II 



Evidence of 

 decrease — 



1. In crabs. 



2. In lobsters. 



on the other hand, crabs are a favourite article of food among all 

 classes, and are largely exported to London and other markets to 

 which there is ready and rapid access. 



There was a general agreement among the witnesses examined 

 that both the crab and lobster fisheries have considerably fallen 

 off, and that neither in numbers nor in size are the fish equal to 

 what they were 40, 30, 20, or even 10 years ago. 



First, as to the crab fisheries : — Mr. John Anderson, one of the 

 principal fishmongers in Edinburgh, who has been 44 years in 

 business, says : — " Crabs have decreased very much. The decrease 

 " began fully 10 years ago, and is both in size and numbers. 

 " They have decreased more than half." Mr. Joseph Johnson, of 

 Montrose, the head of the greatest firm of fish merchants in 

 Scotland, who has been acquainted with the crab and lobster 

 fisheries from Cape Wrath to Montrose for more than 50 years, 

 considers that " the crabs have diminished 50 per cent, in number." 

 James Walker, fisherman, Gourdon: — "The crabs are getting 

 " very scarce. They are less than one half of what they were 

 "36 years ago. During the last 20 years they have been falling off 

 " gradually." George Buchan, fisherman, Buchanhaven, " thinks 

 " they " (the crabs) " are falling off. . . . They have diminished 

 " about one half." Mr. Stevens, fish curer, Bodham, li used to 

 " go about as a boy with his father 25 years ago. Caught many 

 " crabs then. Caught 72 crabs, full-grown, in one creel. There 

 u were plenty of crabs at that time. They are much scarcer 

 a now. Nobody at Bodham now fishes for crabs ; it does not 

 " pay." James Brodie, of Cratown, " has been fishing for crabs for 

 " 30 years. There were 9 boats at Cratown 30 years ago ; there 

 " are 8 now. Thirty years ago boats used to carry 5 to 10 creels 

 " for each man ; now they have 40 to 50 betwixt two men. 

 " They caught a good deal more with 10 to 12 creels than they 

 " do now with more than double that number." William 

 Ritchie, fisherman, Whitehills, thinks " there are fewer crabs than 

 " when he began fishing." Mr. Adam Macdonald, Inverness, 

 " used to deal largely in crabs. Since 1842 he has been pur- 

 " chasing them for the purpose of sale. They are not nearly so 

 <e plentiful now as they were in 1842." William Thomson, 

 Thurso, ci has been a crab and lobster fisherman for about 35 years. 

 " There are^a good many crabs all about the coast, from Loch 

 " Erribol to Duncansby Head ; but not a fourth of the number 

 " are now taken that were got 35 years ago. There has been 

 " a decrease also in size." Robert Miller, fisherman, North 

 Berwick, " has fished for 20 years. . . When he first began 

 " he used to get a creel full of crabs ; now he only gets 9 

 " to 12 crabs in a creel. Has seen as many as 35 crabs in a 

 " creel." Alexander Combie, Dunbar, " has fished for crabs for 

 " the last 50 years. When he was a boy there were three for 

 " every one now, and they were also larger. They have gradu- 

 " ally degenerated." 



Next, as to the lobster fisheries : — Mr. Anderson, Edinburgh, 

 : — " They " (the lobsters) " have diminished both in size 



