OYSTER, MUSSEL AND COCKLE FISHING. 79 



Inside the Sound, and in deep water^ up to thirty or forty 

 fathoms, outside the Sound as well as along the neighbouring 

 coast, the crab and lobster fishers of this port lay their pots. 



Pots. — " Pots^' only are used. 



Bait. — The bait generally used is gurnard {Trig la) , wrasse 

 {Lahrus mixtus), and ray, gurnard being the best for lobster. 



Time of Year. — Summer is the chief time for this fishery. 

 In the winter months there is but little done owing to the loss 

 of pots in bad weather. Inside the Breakwater the fishery 

 may be carried on from February to November, rarely in the 

 intervening months. Outside the Breakwater, in deep water, 

 the pots are laid only from about April to August. 



The male crabs are about six times more valuable than 

 the female crabs. 



Condition of the Fishery. — The crabs are said to be de- 

 creasing, but lobsters are not thought to be decreasing as 

 much as crabs. 



From 1850, when there were eight boats fishing between the 

 Plym and Bolt Tail there was a considerable increase in the 

 fishery up to 1876, when there were 100 boats fishing this part 

 of the coast. Since then there does not appear to have been 

 much increase, if any. During this interval there has also 

 been an increase in boats fishing in the Sound (No. 20). 



10. Shrimp and Prawn Fishing. 



Shrimps {Crangon vulgaris) and prawns {Palsemon serra- 

 tus) are fished for in the Sound with small trawls, which are 

 towed by small boats, either rowed or sailed slowly along. 



The supply varies greatly according to the weather. 



The chief ground is that lying immediately behind the 

 Breakwater. 



11. Oyster, Mussel, and Cockle Fishing. 



Oysters [Ostrea edidis). — Yery few oysters are now trawled 

 in the Channel by the Plymouth trawlers. Sometimes, as I 

 have already pointed out, a few clumps of oysters are brought 

 up with the " scrufi," which is so plentiful in the summer 

 months. 



Cattewater Beds. — Plym Beds. — There used to be 

 oyster beds up the Cattewater, near Laira Bridge, up the 



