14 



CRABS. 



Meat in. 



LOBSTERS. 

 Gauge. 



Migration. 



Bait. 



CRABS. 



Gauge. 



Berried. 



Price. 



Migration. 



Gauge. 



Close time. 

 Migration. 



LOBSTERS. 



Spatoning. 



Plugging. 

 CRABS. 



Berried. 



will be of no use to have such a law unless it is applicable to the great 

 markets. Has tested the meat in a crab of 4| inches. In the claws and legs 

 the meat, exclusive of the cream in the body, weighs 1^ oz. Thinks the 

 Norfolk Act should be repealed, and the sale of all crabs under 5| inches 

 throughout the country should be prohibited. A crab of b\ inches would 

 give 4| oz. of meat. 



The Falmouth measure for lobsters might be taken, viz.. 8| inches. A 

 lobster of 8 inches would get through the pots, the bars of which are 2 inches 

 apart. 



[By Mr. Buchland.) The crab and lobster fishery ceases from the middle of 

 August to the middle of March, when they are migrating. Crabs must be 

 rock breeders. Thinks there are no data for testing the age of a crab of 5| 

 inches, nor of lobsters of 8 inches. The crab pots are shot in rocky ground. 

 Fresh bait is better than stinking bait. Crab pots are shot in strings. A 

 practical fisherman would be able to say how far they are from each other. 

 Spider crabs are used for bait. Little edible crabs are not used for bait. Has 

 seen a crab weighing over 12 lbs. It is necessary to have legislation to enforce 

 the return to the sea of all he crabs under 5| inches, of all berried hens, and of 

 all hen crabs. The loss would be compensated in the end. 



John Symons, Land's End. His observation leads him to recommend 

 that small she crabs should be returned to the sea. They were used 30 years 

 ago for bait. Now London fishmongers give 2c?. or 3d. each for them. The 

 fishery for Crustacea is falling off. By careful preservation and a close season 

 the fishermen may lose in one year and gain in ten years. Cray-fish come in 

 shoals. Crabs return to the place where they are bred. Lobsters do the same. 

 Thinks some portions of the ground from St. Levans to the Land's End have 

 been over-fished. The result is that fishermen have not done so well for the 

 last three years. The Sennen Cove fishermen go from home to Scilly and to 

 Padstow to fish. 



(By Mr. Walpole.) Proposes to prohibit the capture of all she crabs under 5 

 inches, but to allow the capture of he crabs of any size, just as a gentleman 

 kills the cock pheasants and spares the hens. There is no machinery for 

 enforcing the law among the fishermen. The best way is to enforce it against 

 the salesmen. Does not know whether he could detect fishermen breaking up 

 unsizeable crabs for bait. Would propose a close time for crabs from the 

 1 st September to 28th February. There are not many crabs now caught from 

 September to December, and only a few from January to February. 



On the 9th May 1876 crabs and lobsters came in in good quantities. On 

 the 16th they came in in nice quantities. On the 31st he had three dozen, 

 very fine fish. On the 2nd June he had two dozen and four. On the 

 8th June one and a half dozen. On the 12th June two and a half dozen. 

 On the 15th June one dozen and a score. A dozen lobsters is 13. 26 half 

 crabs make a dozen. 



This was the catch of a boat from Sennen Cove to Padstow. The gross pro- 

 duce of the boat was 811. in 21 weeks. It would be a benefit to the fishermen 

 to close from 1st September to 28th February. 



Some fishermen say lobsters are continually spawning. Wishes to give no 

 recommendation on the point. 



(By Mr. Buckland.) The fish from the Land's End go to Birmingham, 

 Leamington, and (principally) London. The railway has had the effect of 

 increasing the demand. The crab fisheries are of considerable value, and 

 might be increased in value. 22 boats are engaged here. The fishermen send 

 crabs to London alive. The London salesmen will not receive crabs unless 

 they are alive. The claws of lobsters are invariably plugged or cut, the rule 

 being to cut them. Plugging them is quite superseded by cutting, which acts 

 better. 



Stephen Harvey James. Lives near Penberth. Has known the fisheries 

 there for 20 years. Is sure the fish are falling off, especially in size. It is a 

 difficult thing to get a good crab. The West Cornwall Railway was built in 

 1859. 20 years ago the fishermen commenced sending crabs to Hayle and 

 Bristol by sea. The extra demand and the practice of killing the she crabs 

 have been the cause of the decline. Many thousand she crabs are caught 

 every year. The eggs do not come on till July or August, and then the she 

 crabs are at their best. Has an impression that the fishery is over- worked. 



