Again, the imposition of a size limit was suggested. Atten- 

 tion was drawn to the practice of catching very small craw- 

 fish, and it was suggested that the destruction of these im- 

 mature forms was responsible for the falling off of the supply. 

 These small crawfish form a particularly palatable dish, and 

 it was pointed out that in many cases young forms of various 

 sea animals were extensively utilised for food purposes without 

 deleterious effects, and, besides, there were some experienced 

 fishermen who maintained that these small forms were not 

 the young of the common crawfish, but belonged to another 

 and smaller species, which did not grow larger. 



A size limit was, however, imposed, and it was made illegal 

 to catch these small crawfish. Here again it was clearly in- 

 dicated that what was wanted was further and reliable scientific 

 information, particularly with regard to the early and possibly 

 somewhat different stages of the fish. 



Even these restrictions were not deemed sufficient, and it 

 was decided further to protect the, females " in berry," that is, 

 carrying the eggs externally, as is the habit of the crawfish. 

 This appears on the face of it to be a very rational method 

 of dealing with the difficulty, especially if it be reckoned 

 that the destruction of a female carrying thousands of eggs 

 means not only the destruction of one individual but of thou- 

 sands of young. However plausible this may be, there are 

 reasons, as will be seen later on, for suspecting that there is 

 a fallacy in this line of reasoning. What is wanted is further 

 information as to the time of maturity, time of life of greatest 

 fertility, the life history of the young, time and cause of 

 greatest fatality among the young, etc. 



There is a special need for such investigation at the present 

 time, as, owing to certain circumstances which will be indicated 

 later on, the industry has entered on a new and prosperous 

 phase, so that for the last few years the capture and canning of 

 the fish for export purposes has been energetically carried on 

 — so energetically, it is stated by some who are engaged in 

 the industry and presumably in a position to know, that it can 

 only last a few years longer. Attracted by the success of the pre- 

 sent canning companies, several others are now about to begin 

 operations on an extensive scale, for whicli reason it is all 

 the more urgent that effective measures be devised for the 

 safeguarding of the industry from a fate similar to that which has 

 befallen the lobster industry of Europe and America. 



The following notes on the Cape Crawfish, its life history 

 and habits, are intended as a contribution to a fuller know- 

 ledge of some of these points and a possible solution of the 

 practical difficulties met with. 



