Chapter II: Part 2

The smacks and dealers buy lobsters by count, as the fishermen generally have no facilities for weighing them; but the dealers always sell by weight. The mortality among the lobsters from the time they are put aboard the smacks until they are barreled for shipment is estimated at about 5 per cent.

BOILING.

Live lobsters are much preferred by the trade throughout the country, and only those that can not be marketed in such condition are boiled. The number boiled fluctuates considerably, owing to the condition of the markets. When the fresh markets of Boston and New York are overstocked, the lobster dealers of Rockland and Portland, where most of the Maine lobsters are boiled, proceed to boil their surplus stock.

The following description of the boiling is from The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States, section v, vol. II, p. 684:

The boilers are rectangular wooden tanks or vats of about 60
gallons capacity, lined with zinc and furnished with a cover.
Heat is applied by the introduction of steam through a series of
perforated pipes arranged in the bottom of the tank. The steam
is generated in an ordinary boiler standing close at hand. The
lobsters are not thrown directly into the vat, as the operation
of removing them after cooking would in such an event be an
exceedingly tedious one; but an iron framework basket, of rather
slender bars is made to fit the tank loosely, and is lowered and
raised by means of a small derrick placed over the tank. This
frame, which holds about 300 pounds, is filled with lobsters at
the edge of the wharf from the floating cars, and is then carried
to the tank and lowered into it after the water it contains has
reached the desired temperature, that of boiling. The water is
first supplied to the tank, which is filled to about one-third or
two-thirds its capacity, about a peck of salt is added, and then
the steam is turned on. The same water suffices for several
successive boilings, about 2 quarts of salt being added each time.
The lobsters are allowed to remain in about half an hour, or until
the proper red color indicates they are sufficiently cooked.

After cooling, they are packed in barrels for shipment, just as live lobsters are. When well iced they will keep a week or longer. Only live lobsters are boiled, as the meat of those which die prior to boiling deteriorates rapidly.

The fishermen and small dealers use various kinds of boilers, from an ordinary washboiler to a smaller form of the regular boiler used by the large dealers. The product prepared by these people is generally picked from the shell and sold locally in that condition. This opens a way for the fisherman to evade the 10-1/2 inch limit law. They frequently take lobsters under the minimum legal size and, after boiling them, pick the flesh. It is then impossible for anybody to tell what sized lobster the meat had come from. Quite a local trade in the picking of lobsters has been established in a number of small coast towns, the meat generally being sold in the immediate vicinity.

The following table shows the extent of the wholesale lobster trade in Rockland and Portland during 1898, including everything connected with the business except the smacks and pounds, which are shown elsewhere. There are a few other dealers scattered along the coast, but most of the business is concentrated at these cities. An idea of the extent of the increase in the lobster trade of Portland can be gained when it is stated that in 1880 about 1,900,000 pounds of lobsters, valued at $70,000, were handled here, while 6,145,821 pounds, valued at $611,955, were handled in 1898.

Extent of the wholesale lobster trade of Rockland and Portland
in 1898.

Rockland Portland
-------- --------
Value of property,
capital, and wages
Property, etc $14,338 $44,770
Cars 850 6,800
Cash Capital 22,000 110,500
Wages 4,676 18,198

Number of persons engaged
Firms 2 10*
Proprietors 3 13
Clerks 2 2
Other Employees 7 31

Rockland Portland
Lobsters bought -------------- ---------------
and sold No. Value No. Value
--------------- --- ----- --- -----
Bought, No. 692,188 4,097,214
Bought, lbs. 1,038,282 $89,984 6,145,821 $611,955
Sold, lbs. 795,934 91,532 5,308,027 690,045
Sold, lbs. 347,815 26,705 515,518 82,483

*Several of these firms also handle other fishery products.

LOBSTER POUNDS

For a number of years the catch of lobsters was sold by the fishermen to the dealers and by the latter to the trade as rapidly as possible. In doing this the markets would be flooded at certain times, when the price would drop to a very low figure, while at other times they would be very scarce, which would enhance the price materially. The dealers were the first to see the necessity for devising some method by which lobsters could be secured when they were plentiful and cheap and retained in captivity until they became scarce and high in price: Inclosures of various kinds had for some years been in use in the fisheries in various parts of the country for the purpose of keeping certain species alive until the time came to utilize them. In 1875 Johnson & Young, of Boston, established an inclosure or pound near Vinal Haven, on one of the Fox Islands. A cove covering about 500 acres, with an average depth of about 90 feet, was selected. A section of about 9 acres, separated from the main portion of the cove by a natural shoal and with a bottom of soft grayish mud, was selected for the pound. In order to make it proof against the efforts of the lobsters to escape and as a protection from enemies without, a wire fence was built over the shoal part. This section had a depth of from 15 to 60 feet, and a capacity of about 300,000, although there were rarely that many in the pound at one time.

The lobsters are bought from smacks and from fishermen in the vicinity during the height of the fishing season, when the price is low, and are retained in the pound until the price becomes high, which is generally during the winter season. They are fed with fish offal, which can usually be bought at Vinal Haven for $1 per barrel.

