end of the .e«.on. a. already stated. 64 per Zt 1! T .t """""'/-'f'"!^'! ^fK". «'• «"nP«r«l with 1 per cnt reported brfi-her 7lJ- '5! ""*';' '^: T""'' ^"^^"^ "^ **■'" •^*""- ^»1«- '^'"« "^ th^-ni. were placeb«t«-n< rettiii/ .n th«ir ^^heltoi. To realize how grcatl}- tin- iiiiiulH>r of Im rrii^l 1,.1«.,., i • Hero a..tuaily in..r..««.^ i„ „... ,...„.| i, „4 >^ « r tiTf! 'm^'""""- "" J'""-^' ■■nly to ..onHi.i..r how rapidly .. f..r..u.r ."ul. i^-rl^J 1 iV ,' l^v ''7 h!" ;7 '""' sixty-four hens out of a hundn-d. inst.-ad of from onoJ '"'"•?,'/ '"' ''V' ^'^••" for .•hi.kens but the increase in his poultry woul.l be ^\uw ind«l „ j * . it would l.e if ne bred from sixtv-tour n.o,i«. s ," .1^., 7/^^ ' i?""^ "",*' ''*'"* ;.".vthi„K near inereasinK our berr lol s el f o„ ri/ect"' "^•, '/ "'T"''' -- burn down our lobster hat.-heries .„„! „..v,.r n.tTc^ tlriLs 2 f '^f Tu* '"" '""^''* try is concerned. ' ' *" ^'" "'' *''« '"•'ste' 'ndus- m nEPARTMKTiT OF TBK VAVAL tfERriCE 8 GEORGE V, A. 1918 Of course, there may be other causes at work, besides lack of facilities for mating, to account for the timall number of berried femalei«. If so, these causes must be studied and, if possible, removed. But, at any rate, no one can be blind enough to overlook the significance of the mating experiments of last year and this. THIi EVKRVnAY LIFE OF TIIK LOBSTEB. While our lobster-rearing experiments at Long Beach pond, both last year and this, resulted in failure, it cannot be said that the two seasons' work was entirely barren of results. Apart from the observations which have been made on mating, and which, it is hoped, may prove even more useful to the lobster industry than any success which might have been achieved in lobster rearing, we have been able to make some contribu- tions to our knowledge of the every day life of the lobster. Very early in our operations of this year it was decided to use but two rearing boxes, instead of four. The other two were fitted up with shelters, or nests, for the study of adults. Obeservations were made every day from July 30 to August 6, when the animals had to be removed. The excesive leakage from the pound left our boxes resting in the mud, and contributed not a little to bring aUput the death of several adults, through the lack of properly aerated water. POSTURES. When jierforminB certain functions, for example, cleaning themselves, egg-laying, fighting, etc., the adults took up certain appropriate iwstures. One of these, which may be »i)oken of as the cleaning posture, was first observed among lobsters which had wintered in either pond or pound. Within a week after these animals had been placed Fig. 6.— T)ii« illuatration is from a lobster CMt which hnii been iihaped to remmble tht< jnnture of a mother lobater when hatching her e«». The awini- nieret8 are viiiible under the abdomen and cheiw are moved gently backwarda and forwards in the water so an tu assist in liberating the yoimg from the "shell". This Kinie poHCiir- is taken when the animal is cleaning itself. in the rearing box, tlieir appearance had changed very much for the better. No lady in the land could spent' more time on her toilet than these lobsters did in cleaning themselves. They did not, of course, wash, miissage, paint or powder tlicir faces, nor did tlu'y curl their hair, iiut they did sjjend days and days in attempts to free themselves from tile excursive growth of alga', which covered almost every part of their Uody. hOBSTKR INVHSTWATIOXB ^ SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a miX Ttl Tth "'"Tf- "^L''*^ "'"^ '^"'- ■» ""•"•'■ »»- -"""«• way "fa Ai^^ thS r„7fi2e^ '"'■"'' "' '"* '■■"•" « •^*-"* '•> -I'-""' '» throuKh betweeThi" tK«; ^^if!^***!"* cieaning themselv.^ the animals re«t almost .-ntirely un<,„ the tios of ^.r g^t claws and the telson which i« bent at right angle- to the Img axis of the JiL 7''^*^'%'««'°'i i« "'•'hed slightly upward, and the walking 1.^" are thus left almost completely free for cleaning movements. ' " THE IIATCIIIXO POSTIRE. exeeJtl'ntn"^h '*'" "'*1'' •^" *''^"'^ •"»*• ^"^' ""* differ from the .leaning one tZn TK ""?"' ■■"*,*' "" '"* ^'^•''"^ ^«'»« «« **" «« °n its great cZs and t Ison. The movemeute are limited to a gentle swaying hackwords and forSs of K(iG-LAVIXC POSTURE. «n almost perfect cup. The anterior part of the b^- is incli^eS^aS Tn angle of^'nSrly Fig. 7. - The eKK-luying posture 45° on account of the animal resting on the tips of the grent .-laws. The ,H,sture i, such as to allow the, eggs as soon as they leave the orihVe of the ovi.l, ^ o S hv grav. y over the rec^eptac.lum se„„„is and drop easily a„,l „„turallv in o h e a dom .