42 



CRABS. 

 Berried. 

 Gauge. 



Boiling. 

 Close time. 



Used for bait. 



Rings. 

 Weather. 



LOBSTERS. 



Berried. 

 Gauge. 



Decrease. 

 Gauge. 



CRABS. 



Gauge. 

 Decrease. 



Gauge. 

 Berried. 



Close time. 



LOBSTERS. 

 Berried. 



CRABS. 



Gauge. 



doup crabs or spawn crabs are caught at all times. They are boiled with the 

 others. Is in favour of returning these to the sea; but this is not the habit 

 at Staithes. The fishermen would agree, however, to do so. Is in favour of 

 returning all crabs under 3^ inches to the sea. Many crabs are taken great deal 

 smaller than that, as small as 2\ inches. The small crabs are given to the 

 children, who eat them. The crabs are not boiled before they are sent to market. 

 There is a natural close season, as the only fishing is from the middle of March 

 to the 6th July. It doesn't pay to go crabbing in the winter. They get solitary 

 crabs in winter on their lines and they are always big. At Staithes they do not 

 use crabs for bait. But they do use them at Runswick as bait for cod which 

 are again cut up as bait for the crab pots. Thinks the Runswick men would 

 agree with the Staithes men. Lobsters have been falling off gradually for the 

 last 50 years. Thinks that the decrease is due to over-fishing. Fifty years ago 

 they used to fish with trunks, iron rings, 21 inches in diameter. The trunks 

 were fished in 10 fathoms water, and each boat put down from 30 to 40 trunks. 

 Thick water in day time and clear water at night was the best time for fishing. 

 The moon makes very little difference. Fifty years ago there were from 15 

 to 20 boats fishing with rings. Is in favour of returning all small lobsters to 

 the sea. Would return all lobsters under 3-| inches in the barrel. It would 

 be hard to the fishermen to return all berried hens, though their return would 

 do good to the fishermen. 



Richard Thompson [examined by Mr. Walpole). Lives at Staithes. Has 

 been a fishermen for nearly 20 years. Has heard Mr. Fell's evidence. Agrees 

 that the crabs have fallen off in numbers. When first he went crabbing got 

 from 13 to 15 score a night. It would be good now to get three or four score. 

 Thinks decrease is due to over-fishing. When he began there were 15 or 16 

 boats, and there are now 35. Agrees also that lobsters has decreased in the 

 same way. This decrease is also due to over-fishing. Thinks it ought to be 

 illegal to take either small crabs or small logsters. If this is not under law 

 there will be none to take. No crab ought to be taken under 4 inches, and 

 no lobster under 4 inches in the barrel. A full-sized lobster is 4^ inches, a 

 half-size lobster is 4 inches. 



Jameson Colley {examined by Mr. BucMand). Lives at Whitby. Fishes 

 between Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay, about five miles distant. Has been 

 fishing 10 or 12 years. The crabs are falling off a good bit, especially during 

 the last two or three years. They are falling off both in size and number. The 

 ordinary run of crabs are 4 or 5 inches across the back. The largest are 

 6 or 7 inches, this is an extra size. Is in favour of returning all the small 

 crabs (under 3j inches) to the sea. A 3|-inch crab is worth a penny. They 

 generally return berried crabs to the sea. They may catch four or five a week. 

 The fishing begins in February, March, and April, and goes on to the middle 

 of July. This is the custom, and the fishermen consider that the crabs then 

 cast their shells and are soft. It is the practice here to heave back small 

 crabs, and this should always be done. No close time is necessary here. There 

 is practically a close season already. If he had his way, would heave all the 

 berried lobsters overboard, so as to increase the stock. Knows that when he 

 is heaving over berried hens he is heaving over hundreds and thousands of 

 lobsters. But they are very tempting things, and, if such a law was made, the 

 fish would be stripped of all berries. There are 40 or 50 crab and lobster 

 fishermen at Whitby, and does not know how many would agree with him 

 about this. Thinks no lobster under 3$ inches in the barrel should be taken. 



John Andrews (examined by Mr. Walpole). Has heard Mr. Colley's 

 evidence. Crabs and lobsters have both fallen off. The small crabs and 

 lobsters should be returned to the sea. Thinks a 4^-inch crab ought to be 

 returned to the sea. A 4|-inch crab should be kept. 



(At this stage some sample crabs arrived, and Mr. Smales on comparing their 

 sizes desired to add to his evidence and to recommend that nothing under 4% inches 

 should be taken.) 



Richard Thompson, fisherman at Whitby. Has been fishing nearly 50 

 years. Thinks that no crabs under 4 inches across the back or lobsters under 

 4 inches in the barrel should be taken. 



