XV 



" crabs for bait when bait was scarce. If it were made illegal 

 " to take small crabs, wouldn't break them up for bait." Mr. 

 Paul, Aberdeen : — " Thinks that the wanton destruction of crabs 

 " unfit for food is the cause of scarcity. . . . Thinks that a con- 

 " tinuance of this improvident mode of fishing will lead to 

 " further evil. . . . The great object of the fishermen is to get 

 " crabs for bait. Crabs are the most successful bait. . . . Other 

 " bait is always available. The provision of other bait would 

 " be more expensive, but the evil would not be comparable with 

 " the evil done to the crab fisheries. . . . Taking crabs out of season 

 " is almost entirely due to taking crabs for bait. . . . Does not 

 " think that the fish caught with crabs as bait compensate the 

 " consumer for the crabs that are destroyed." Alex. Leper, fisher- 

 man, Muchalls : — " If crabs were prohibited as bait, could get other 

 " bait for the long lines/' Walter Noble, fisherman, Fraserburgh : 

 — " Partans are very good bait. . . . There is plenty of bait at this 

 u time of the year (October). Crabs are easiest managed ; they 

 " should not be used for bait/' "William Buchan, fisherman, Fraser- 

 burgh : — " Crabs should not be allowed to be used for bait. The 

 " fishermen could get other bait." Robert Miller, fisherman, 

 North Berwick : — " The cause of the falling off is the use of 

 " small crabs as bait for the lines. All the fishers use lines from 

 u April to June." James Gullan, fisherman, North Berwick : — 

 " A great many partans are used for bait for haddock and 

 " whiting. . . . Crabs are only used on every tenth hook. If a 

 ** Jaw affecting all alike were made that no small partans should 

 " be used for bait, he would not object to it, and he should think 

 * the other fishermen would agree to it." 



There is, then, much diversity of opinion among the fishermen 

 of Scotland as to the expediency or inexpediency of using crabs 

 for bait. Without expressing any opinion on the propriety of 

 the practice, we may repeat that we cannot recommend any 

 legislative interference with its continuance, because we are 

 satisfied that if such a law were made it would be impossible to 

 enforce it. The soft crab would be broken up out at sea, and no 

 one would be able to ascertain whether it was broken up or not. 

 The only possible method of interfering with the practice is for 

 the Secretary of State to institute a local close season, in which 

 no creels or other engines whatever may be used, and in which, 

 therefore, scarcely any crabs would be caught. It would perhaps 

 be justifiable to institute such a close season during the months 

 of October and November, when the soft crabs are chiefly used 

 for bait on the Aberdeenshire coast, where the loudest complaints 

 were made against the practice, and on the coasts of Haddington- 

 shire, where soft or light crabs are wantonly destroyed in these 

 months. 



One other recommendation which has been made to us requires Berried crabs 

 to be noticed. It has been suggested to us that the sale of and lobsters - 

 berried lobsters and berried crabs should be prohibited. So far 



