IX 



taken under 4 inches across the back, no lobster under 4 inches 

 in the barrel, and a close season during June, July, and August, 

 or during June, July, August, and September, should be observed. 

 We shall consider, in a later portion of this report, the possibility 

 of giving effect to these recommendations ; we thought it our duty 

 to note them here. 



The fisheries for crabs and lobsters off the coast of Yorkshire 2. Yorkshire 

 are at least as important as those off the coast of Northumberland. 

 We held sittings at W^hitby, Robin Hood's Bay, Scarborough, 

 Flamborough, and Bridlington. At Whitby we had the advantage 

 of obtaining witnesses from the important fishing town of Staithes, 

 and the fishermen whom we had before us were [acquainted with 

 the whole Yorkshire Coast. " Crabs have undoubtedly decreased 

 " both in size and number," said the first witness whom we 

 examined at Whitby. " The crabs are not so numerous as they 

 " were 11 years ago/' the "lobsters are also decreasing," said the 

 second witness. " Lobsters have been falling off gradually for 

 " the last 50 years " ; " the crabs have fallen off in numbers," 

 were the conclusions of the witnesses from Staithes. " The crabs 

 " are not so plentiful as they used to be ; they have been dimin- 

 " ishing in number every year for the last 20 years/' " There 

 " were twice as many crabs in the sea in 1837 as there are now/' 

 Such were the opinions of all the fishermen at Robin Hood's Bay. 

 " There are fewer crabs in the sea than there were — a good deal 

 " fewer. The lobsters are also fewer." This was the declaration 

 of an experienced fisherman at Scarborough, which was strikingly 

 confirmed by subsequent witnesses. It may therefore be taken 

 for granted that from the North of Yorkshire to Filey Brigg, 

 the southernmost boundary of the Scarborough fishery, there 

 has been a gradual and serious decrease in the yield of both crabs 

 and lobsters. 



Nor are the fishermen unanimous only in pointing to the fact 

 of a decrease. They are equally agreed in attributing the de- 

 crease to over-fishing. At Whitby, at Scarborough, and at Bobin 

 Hood's Bay the fishermen desire to prohibit the capture of all 

 lobsters under 4 inches in the barrel. At the two former places 

 they are anxious that all crabs under 4J inches across the back 

 should be spared, while at Bobin Hood's Bay they desire to kill 

 all over 4 inches. At Flamborough and at Bridlington, indeed, 

 we heard a somewhat different story. Some of the fishermen 

 thought that there was no decrease ; others of them were of opinion 

 that there was no decrease in number, but that the fish were 

 smaller in size. It was proved to us at Bridlington that 30 years 

 ago few small crabs were caught at all. The fishermen avoided the 

 submarine plateau of sand near the quay, where the small crabs are 

 known to congregate, and which is probably a great nursery for 

 them. Of late years, however, this submarine plateau has been 

 the chief fishing place. The railways have created an enormous 

 trade in small crabs which are taken to the great manufacturing 

 towns of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the midland counties. One 

 witness told us that many a night he has caught 300 of these little 