Oily fish are not fed to them, as it is said that the lobsters decrease in weight on such a diet. Experience has shown that the quantity of food required depends largely on the temperature of the water, as lobsters do not eat as freely when the water is cold as in water of a higher temperature. When wanted for shipment they are usually secured by means of pots, seines, or beam trawls.

Even with such a successful example before them, other dealers were chary about going into the business, and in 1890 there were only three pounds in the whole State. They increased more rapidly after that, however, and in 1898 there were nine pounds in the State, with a total valuation of $18,700. These were located at Dyer Bay, Sunset, Vinal Haven, Long Island, South Bristol, Pemaquid Beach, Southport, and House Island, in Portland Harbor. It is very probable that there will be a greater increase in the near future.

THE CANNING INDUSTRY.

Maine is the only State in the Union in which lobsters have been canned. The following account of the inception and early history of the industry, taken from "The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States," is very complete:

Lobster canning was first attempted in the United States at
Eastport, Me., shortly after 1840, and was made successful in
1843, the methods finally employed having been borrowed from
Scotland, which country is said to have learned the process from
France. For the successful introduction of the process into the
United States we are indebted to Mr. Charles Mitchell, now of
Charlestown, Mass., a practical canner of Scotland, who had
learned his trade of John Moir & Son, of Aberdeen, the first
Scotch firm, it is claimed, to put up hermetically sealed
preparations of meat, game, and salmon, their enterprise dating
back to 1824. Mr. U. S. Treat, a native of Maine, appears,
however, to have been most active and influential in starting the
enterprise and in introducing canned goods into the markets of the
United States. Mr. Treat was, at an early period, engaged in the
preparation of smoked salmon on the Penobscot River, and in 1839
removed to Calais, Me., where he continued in the same business.
About 1840 he associated with him a Mr. Noble, of Calais, and a
Mr. Holliday, a native of Scotland, who had also been employed in
the salmon fisheries of the Penobscot River, under the firm name
of Treat, Noble & Holliday. This firm moved to Eastport in 1842,
for the purpose of starting the manufacture of hermetically sealed
goods, and began experiments with lobsters, salmon, and haddock.
Their capital was limited, their appliances crude, and many
discouraging difficulties were encountered. The quality of the
cans furnished them was poor, causing them often to burst while
in the bath, and the proper methods of bathing and of expelling
the air from the cans were not understood. The experiments were
continued for two years with varying success, and in secret, no
outsiders being allowed to enter their bathing room. Though fairly
successful in some of their results, they could not always depend
upon their goods keeping well.

In 1843 they secured the services of Mr. Charles Mitchell, who was
then residing at Halifax, and who was not only well acquainted
with the methods of bathing practiced in his own country, but was
also a practical tinsmith. He had been employed in the canning of
hermetically sealed goods in Scotland for ten years, and came over
to Halifax in 1841, where he continued for two years in the same
occupation, exporting his goods to England. After Mr. Mitchell's
arrival at Eastport, no further difficulty was experienced in the
bathing or other preparation of the lobsters, and a desirable
grade of goods was put up, but they found no sale, as canned
preparations were comparatively unknown in the markets of the
United States. Mr. Treat visited each of the larger cities with
samples of the goods, and endeavored to establish agencies for
them, but he was generally obliged to send on consignment, as few
firms were willing to take the responsibility of buying on their
own account. A patent was also applied for, but the claim was not
pressed and the patent was never received.

The success at Eastport led to a rapid extension of the business in other parts of the State. The second cannery was located at Harpswell about the year 1849. A cannery was started at Carver Harbor, Fox Islands, in 1851, and another at Southwest Harbor in 1853. In 1857 a cannery was started at North Haven, and at Gouldsboro two were started in 1863 and 1870, respectively. From this time the number increased rapidly for several years. After 1880 the number operated fluctuated considerably, depending on the abundance of lobsters. Some canneries had to suspend operations at an early stage, owing to the exhaustion of the grounds in their vicinity. At most canneries lobsters formed only a part of the pack, sardines, clams, fish, and various vegetables and fruits being packed in their season. Most of the canneries were built and operated by Boston and Portland firms.

At first the lobsters used for canning ranged in weight from 3 to 10 pounds. Gradually the average weight was reduced, until at last it reached as low as 3/4 pound, or even less. This was caused principally by the high prices paid for large lobsters for the fresh trade, with which the canneries could not compete.

As the supply of lobsters on the Maine coast began to decrease shortly before 1870, while the demand for canned lobsters increased at an enormous rate, the dealers began to establish canneries on the coasts of the British provinces. As the decline in the supply was attributed to the canneries, a sentiment against them was gradually formed, and laws were enacted regulating the time in which they could operate and the size of the lobsters they could put up. Prior to 1879 they were permitted to pack lobsters at any season of the year, but they usually operated only between April 1 and August 1, and again between the 10th or middle of September and the 1st of December, the length of the season depending very largely upon the weather and the abundance of lobsters. In 1879 it was enacted that no canning of lobsters should be allowed from August 1 to April 1 following. In 1883 it was made illegal to can lobsters less than 9 inches in length. In 1885 the canning season was fixed from April 1 to July 15. In 1889 the season was fixed from May 1 to July 1, and the minimum length of lobsters to be canned placed at 9 inches. In 1891 this act was so amended as to make the season from April 20 to June 1. After 1880 the number of canneries gradually declined, until in 1895 the last one suspended the canning, of lobsters, owing to the passage of a law fixing the minimum size at 10-1/2 inches. This law went into effect July 1, 1895. As they could not afford to pay the high price demanded for this size they were compelled to give up the business.

