AND ITS EFFECT ON THE CRAB AND LOBSTER FISHERIES. 



269 



Table III., shoiving the Average Number of Crabs and Lobsters landed 

 on the South Coast of England in each month of the year (eom- 

 pilecl from the Board of Trade's Ecturns for the fourteen years 

 1886-99); together with the Perce7itage of each monthly average to 

 the average annual catch for the same series of years. 



Crabs. Lobsters. 



January . 



February 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August . 



September 



October . 



November 



December 



Monthly Average 



(in thousands). 



9-6 



17-6 



29-4 



49-7 



85-3 



147-3 



166-6 



129.8 



80-7 



45-8 



27-0 



11-7 



Per 



cent. 



1-2 



2-2 



3-7 



6-2 



10-7 



18-4 



20-8 



16-2 



100 



5-7 



3-4 



1-5 



Year . 



800-6 



100 



Monthly Average 

 (in tliousands). 



Per 



cent. 



1-4 



3-4 



5-5 



7-1 



9-6 



15-8 



21-0 



16-7 



11-6 



5-9 



1-6 



0-4 



469-6 



100-0 



The percentage of crabs landed in the six summer months (April to 

 September) amounts to 82-3 per cent, of the whole, and that of lobsters 

 to 81-8 per cent, of the whole. It follows therefore that statistics based 

 on the returns for the six summer months alone in successive years 

 provide a sufficiently accurate basis from which to compare the pro- 

 ductiveness of these fisheries in successive years. Indeed, it is probable 

 that greater accuracy is ensured by this method than by taking the 

 figures for the entire year, since the catches in the winter months 

 depend less on the abundance of shell fish in the vicinity of the coast 

 than on the prevalence or scarcity of stormy weather. 



The next table shows the number of crabs and lobsters annually 

 landed during the six summer months on the South Coast from 1886 

 to 1900. 



Table IV,, shoiving the Number of Grabs and Lobsters landed on the 

 South Coast during the six summer months {April to September) 

 >wn 1886 to 1900 {compiled from the Board of 



in each year fi 

 Trades Returns) 



1886 

 1887 

 1888 

 1889 

 1890 

 1891 

 1892 

 1893 

 1894 

 1895 

 1896 

 1897 

 1898 

 1899 

 1900 



Crabs 

 (thousands). 

 471 

 504 

 514 

 544 

 571 

 538 

 &02,\ 

 666 

 679 

 779 

 869 

 734 

 880 

 877J 

 596 



Lobsters 

 (thousands). 

 281 

 335 

 279 

 398^ 

 499 

 431 

 478 

 395 

 367 

 349 

 416 

 354 

 405 

 388 

 319 



