11 



CRABS. 



Decrease. 



it a pitiful sight to see small crabs and lobsters exposed for sale, and considers 

 that a short Act should be passed to prevent their destruction. 



Arthur Chard. Is father of John Chard. Was in early life a 

 trawler, and afterwards dealt in crabs and lobsters as a fishmonger, ('rubs 

 and lobsters are falling off in quantity, and have diminished more, than oiw, 

 half. Thinks this is due to the destruction of small crabs and to trawl boats 

 catching female crabs in the early part of the year, February and March. These 

 are caught from 6 to 18 miles from shore, and any law could only be applied in 

 such a case to the sale of these crabs. Any law on the subject must apply to Berried. 

 every place in the country. Would prohibit the sale of crabs with spawn, but 

 not of berried lobsters. Could not detect any difference between a lobster from 

 which the spawn had been taken artificially, and one that had spawned naturally. 

 The only practical legislation would be to prohibit the capture of small fish. 

 No female crabs under 5i inches and no male crabs under (> inches should be Gauge. 

 taken. It would be no use to make this law, unless the minimum of <> inches 

 were applicable to the whole country. A crab can run 18 miles in two days, as 

 was found near the Dodman, in a case similar to that related by Mr. Howard Travelling. 

 Fox. 



LOBSTERS. 

 Decrease. 

 Gauge. 



St. Mawes, Saturday, 16th September 1876. 



Present: 

 Spencer Walpole, Esquire. 



William Green. Has been crab and 'lobster fishing for 40 years, and 

 has practised it every year. There are rather more than 13 boats employed. 

 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 he could catch as many crabs in a day as he would Decrease. 

 now catch in a week. A fisherman going out now will sometimes catch nothing, 

 or he may catch two or three, or sometimes 10 or 12. There are more men 

 engaged now, but there were as many boats 20 years ago as there are now, and 

 they caught more crabs. Lobsters also are getting scarcer every year. The ground 

 is over-worked, and too many small crabs are kept. There ought to be a 

 minimum size, below which all crabs should be thrown overboard. Would 

 like to see all crabs under 6 inches, thrown overboard. A lobster of 6 inches 

 is very small; 8| or 9 inches should be the minimum size for lobsters, and all 

 below that size should be thrown overboard. Berried hens are found all 

 through the year, but chiefly in March and April. It would be a great loss 

 to close the hen lobster fishery in the spring. You may put berried hens into 

 lobster store-pots, and the other lobsters would eat out the berries. A law of 

 size would be of very little use. In the spring of the year no large she crabs 

 are seen, but in the summer they are caught. 



Charles Henry Chambers. Has fished for crabs and lobsters for 30 

 years. Crabs and lobsters are decreasing in number. Thinks small he crabs 

 and small she crabs should be protected : he crabs under 6 inches, and she Gaug, 

 crabs under 5 inches. A he crab is half as large again as a she crab. All 

 lobsters under 8 inches long should be thrown away, and there should be a 

 penalty on buyer, seller, and taker. This would have a good effect; crabs 

 would not be broken up for bait. There is a ground outside St. Mawes 

 where lobsters do not grow large; out of 20 only five or six will measure 11 

 inches. Would object to any law about berried hens, which are much better to Berried 

 eat than " shotten " lobsters. There is as much difference between a berried 

 hen and a shotten lobster, as there is between a herring full of roe and a shotten 

 herring. 



William Green. Agrees that crabs and lobsters are decreasing in number. 

 Many years ago he caught 100 crabs and cray-fish at one haul of a trammel, 

 and now he cannot get 13 or 14 in a day. Has no doubt that they are 

 decreasing ; agrees with the proposal made by Mr. Green as to a restriction on 

 the size. Trammels must be used or there would be no bait, and they must 



CRABS. 



LOBSTERS. 



Gauge. 