The following table shows the number of factories in operation, the quantity and value of fresh lobsters used, and the number and value of cans of lobsters put up, in the years 1880, 1889, and 1892:

1880 1889 1892
------------- ------------- --------------
No. Value No. Value No. Value
--- ----- --- ----- --- -----
Number of
canneries 23 20 11
Lobsters used,
fresh lbs. 9,494,284 $95,000 5,752,654 $72,092 9,494,284 $95,000

Canned
One-lb cans 1,542,696 999,521 126,577 1,228,944 195,114
Two-lb cans 148,704 85,520 16,036 3,096 839
Other sizes 139,801
--------- ------- --------- ------- --------- -------
Total cans 1,831,201 238,280 1,085,041 142,613 1,232,040 195,953

Part of the lobsters used in the Eastport factories come from New
Brunswick. It is impossible to separate them.

ABUNDANCE, ETC.

There are no accurate figures showing the catch of lobsters in Maine previous to 1880. It is therefore difficult to make comparisons, and one is compelled to depend largely upon the memory of the fishermen and the statements of the canners and dealers, which the lapse of time, etc., makes rather unreliable. The numerous petitions sent to the legislature asking for restrictive laws, while possibly exaggerated at times, indicate that there were fears of the exhaustion of the fishery for some years back. It is positively known, however, that certain grounds have been almost or totally exhausted through overfishing for a number of years, while on other grounds the supply of lobsters has seriously decreased. There was a time when no lobster under 2 pounds in weight was saved by the fishermen. In later years, before there was a restriction fixing the minimum size of lobsters that could be canned, the canneries frequently used half-pound lobsters. The fixing of the minimum length of the lobsters caught at 10-1/2 inches, and the consequent closing up of the canneries, has been of incalculable benefit to the fishermen, as the young lobsters now have an opportunity to reach maturity.

The table given below shows for certain years the number of pots used, the quantity of lobsters taken, with their value, also the average catch and value per man, the average catch per pot, and the average price per pound:

Average Average Average Average
Catch catch stock catch price
Fisher- ---------------- per per per per
Year men Pots Pounds Value man man pot pound
---- --- ---- ------ ----- --- --- --- -----
pounds pounds cents

1880 1,843 104,456 14,234,182 $268,739 7,723 $146 136 1.9 1887 1,906 113,299 22,916,642 512,044 12,023 269 202 2.2 1888 1,967 112,632 21,694,731 515,880 11,029 267 193 2.4 1889 2,080 121,140 25,001,351 574,165 12,020 276 206 2.3 1892 2,628 153,043 17,642,677 663,043 6,713 252 117 3.8 1898 3,099 155,978 11,183,294 992,855 3,609 320 78 8.9

While the catch increased up to 1889 and then decreased until in 1898 it was lower than in 1880, the number of fisherman and pots and the value of the catch steadily increased. The average stock per man fluctuated somewhat from year to year, but in 1898 shows a considerable increase over every other year. The most interesting point however, is the average price per pound. In 1880 this was 1.9 cents, while in 1898 it was 8.9 cents per pound. With one exception, each year shows a progressive increase in value per pound. The great increase of 1898 over 1892, 5.1 cents per pound, was caused by the closing up of the canneries in 1895, and the consequent dropping out of the cheap product they had been buying from the fishermen.

WEIGHT OF LOBSTERS.

The figures given below show the average weight of lobsters at certain given lengths. These weights are made up from the results obtained by investigators of the United States Fish Commission, particularly those of Prof. Francis H. Herrick. Males in nearly every instance weigh slightly more than females of the same length.

Weight
Length in pounds.
------ ---------
9 inches 1.16
l0 inches 1.50
10-1/2 inches 1.75
11 inches 2
12 inches 2.50
13 inches 2.75
15 inches 4.25

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF LOBSTERS.

The nutritive value of a fishery product is of considerable interest to the consumer. Some years ago, Prof. W. O. Atwater, of Middletown, Connecticut, made a series of careful analyses of the composition of the flesh of three lobsters from the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts, and the figures given below represent the results:

Per cent.
---------

Proportions of edible portion and shell:

Total edible portion 39.77
Shell 57.47
Loss in cleaning 2.76

Proportions of water and dry substance
in edible portion:

Water 82.73
Dry substance 17.27

Chemical analysis calculated on dry substance:

Nitrogen 12.54
Albuminoids (nitrogen x 6.25) 78.37
Fat 11.43
Crude ash 10.06
Phosphorus (calculated as P2 O6) 2.24
Sulfur (calculated as SO3) 2.47
Chlorine 3.46

Chemical analysis calculated on
fresh substance in flesh:

Water 82.73
Nitrogen 2.17
Albuminoids (nitrogen x 6.25) 13.57
Fat 1.97
Crude ash 1.74
Phosphorus (calculated as P2 06) .39
Sulphur (calculated as SO3) .43
Chlorine .59

Nutritive value of flesh of lobsters
compared with beef as a standard and
reckoned at 100. 61.97

ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION OF THE LOBSTER.

