THE PRAWN (NORWAY LOBSTER, Nephrops 



norvegicus), AND THE PRAWN FISHING 



OF NORTH SHIELDS. 



By B. STORROW. 



Owing to the coal strike in March, 1912, which rendered fishing 

 very irregular at North Shields, it was impossible, for that month, 

 to make investigations relating to the Norway Lobster. This was 

 unfortunate, because March proved to be a month for which parti- 

 culars relating to the casting of male prawns would have been of 

 interest. 



In February, March and April of this year some 1,800 Norway 

 Lobsters have been examined, and particulars with regard to the 

 number of males, non-berried females and berried females occurring 

 in the samples are to be found in Table L, whilst in Table II. these 

 are summarised. The mean sizes for males and females in the 

 samples examined were 14.5 and 11.5 cm. respectively, a difference 

 of about one centimetre from the mean sizes obtained last year, 

 when between seven and eight thousand were examined during 

 eleven months. 



The number and percentages of males and females for the three 

 months are as follows : — 



No berried females were obtained. These figures differ so 

 little from those of last year that no comment is necessary. 



From the facts available last year it was stated that the chief 

 month for the casting of males was April, but it was also noted that 

 fishermen and buyers of prawns obtained numbers of large prawns 

 in a soft condition during the month of March. In Tables III. and 



