THE PROTECTION OF CRABS AND LOBSTERS. 185 



be strictly enforced, they would have to give up fishing in the late 

 months of the year." 



Such, then, are the facts upon which the desirability or otherwise of 

 establishing a close time for crabs and lobsters has to be decided. And 

 it appears to me that, taking these facts as a whole, the Sub-Committee 

 of the Cornwall Sea Fisheries' District adopted the only reasonable 

 course in deciding that no close time could be recommended. For not 

 only do the lobsters carry their spawn equally during at least eleven 

 months of the year, whilst the berried crabs never enter the pots at all, 

 but during the winter months, when it is proposed that the close time 

 should be established, very little fishing takes place, owing to the 

 stormy weather which then prevails. There is, in fact, a natural close 

 time imposed by this cause, which, under any circumstance, would 

 render legislative interference unnecessary. 



Passing to the second of the proposed restrictions, viz., an increase 

 of the present size limit, we have first to consider the basis upon 

 which legislation of this kind rests. I cannot do better, in order to 

 make this clear, and to give both sides of the argument, than quote 

 the following from the report of the enquiry held by the Sub- 

 Committee in the North-Eastern Sea Fisheries' District — 



" By Mr. Pannett— * 



" Q. Before asking the next question, I would explain that in considering 

 what should be the size — the smallest size — at which crabs and lobsters should 

 be allowed to be taken, there are two classes of men who each hold different 

 opinions. There are those who are of opinion that crabs and lobsters might 

 fairly be taken as soon as they can be sold, as soon as they are marketable ; 

 that is, not to take them wastefully, not to take them for children to play 

 with, not to take them wantonly, not unless they can be sold in the market. 

 These people think the fish should not be allowed to remain in the sea until 

 they get their growth, but that they should be allowed to be taken as soon as 

 they can be sold in the market. Now there is another class of men who say 

 that that is a very improper rule ; they say that crabs and lobsters which are 

 not able to reproduce their species, are not able to breed till they reach, on an 

 average, a certain size, although they may be marketable below that size, 

 although they might be sold for money below that size, sliould not be allowed 

 to be taken till they reach the size at which they have had the chance of 

 breeding once. If so, every she-crab and hen-lobster would, before being 

 killed, have a chance of reproducing one brood to take its place. . . . Would 

 you object to a crab being allowed to grow to the size at which it should breed 

 once before it should be taken, or would you claim that it might bo taken as 

 soon as it was saleable 1 



"A. (Fisherman.) As soon as it was saleable." 



♦ J:c2)ort, p. 58. 



2 