The rapid increase in the catch of this crustacean during the past ten years has drawn upon it the most earnest attention of all interested in the preservation of this valuable fishery. If the "berried" or female lobster bearing eggs, and the young and immature, were let alone by the fishermen there would be no necessity for a resort to artificial lobster culture. Maine has a most stringent law forbidding the taking and selling of "berried" lobsters, and of any lobster under 10-1/2 inches in length, but this law is evaded by numerous fishermen whenever possible. An idea of the extent to which short lobsters are marketed in the State may be gathered from the statement of Mr. A. R. Nickerson, commissioner of sea and shore fisheries for the State, that in 1899 over 50,000 short lobsters were seized and liberated by the State wardens. As these wardens only discover a small proportion of the short lobsters handled by the fishermen and dealers it is easy to see what a terrible drain this is on the future hope of the fishery--the young and immature. Large numbers of "berried" lobsters are also captured, the eggs brushed off, and the lobsters sold as ordinary female lobsters.

The Report of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1897, on pages 235 and 236, contains the following account of the artificial propagation of lobsters:

Prior to 1885 experiments had been conducted at various points
looking to the artificial propagation of the lobster. The only
practical attempts of this nature previous to those made by the
Fish Commission were by means of "parking," that is, holding in
large naturally inclosed basins lobsters that had been injured,
soft-shelled ones, and those below marketable size. Occasionally
females with spawn were placed in the same inclosures. One of
these parks was established in Massachusetts in 1872, but was
afterwards abandoned; another was established on the coast of
Maine about 1875. It was soon demonstrated, however, that the
results from inclosures of this character, so far as the rearing
of the lobsters from the young were concerned, would not be
sufficient to materially affect the general supply. The completion
of the new marine laboratory and hatchery at Woods Hole in 1885,
with its complete system of salt-water circulation, permitted the
commencement of experiments in artificial hatching on a large
scale which had not been practicable theretofore, although small
quantities of lobster eggs, as well as those of other crustaceans,
had been successfully hatched. In 1886 the experiments had
progressed so successfully that several million eggs were
collected and hatched at Woods Hole, the fry being deposited in
Vineyard Sound and adjacent waters. From 1887 to 1890, inclusive,
the number of eggs collected was 17,821,000.

During the above years the average production of fry was about 54 per cent. By the use of more improved apparatus the average was brought up to 90 per cent in 1897, when the collections amounted to 150,000,000 eggs, of which 135,000,000 were hatched. As the commissioner of sea and shore fisheries of Maine objected to the taking of female lobsters in that State and the planting of part, at least, of the resulting fry in other waters, an arrangement was made in 1898 by which all female lobsters and the fry hatched out from the eggs secured from these would be returned to the State waters. Under this arrangement 2,365 "berried" lobsters were bought from the Maine fishermen by the U. S. Fish Commission. From these 25,207,000 eggs were taken and 22,875,000 fry were hatched. Of these, 21,500,000 were deposited in Maine waters at various points. In 1899, 36,925,000 fry were planted in Maine waters by the Commission. In order that the female lobsters may be secured the authorities of Maine permit the fishermen to catch and sell "berried" lobsters to the Commission.

The collection of eggs in Maine is usually made by the Commission during the months of April, May, June, and to about the middle of July, depending upon the supply to be had. During the season of 1899 a small steam smack was chartered for collecting the lobsters, starting from Gloucester, where the hatching of Maine lobster eggs is now carried on, and running to Eastport, returning over the same route. The Fish Commission schooner _Grampus_ was also used in this work. The lobsters are purchased from fishermen, who receive the market price for ordinary lobsters, and as they are not allowed to sell these lobsters legally for consumption the sale to the Commission materially increases their financial returns.

In 1883 a radical advance along the line of artificial propagation was made, so far as the legislature was concerned, when the act incorporating the Samoset Island Association, of Boothbay, was passed. Section 4 of the charter reads as follows:

In order to secure a sufficient and regular supply of lobsters for
domestic consumption on any land or islands under the control of
said corporation, it may increase the number of lobsters within
said limits by artificial propagation, or other appropriate acts
and methods, under the direction of the fishery commission, and
shall not be interfered with by other parties, but be protected
therein, as said fishery commission may determine, and shall have
the right, by its agents and tenants, to take and catch lobsters
within 300 yards of the low-water line of the islands and lands
owned or leased by said corporation, during each and every month,
for domestic use.

