Z7 



The following notes may therefore be arranged under the 

 headings : — 



1. Information from canners and fishermen. 



2. Experimental hauls of Crawfish. 



3. Tow-nettings and larvae of Crawfish. 



4. The " puerulus," or natant stage of the Crawfish. 



I. Information on Crawfish obtained from Canning 

 Companies and P'ishermen. 



Representatives of the following canning companies gave 

 evidence at the enquiry held by the Fishery Board. Native 

 and Italian fishermen were also represented. 



{a) Saldanha and St. Helena Bay (Stephan Bros.). 



(6) Hoetjes Bay and Steenbergs Cove (Hinchliffe and 



Holland), 

 (c) Hout Bay (Plessis). 

 {d) Cape Town Canning Co. (Van Zweiberg). 

 (c) Scotia Works, Woodstock (Ovenstone). 

 (/) Woodstock (Hickson and Sons), 

 (g) Saldanha Bay Company (Schermberg). 

 (/f) Native fishermen. 

 {i) Italian fishermen. 



{a) At Saldanha Bay and St. Helena Bay no diminution in 

 the supply is noted, except near the coast. There are two 

 seasons for Crawfish — October to November, when large males 

 are caught, and April to June, when mostly females are caught. 

 A female of 3^ inches has spawned once at least. Males cast 

 shell from about December 15th to March ist, and will not 

 take bait then. They hide in their holes, so that their enemies 

 cannot get them. The female fish lie in the shallows until their 

 eggs are nearly mature, when the males come inshore and 

 " milk " the eggs and then go back again (this appears to be 

 mcorrect). The females, when depositing their eggs, lie 

 among the rocks at low water. They have been caught 40 or 

 50 yards from the shore. When the females are spawning, 

 the boats do not go after them, but have to go into deeper 

 water for their catches. They very rarely catch a female 

 (compare the statements of Table Bay fishermen on this point.) 

 With regard to evidence of migration, about the beginning of 

 October, 1912, the boats had to go to a place right south to the 

 other side of North Bay, and by the middle of October the 

 boats had got to the middle of North Bay (showing a movement 

 northwards in October). 



[C.P. 6-'i4.] 