^'l h ck /oT?. oTS*"'-- ?" ^'r *'"*'^'"■'' ^^"-^ *'"■ '■""• '"^^ ^™"''<' turns .r hack tor 15 or 20 minutes and remains almost motionles. the walUii.ir iJ. 'i swayng backwards and forwards at intervals of a minutl. .r tw... Sr thi; nZ per,od the egg glue .s apparently hardening so as to fi.v the eggs to ea" o^her and t the hairs of the swimnierets. »"( n orner nml t-. 76 DBPAtttMStIT OP TBB NAVAL BBkVtOB a QEORQE V, A. 1»18 That the egg glue requires time to harden in the water was demonstrated by the fact that one female, which was lying on her back after egg-laying, was dipped up too soon from the box and righted in position. As a result, nearly all her eggs dropped off on the board on which the obserrer was standing. THE RE8TINQ POSTURE. This is the posture which an animal naturally adopts when left to itself in a crate^ box, or other enclosure, and usually after being fed. If there are many animals Fir. R.— The raatin^ portora. From • photograph o( •n Miiinal under water. together, they will often take up this posture in one corner and lie one on top of the other. It is their usual posture in shelters. riOHTINa POSTURE. There is nothing new to describe about this posture. Most people who have matched lobsters when removed from the water have seen them elevate their great claws, open their scythe-like jaws, and otherwise adopt a threatening or xlefensive attitude. It is the regular po6e of fenule lobsters, in defence of their eggs, and of the male lobsters towards each other. Time after time have we seen two males pas^ females without adopting any belligerent attitude, but as soon as they approached each other "squared oiF' for a fight. Though the males are generally restiess, the larger ones chasing the smaller from place to place, we never actually saw one injure the other. BIENNIAL SPAWNING. It remains to say a few words on the subject of biennial spawning. The fact that nine lobsters spawned in 1914, and again in 1915, is beyond all question. It is also equally beyond question that out of 50 lobsters which hatched their eggs in July, 1914, and moulted in the autumn of 1914 (according to the testimony of the care- taker of the pond) twenty-two did not spawn this summer at all. If lobsters spawn biennially, then these females should have extruded new eggs in July and August of 1015, but they did not. lOBSTSB tUVBBTlOATlOVa SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a mn bienniidl,. Of «>",rri8 onW^( T" b.enn.ally. .nd «,me do not .^wn both pond .nd pound arHnluS^aid'theJ^'"* ""' "^ ''"* ^^^ «"«''*i«'^ >« we meet with departures fromthe „om.l SoTtlT'' ""^ »»t^«« -urprised when annual or biennial spawning ^ "' *'"' ■•"">"'• **'«tber the habit be A BKVIEW. f«n£ iSleS SVeTt^Ttr/tii^J^""*^ '"' t ^^^ ^^ ^-"' »«' >» »« uot been realizeTcan it^ St ^15.^^^^ ^T^ '"' "^'"•^ '* ^"« »>"»* haa. built. So far as cai be juZdTom Ut"'"""!: °''^"S' *'"" ''''*'^ *»"« PO«nd wa« P^ndence with the Fisher «BranTthrJ^ "^'^ ""^ *'"'" *^ ^""J'" '^"^^ two commercial lob«teA were sp^t tl\), ^"^".^^ ^" -nade by accident Sixty- whether lobsters sjlwn aTnLro^feSv "I ''",i7 '''* ^^^^'^ »' "»«"'»* reached on the .uCt. it wa" disTver^T^ "^i "'* '^^"'If " conclusion could be in thr pound had e, ruded fSzTl^f ^'^'^''^ °- '^ ^'>^-<^^^ feniales -en..an in Di.by County ^::::^t.t'^\C!t\Tf^:l'^^^'' -»>- -^ fiBhen..an in Di.by ^o:Z^::::.Zt^\^\Tt"'r' •'"'*• "'^^'^ «-'^ carries eggs. This opinion of the fi«»,pL,»„^ about one female in every hundred In his report upon the Xclr^r "P'J^^'O"^ by Mr. Andrew Halkett. mentions a trip ^ich t S wiS^ ^^Hln T.^'^'*"' ''^■^«' ^ »«• »"• l^onta^ning al.gether fifty-si, -i:^^:^^y%fml^oT;nlrtK^rr; ^-^^''^:l^''oZ2Z.?tiZ'^ "^"^T "^"■-'^ >•"«*- -«» those in curse betweermale and femi « !„£ fn ? '' ^U* '" '^"•' *" **■« «!"«« "«*«'- wide. The fact that 40 per^S ofS^flLTTr'^''^ ^V""* '""* ^^ !» '««» extruded eggs under most^nfavourabletndSnl ^'«,^«»' ^^is summer (1015) M any rate, the results of tleTrZiX^r" *"*^"""'^r'«'^ «>« discovery, justify the department in buildU a few n.„r» , "'' '" ""^ Judgement, amply the maritime coast in order to t^still fT.rThr^r'^T'"' "* •^'^"'«"* P"'"*" "W be artificially promoted. "'*''^' *^^ ^'^t*"* *" «'bich egg-boaring may the fuSnf^fXvlm'nt"' ST i "" T^r""' ""'' "^"^'^^ ^^^-^ - one of mental Agricultural S~ s and on inT^tStWr't"' ''^ ^•'•^'*'- ^ *=»?«"- rcfources is unjustifiable. Far however ftomtr °\'-^"* ""*' "*«' •"'»"«' scientific investigations beimr was^ !t ;,T "n"^^ '"*''«'*° «!*«» "P"" ™cb niU be realized in a few Veaw th„t^' ^^ ''^" 'P^°'- Similarly, t trust it been amply Justified eitrrb^tLdi^orTJr" '^^^.f^^'^^ ^-^ wilThave been achieved. ^* °' indirect scientific results that have