In 1887 the legislature passed an act granting R. T. Carver the sole right to propagate lobsters in Carver's pond, Vinalhaven. Mr. Carver's experiment was a failure, as he says the mud in the pond was so filthy that nearly all the spawn was killed.

LARGE AND PECULIAR LOBSTERS.

Since the inception of the fishery, stories of the capture of lobsters weighing 30, 40, and even 50 pounds have been common, but have rarely been well authenticated. Especially is this the case in the early years of the fishery. It is probable that in the transmission of the stories from person to person the lobsters gained rather than lost in size. Among the most authentic cases in Maine are the following:

On May 6, 1891, a male lobster weighing slightly over 23 pounds was taken in Penobscot Bay, southeast of Moose Point, in line with Brigadier Island, in about 3-1/2 fathoms of water, by Mr. John Condon. The lobster had tried to back into the trap, but after getting his tail through the funnel he was unable to get either in or out and was thus captured.

According to Mr. F. W. Collins, a dealer of Rockland, in August, 1891, a lobster weighing 18-1/2 pounds was taken at Blue Hill Falls, in upper Blue Hill Bay, while in November, 1892, a female lobster weighing 18 pounds was taken at Green Island.

In January, 1893, Mr. N. F. Trefethen, of Portland, received a lobster from Vinal Haven which weighed 18 pounds.

According to R. F. Crie & Sons, of Criehaven, on September 7,1898, a male lobster weighing 25 pounds and measuring 25 inches from the end of the nose to the tip of tail, and 45 inches including the claws, was caught on a hake trawl by Peter Mitchell, a fisherman. The trawl was set about 2 miles southeast from Matinicus Rock Light Station in 60 fathoms of water.

In August, 1899, the writer saw a live male lobster at Peak Island which measured 44 inches in length and weighed 25 pounds, according to the statement of the owner. It had been caught near Monhegan Island, and the owner was carrying it from town to town in a small car, which he had built for it, and charging a small fee to look at it.

In April, 1874, a female lobster weighing about 2 pounds was caught off Hurricane Island. Her color was a rich indigo along the middle of the upper part of the body, shading off into a brighter and clearer tint on the sides and extremities. The upper surface of the large claws was blue and purple, faintly mottled with darker shades, while underneath was a delicate cream tint. The under parts of the body tended also to melt into a light cream color, and this was also true of the spines and tubercles of the shell and appendages.

In 1893 a Peak Island fisherman caught a lobster about 11 inches in length whose back was of an indigo blue, and which toward the extremities and under parts was shaded off into a pure white. The under part of the claw was also of a pure white.

Mr. Lewis McDonald, of Portland, has a pure white lobster preserved in alcohol. It was caught in 1887.

A lobster was caught at Beal Island, near West Jonesport, which was about 6 or 7 inches in length and almost jet black.

A few bright-red lobsters, looking as though they had been boiled, have also been taken along the coast at various times.

A lobster was caught near Long Island, Casco Bay, about the year 1886, in which half of the body was light-yellow up to the middle line of the back, while the other half was bright-red. There were no spots on the shell.

In September, 1898, Mr. R. T. Carver, of Vinal Haven, had in his possession a female lobster, about 11 inches long, of a bright-red color all over, except the forward half of the right side of the carapace and the feeler on this side, which were of the usual color.

LAWS REGULATING THE FISHERY.

In 1897 the legislature revised and consolidated the laws relating to the sea and shore fisheries of Maine, and below are given the sections relating to the lobster fishery adopted that year, together with the amendments to the act adopted in 1899, which are incorporated herewith:

SEC. 39. It is unlawful to catch, buy or sell, or expose for sale,
or possess for any purpose, any lobsters less than 10-1/2 inches
in length, alive or dead, cooked or uncooked, measured in manner
as follows: Taking the length of the back of the lobster, measured
from the bone of the nose to the end of the bone of the middle of
the flipper of the tail, the length to be taken in a gauge with a
cleat upon each end of the same, measuring 10-1/2 inches between
said cleats, with the lobster laid upon its back and extended upon
its back upon the gauge, without stretching or pulling, to the end
of the bone of the middle flipper of the tail, its natural length,
and any lobster shorter than the prescribed length when caught,
shall be liberated alive at the risk and cost of the parties
taking them, under a penalty of $1 for each lobster so caught,
bought, sold, exposed for sale, or in the possession not so
liberated. The possession of mutilated, uncooked lobsters shall be
prima facie evidence that they are not of the required length.

SEC. 40. It is unlawful to destroy, buy, sell, expose for sale, or
possess any female lobsters in spawn or with eggs attached at any
season of the year, under a penalty of $10 for each lobster so
destroyed, caught, bought, sold, exposed for sale, or possessed:
_Provided, however_, If it appears that it was intended to
liberate them in accordance with the provisions of this act, the
persons having such lobsters 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 so liberate them.

