230 Numbers in Gallons; 12 Years' Catches. 



We chose mid-November, when the winter gauge of the 

 sieve, inch wire to wire, is in use. With the summer sieve 

 of -j-(=i inch) considerably fewer of the smallest size would 

 be obtained. The shrimps enumerated above were measured in 

 their fresh condition. After being roughly culled by hand 

 from the heap on deck they were put into the sieve, washed 

 and given the usual first riddling. We ascertained also that 

 specimens in the fresh state adjust themselves so that they take 

 up less room in the measure than do those in the cooked condi- 

 tion. Half a gallon boiled and again put into the measure were 

 J pint overplus otherwise occupy more space by 1 pint to the 

 gallon. This is to be accounted for by their bent condition, 

 which leaves spaces ; in other words, they do not pack so closely. 

 On the other hand, a number of the smallest sized cooked 

 shrimps get through the sieve during the second riddling. 



Taking all circumstances into consideration, if the summer 

 shrimps as a rule are larger in bulk, and cooking decreases 

 numbers as measured, then as counter effect there may be 

 hurried sifting, during night or rough weather, and smalls be 

 more than usual. To be within rather than above bounds we 

 may allow 2,700 to 2,800 shrimps to the gallon on an average 

 throughout the year. Patterson, of Yarmouth, counted 400 

 shrimps to the pint in a March catch. This would yield 

 3,200 to the gallon. But he admits " they run larger in the 

 finer months." Hence our estimate possibly is more likely to 

 be nearer the facts for statistical purposes. The quantities in 

 numbers of gallons landed at Leigh for several years are given 

 in tabular form in Sect. X., General Returns for Fisheries ; 

 here we need only cursorily refer in abstract to a dozen annual 

 results (brown and pink shrimps all told). 



1889. Good. 1892. Very good. 1895. Moderate,- 1898. Very good. 

 (Poor spring.) (Moderate up severe spring. (Moderate parts 



[river.) (Oct. big catch.) [of Essex.) 



1890. Fairly good. 1893. Moderate. , ftQr r 1899. Good. 



(Bad up rW) (very g (Bad 



1891. Very good. 1894. Very good. ''' 1900. Good sum- 



(Generally.) (Catch above 1897. Very good mer, poor spring 



[Grays.) for first 9 months. and fall. 



