92 THK WISHING INDUSTRY 



caught becoming smaller. The lobster fishery is entirely 

 confined to the shallow water near the shore, and can 

 only be replenished and maintained by the young 

 lobsters that hatch out in that neighbourhood. Large 

 quantities of lobster spawn are destroyed every year 

 when berried lobsters are caught. It is estimated that, 

 on an average, 30 per cent of the lobsters caught are 

 berried females. The fishermen either remove the 

 spawn and throw it back into the sea where, of course, 

 it almost certainly becomes fish food or sell it to be 

 used in making certain special sauces. 



Various attempts have been made by legislation in 

 different countries to prevent the capture of berried 

 females, and so protect the lobster spawn, but, since 

 berried females are found all the year round and comprise 

 about 30 per cent of all the lobsters captured, it is 

 practically impossible to prohibit the capture of berried 

 lobsters without seriously penalizing the fishermen. 



A better policy would be to hatch lobster eggs in large 

 numbers artificially, and when the young lobsters are 

 well established add them to the natural stock. This 

 is actually done on a large scale and with excellent 

 results in America and Norway. 



In Europe lobsters are generally sent to market in 

 a fresh state, but in America they form the basis of an 

 extensive canning industry. In 1913 over 2,500,000 

 lobsters were captured round the coasts of Great 

 Britain and Ireland, the total value of the fish being more 

 than 110,000. 



Shrimping is one of the most important methods of 

 inshore fishing, and gives employment to a large number 

 of fishermen round our coasts. The shrimp is found on 

 sandy or muddy ground in shallow water near the coast. 

 A female shrimp, like the lobster and the crab, carries 

 its eggs under its tail. 