SEC. 41. It shall be unlawful to can, preserve, or pickle lobsters
less than 10-1/2 inches in length, alive or dead, measured as
aforesaid; and for every lobster canned, preserved, or pickled
contrary to the provisions of this section every person, firm,
association, or corporation so canning, preserving, or pickling
shall be liable to a penalty of $1 for every lobster so canned,
preserved, or pickled contrary to the provisions of this section,
and a further penalty of $300 for every day on which such unlawful
canning, preserving, or pickling is carried on.

SEC. 42. All barrels, boxes, or other packages in transit
containing lobsters shall be marked with the word lobsters in
capital letters, at least 1 inch in length, together with the full
name of the shipper. Said marking shall be placed in a plain and
legible manner on the outside of such barrel, boxes, or other
packages; and in case of seizure by any duly authorized officer
of any barrels, boxes, or other packages in transit, containing
lobsters, which are not so marked, or in case of seizure by such
officer of barrels, boxes, or other packages in transit containing
lobsters less than the prescribed length, such lobsters as are
alive and less than the prescribed length shall be liberated and
all such lobsters as are of the prescribed length found in such
barrels, boxes, or packages, together with such barrels, boxes,
and packages, shall be forfeited and disposed of under the
provisions of section 47 of this act.

SEC. 43. Every person, firm, association, or corporation who ships
lobsters without having the barrels, boxes, or other packages in
which the same are contained marked as prescribed in the previous
section shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of $25, and
upon subsequent conviction thereof by a fine of $50; and any
person or corporation in the business of a common carrier of
merchandise who shall carry or transport from place to place
lobsters in barrels, boxes, or other packages not so marked shall
be liable to a penalty of $50 upon such conviction thereof.

SEC. 44. All cars in which lobsters are kept, and all lobster cars
while in the water, shall have the name of the owner or owners
thereof on the top of the car, where it may plainly be seen, in
letters not less than three-fourths of an inch in length, plainly
carved or branded thereon, and all traps, cars, or other devices
for the catching of lobsters shall have, while in the water, the
owner's name carved or branded in like manner on all the buoys
attached to said traps or other devices, under a penalty of $10
for each car and $5 for each trap or device not so marked; and if
sufficient proof to establish the ownership of such cars or traps
can not be readily obtained, they may be declared forfeited,
subject to the provisions of section 47 of this act.

SEC. 45. All persons are hereby prohibited from setting any
lobster traps within 300 feet of the mouth or outer end of the
leaders of any fish weir, under a penalty of $10 for each offense.

SEC. 46. Whoever takes up, or attempts to take up, or in any way
knowingly and willfully interferes with any lobster trap while set
for use, without the authority of the owner thereof, shall be
punished by a fine of not less than $20, nor more than $50;
_Provided, however_, That no action, complaint, or indictment
shall be maintained under this section unless the name of the
owner of all such traps shall be carved or branded in legible
letters, not less than three-fourths of an inch in length, on all
the buoys connected with such traps.

SEC. 47. When any lobsters are seized by virtue of the provisions
of this act, it shall be the duty of the officer making such
seizure to cause such lobsters, so seized, as he is not required
by law to liberate, together with the cars, traps, barrels, boxes,
or other packages in which they are contained, to be appraised
within 24 hours after the time of such seizures by three
disinterested men residing in the county where such seizure
is made, to be selected by him, and the lobsters, cars, traps,
barrels, boxes, or other packages so seized and appraised shall
thereupon be sold by the officer making the seizure thereof, at
such time and in such manner as shall by him be deemed proper. The
officer making such seizure and sale shall within ten days after
the time of such seizure file a libel in behalf of the State
before a trial justice, or a judge of a police or municipal court
of the county in which such seizure was made, setting forth the
fact of such seizure, appraisal, and sale, the time and place of
the seizure, the number of lobsters, cars, traps, barrels, boxes,
or other packages so seized and sold, and the amount of the
proceeds of such sale; and such trial justice or judge shall
appoint a time and place for the hearing of such libel, and shall
issue a notice of the same to all persons interested to appear at
the time and place appointed, and show cause why the lobsters,
cars, traps, barrels, boxes, or other packages so seized and sold,
and the proceeds of such sale, should not be declared forfeited,
which notice shall be served upon the owner, if known, and by
causing an attested copy of such libel and notice to be posted in
two public and conspicuous places in the town in which the seizure
was made, seven days at least before the time of hearing.

If any person appears at the time and place of hearing, and claims
that the lobsters, cars, traps, barrels, boxes, or other packages
so seized and sold were not liable to forfeiture at the time of
seizure, and that he was entitled thereto, the trial justice or
judge shall hear and determine the cause, and if he shall decide
that such lobsters, cars, traps, barrels, boxes, or other
packages, at the time of seizure, were not liable to forfeiture,
and that the claimant was entitled thereto, he shall order the
proceeds of such sale to be paid to the claimant; if no claimant
shall appear, or if such trial justice or judge shall decide that
such lobsters, traps, cars, barrels, boxes, or other packages, at
the time of the seizure, were liable to forfeiture, or that the
claimant was not entitled thereto, he shall decree a forfeiture of
such lobsters, cars, traps, barrels, boxes, or other packages, and
of the proceeds of sale, and shall order the proceeds of sale,
after deducting all lawful charges, to be paid to the county
treasurer, and by him to the State treasurer, to be used as
directed in section 48 of this act, and shall render judgment
against the claimant for costs to be taxed as in civil suits, and
issue execution therefor against him in favor of the State, which
costs, when collected, shall be paid in to the treasurer of the
county, and by him to the treasurer of the State, to be added and
made a part of the appropriation for sea and shore fisheries.
The claimant shall have the right of appeal to the next supreme
judicial court or superior court in the county, upon recognizing
and paying the fees for copies and entry as in cases of appeal
in criminal cases. The fees and costs of seizure, appraisal,
and sale, and in all other proceedings in the case, shall be as
provided by law in criminal cases, and in case a forfeiture shall
be declared, shall be paid out of the proceeds of the sale,
otherwise shall be paid by the county, as in criminal cases.

