crabs, which are usually sold for 2d. or 3d. a score. Some of the 

 fishermen insisted that if this trade were stopped they would be 

 unable to earn a livelihood, and would be thrown with their 

 families on the parish. It was satisfactory, however, to find 

 that a minority among them were conscious of the waste which 

 they were occasioning, and anxious to put an end to it. An old 

 fisherman, with 48 years' experience, told us that he and two 

 other men had a 4J-inch gauge made last year, and actually 

 agreed to take no crab below this gauge. He urged us strongly to 

 assent to no gauge of a smaller size. We shall consider, in its 

 proper place, the practicability of these recommendations. We 

 need only remark here that all the fishermen at Flamborough and 

 Bridlington are ready to accept a 4-inch barrel gauge for lobsters 

 and that they are unanimously in favour of a gauge for crabs, 

 some of them desiring to fix this gauge at 4, other at 4 J inches. 

 3. Cornwall. The fisheries of Cornwall and Devonshire are in a somewhat 



different position from those of Northumberland and York- 

 shire. If reference be made to a map of Cornwall, it will be 

 seen that two promontories, known respectively as the Lizard 

 and the Land's End, stretch into the English Channel and the 

 Atlantic Ocean. Both these promontories are exposed to heavy 

 seas. Storms constantly interfere with the calling of the fisher- 

 men, and the weather itself imposes a natural close season with- 

 out the intervention of Parliament. At both these places we 

 can trace little or no falling off in the fisheries. " Crabs and 

 " lobsters are no scarcer than they were/' " There are more 

 " crabs and lobsters than ever." Such was the story which we 

 heard at Sennen Cove, near the Land's End. " There is nothing 

 " the matter with the fishery." " Lobsters are in about the 

 " same quantity they were 20 years ago." " The crabs are more 

 " plentiful than they were." Such was the opinion of expe- 

 rienced fishermen at Cadgwith, a fishing village near the Lizard. 

 In both these places, therefore, — one of which, the Land's 

 End, is chiefly celebrated for its lobsters, the other, the Lizard, 

 lor its crabs, — there is no trace of any decrease. But in other 

 parts of Cornwall a very different story was told to us. " The 

 " fishery is now quite different from what it used to be. Formerly 

 " fish were more plentiful and the price was less ; now the price 

 " is greater and fish are scarcer. Forty years ago a fisherman 

 " could catch as many crabs in a day as he would now catch in 

 " a week . . . Lobsters are also getting scarcer every year," Such 

 was the evidence at St. Mawes. " There are fewer crabs than 

 " there were 20 years ago ; lobsters also are scarcer." " Crabs 

 " and lobsters are decreasing ; they are overfished." This was 

 the story at Durgan. A fisherman at Penberth was " sure the 

 " fish are falling off." " The fish are not a quarter so thick as 

 " they were formerly " in Prussia Cove, " unless you go a long 

 a way off." " The grounds inshore have been fished out, and the 

 men have to go to deeper water." Such was the evidence at 

 Penzance. The same story may be gathered from the evidence 

 in other places. Where the ground is small and sheltered the 



