IN THE BAYS ON THE SOUTH-EAST COAST OF DEVON. 4-41 



fact, it is the ricliest ground within the area. The invertebrate fauna is 

 also rich and distinct from that of the other grounds. The crabs Poly- 

 bius, Atelecychis, Corystes, and the heart -urchin Echinocardiuni are 

 more plentiful liere than anywhere else. 



The central region of muddy ground has no particular name, but is 

 well fished over at all seasons of the year for the sake of the ubiquitous 

 whiting. Along the western margin of the area there are several well- 

 known trawling -grounds, e.g. " New Eidge," of!" Downend, and the 

 " Hitches," off Berry Head, which really form part of the central region, 

 and require no special mention. 



Although the grounds are so distinct from one another that an expert 

 salesman can tell where a catch of fish has come from, it has not been 

 thought of any practical importance to distinguish them in the statistics. 

 Also, as the Mumble Bees rarely go beyond the limits mentioned, it has 

 been a comparatively easy task to obtain an approximate measure of 

 the value of these grounds. A few small trawlers from other ports — 

 Torquay, Exmouth, Beer — tisli on the same grounds, but the quantities 

 they catch are quite negligible. The same cannot be said, however, with 

 regard to the large Brixham smacks which occasionally fish within the 

 area, and their catches require to be taken into account. 



An explanation may now be given of the method by which the data 

 of the boats' catches have been obtained. As is generally recognised, it 

 is by no means easy to collect statistics which will give precise informa- 

 tion on any points other than those considered in the returns of the 

 Board of Trade, for the simple reason that the mode of selling fish 

 determined by custom and practice is in no way suited to theoretical 

 requirements. It would be absurd to expect the fishermen and fish sales- 

 men to alter their customs, and that in several and diverse directions, 

 since theoretical requirements are many ; so one is obliged to make the 

 best compromise possible between what one wishes and what one can get. 



The practice of the Brixham Mumble Bees in arranging their fish for 

 sale is somewhat different from that employed on the east coast, where 

 the fish are carried ashore in large baskets or panniers, and then put into 

 a standard size of box, or arranged in lots. At Brixham the large boats 

 treat their fish in the latter way ; but the small boats, which carry no 

 ice, and are only fishing for a day or two at a time, have them packed 

 and ready for sale before landing. When the trawl is emptied on deck 

 after a haul the smallest fish and the useless species are thrown over- 

 board ; the prime fish — soles, turbot, etc. — are laid apart, and the large 

 fish of the remaining species (offal), as plaice and whiting, are separated 

 from the small and placed in the trunks, whilst the small fish are packed 

 into small baskets. A larger basket, called a " maund," is occasionally 

 employed by the Mumble Bees when they have a few large fish, but not 