SEC. 48. All fines and penalties under this act may be recovered
by complaint, indictment, or action of debt brought in the
county where the offense is committed. The action of debt shall
be brought in the name of the commissioner of sea and shore
fisheries, and all offenses under or violations of the provisions
of this statute may be settled by the commissioner of sea and
shore fisheries, upon such terms and conditions as he deems
advisable. All fines, penalties, and collections under this act
shall be paid into the treasury of the county where the offense
is committed, and by such treasurer to the State treasurer, to be
added to and made a part of the appropriation for sea and shore
fisheries.

SEC. 49. The commissioner of sea and shore fisheries may take fish
of any kind, when, where, and in such manner as he chooses, for
the purposes of science, of cultivation, and of dissemination, and
he may grant written permits to other persons to take fish for the
same purposes, and may introduce or permit to be introduced any
kind of fish into any waters.

The following special act was passed at the 1899 session of the legislature:

SEC. 1. No person shall take, catch, kill, or destroy any lobsters
between the 1st day of July and the 1st day of September in each
year, under a penalty of $1 for each lobster so taken, caught,
killed, or destroyed, in the waters of Pigeon Hill Bay, so called,
in the towns of Millbridge and Steuben, within the following
points, namely: Commencing at Woods Pond Point, on the west side
of Pigeon Hill Bay; thence easterly to the Nubble, on Little Bois
Bubert Island; thence by the shore to the head of Bois Bubert
Island; thence northerly to Joe Dyers Point, so called; thence
by the shore around Long Cove and the creek; thence to the
head of Pigeon Hill Bay aforesaid; thence by the shore to the
first-mentioned bound.

SEC. 2. All fines and penalties under this act may be recovered as
provided in section 48 of chapter 285 of the Public Laws of 1897.

IMPORTATIONS OF LIVE LOBSTERS.

For some years there have been considerable importations of live lobsters into Maine from the British Provinces, particularly from New Brunswick; previous to the closing up of the canning industry they were more numerous than at present, as considerable numbers were brought in by boat fishermen for the canneries at or near Eastport. The importations are now made by the dealers, who frequently send their own smacks into the Provinces for a supply when lobsters are scarce in the State.

The following table shows the importations into the State, by customs districts, for the fiscal year 1898:

1898
------------------
Customs districts. Pounds Value
------ ------
Aroostook 150 $12
Bangor. 246,991 43,507
Machias 700 91
Passamaquoddy 327,481 35,373
Portland and Falmouth 214,075 13,037
Waldoboro 43,264 3,211
Wiscasset 28,000 1,120

STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF THE LOBSTER INDUSTRY IN MAINE IN 1898.

The following tables show the statistical data relating to the fishery for 1898; except the wholesale trade of Rockland and Portland, which is shown elsewhere.

While Hancock County leads in the number of vessel fishermen with 173, Knox County has the largest number of persons transporting, 78. In the boat fishermen, Washington County leads with 639, followed closely by Knox County with 606. In the total number of persons employed Knox County leads with 749, while Washington and Hancock counties have very nearly the same number, 695 and 683, respectively. The total number of persons employed was 3,304.

Hancock County leads in the number of vessels fishing, 78, valued at $33,000, while Knox County leads in the number of transporting vessels, 33, valued at $51,900, and is also second in the number of fishing vessels. Cumberland County is second in the number of transporting vessels. This county has more steam transporting vessels than all the other counties combined, 8, valued at $31,200. In the matter of boats engaged in the shore fishery Knox County also has the preeminence, with 696 boats, valued at $37,175. Lincoln, Hancock, and Washington counties follow in the order named, and are all three very close to each other.

Hancock County leads in the number of pots used in the vessel fishery, 7,146, while Knox County is second. Knox County leads in the number of pots used in shore fisheries with 39,040, valued at $39,030, and is followed by Lincoln County with 29,190 pots, valued at $29,190.

In the matter of shore property Lincoln County leads with $16,917, although if the property used in the wholesale trade had been included in this table Cumberland County would lead. In the total investment Knox County leads with $169,056. Hancock County comes second, with $136,651, followed by Washington and Cumberland counties, respectively. The total investment for the whole State is $616,668.

