THE SHELLFISH INDUSTRY
315
sea lobsters which are below a certain size or females which
are carrying spawn, or are “ in
Ï
'
A few words about the important lobster shery in the
Hebrides may be of interest.
The lobsters are collected
,
by shermen inmany parts of the islands and stored in '
large boxes, with holes to allow tree access to water, whiCh
are moored in the sea in which they lie just awash.
When
'
sufcient numbers have been collected they are packed in »
'
boxes and sent away to the market, usually 'Billingsgate.
It is important that the packing should be done with great ‘
'
care as only living lobsters are_paid for by the purchaser.
Of recent years
the efciency of” the industry has‘ been
greatly increased by the activity of a rm which
has established a receiving and storage pond on the Island of Luing,
.
about fourteen miles from Oban; The pond has been made
by erectig granite dams at either end of a narrow channel
between two islandS, a constant ow of sea"water is ensuœd
by means of gratings in the dams while sluices enable the
'
-
pond to be practically emptied at low
tide.
One hundred
thousand lobsters can be
as many again
if necessary—the animals being collected by agents of the
company from the shermen who thus get a good’priCe
for their catch without the risk of losing them on their
way to the market.
Similar storage ponds for lobsters
have been established for many years along
the coasts of
.
Brittany.
The packing station is on Kerrera Island only »
two miles from Oban where there is a sheltered bay in which
the lobsters are conned in «large wooden rafts
each capable
_
.
of holding about a thousand, until
packing.
_
In the latter process, braçken_ or fem, Whlch ls
than the seaweed Or sawdust originally used, îS employed,
‘
the boxes being lined with paper
to keep the lobsters
.
within from extremes of »,température.
Since lt 18 the
‘
,
presence of water in the gill chamber WhîCh ‘ÏS respOnsable
.