§ 90. Mr. PERKINSasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether any success has attended the experimental establishment of a lobster hatchery in the Beaulieu River, Hants; and whether he is willing to extend the experiment to other suitable estuaries?
§ Mr. HERBERT LEWIS (for Mr. Runciman)The initiation of the experiment was attended by unexpected difficulties, arising mainly from high tides; but considerable experience has been gained, and lobsters have been hatched and reared through certain stages of development by different methods. Provision has been made for continuing the experiment at least over the next hatching season, and it will then be easier to express an opinion on the question whether lobster hatching can be expected to be attended with success as a commercial enterprise on our coasts. A short interim report of the work carried out last year will be included in the Board's annual report on Sea Fisheries, which is now in preparation.