In vessel catch Hancock County leads with 444,704 pounds, valued at $47,101. Knox County is second with 286,688 pounds, valued at $29,395. In the boat catch Hancock County also leads with 2,198,518 pounds, valued at $204,390, while Knox County is a close second with 2,165,256 pounds, valued at $186,968. Lincoln County is third and Washington County fourth. The total catch for the State is 11,183,294 pounds, valued at $992,855.

Table showing by counties the number of persons employed
in the lobster fishery of Maine in 1898.

Vessel Boat
fisher- Trans- fisher- Shores-
County men porters men men Total
------ --- ------- --- --- -----
Washington 30 19 639 7 695
Hancock 173 27 480 3 683
Penobscot 2 2
Waldo 19 19
Knox 55 78 606 10 749
Lincoln 12 11 447 4 474
Sagadahoc. 2 98 100
Cumberland 10 45 379 6 440
York 4 3 135 142
--- --- ----- -- -----
Total 280 185 2,803 30 3,304

Table showing by counties the vessels, boats, apparatus, and
shore property employed in the lobster fishery of Maine in 1898.

Washington Hancock Penobscot Waldo
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Items. No. Value. No. Value. No. Value. No. Value.

Vessels fishing 10 $5,850 78 $33,000 1 $350
Tonnage 76 593 5
Outfit. 1,169 4,995 15

Vessels trans-
porting--steam 1 8,350 2 6,500
Tonnage 34 26
Outfit 1,835 1,950

Vessels trans-
porting--sail 5 8,500 8 9,900
Tonnage 94 99
Outfit 790 885

Boats trans-
porting
(steamers and
launches under
5 tons) 1 1,100 1 4,950

Sailboats
fishing 259 56,170 225 34,290

Rowboats
fishing 209 2,390 250 3,285 17 $255

Pots used in
vessel
fisheries 1,710 1,710 7,146 7,146 82 82

Pots used in
shore
fisheries 22,390 22,373 23,880 23,880 575 575

Shore
property 4,015 5,870 102
------- ------- --- ---

Total 114.252 136,651 447 932

Knox Lincoln Sagadahoc Cumberland
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Items. No. Value. No. Value. No. Value. No. Value.

Vessels fishing 28 $13,250 6 $4,200 5 $1,950
Tonnage 184 42 30
Outfit. 3,923 619 335

Vessels trans-
porting--steam 3 18,000 8 31,200
Tonnage 31 109
Outfit 5,175 5,484

Vessels trans-
porting--sail 30 33,900 4 6,200 10 11,800
Tonnage 574 73 173
Outfit 4,881 877 1,814

Boats trans-
porting
(steamers and
launches under
5 tons) 1 1,100 1 $1,100

Sailboats
fishing 212 31,760 132 12,975 1 125 154 13,635

Rowboats
fishing 484 5,415 351 3,571 90 1,185 186 3,571

Pots used in
vessel
fisheries 4,140 4,140 510 510 400 400

Pots used in
shore
fisheries 39,040 39,030 29,190 29,190 2,138 1,964 17,932 17,932

Shore
property 9,582 16,917 730 9,416
------- ------ ----- ------

Total 169,056 76,159 5,104 97,537

York Total
----------- -----------
Items. No. Value. No. Value

Vessels fishing 2 $1,600 130 $60,200
Tonnage 16 946
Outfit. 225 11,281

Vessels trans-
porting--steam 14 64,050
Tonnage 200
Outfit 14,444

Vessels trans-
porting--sail 2 550 59 70,850
Tonnage 14 1,027
Outfit 65 9,312

Boats trans-
porting
(steamers and
launches under
5 tons) 4 8,250

Sailboats
fishing 47 2,085 1,030 151,040

Rowboats
fishing 81 1,860 1,668 21,532

Pots used in
vessel
fisheries 250 250 14,238 14,238

Pots used in
shore
fisheries 6,595 6,595 141,740 141,530

Shore
property 3,300 49,932
------- -------

Total 16,530 616,668*

*The property, cash capital, etc., in the wholesale
trade of Rockland and Portland is shown elsewhere.

Table showing by counties, vessels, and boats the yield in the lobster fishery of Maine in 1898.

Vessel catch Boat catch Total -------------- ---------------- --------------- Counties Pounds Value Pounds Value Pounds Value --------- ------ ----- ------ ----- ------ ----- Washington 82,809 $7,312 1,545,895 $132,877 1,628,704 $140,189 Hancock 444,704 47,101 2,198,518 204,390 2,643,222 251,491 Penobscot 1,264 118 1,264 118 Waldo 17,766 1,713 17,766 1,713 Knox 286,688 29,395 2,165,256 186,968 2,451,944 216,363 Lincoln 48,872 4,157 2,106,645 181,617 2,155,517 185,774 Sagadahoc 384,900 30,392 384,900 30,392 Cumberland 22,253 2,000 1,401,338 118,616 1,423,591 120,616 York 21,241 1,841 455,145 44,358 476,386 46,199 ------- ------ ---------- ------- ---------- ------- Total 907,831 91,924 10,275,463 900,931 11,183,294 992,855