4G 



LOBSTERS. 



Gauge. 

 Berried. 



Enemies. 



Pots. 



Decrease. 



Gauge. 



CRABS. 



Gauge. 

 Soft. 



LOBSTERS. 



Berried. 

 Trawling. 



Gauge. 



CRABS. 

 Decrease. 



Bait for. 



Spawning. 

 Migration. 

 Gauge. 



LOBSTERS. 



Gauge. 



CRABS. 



Soft. 



Breeding. 



penny. There is a trade for them at many places. No close season is wanted 

 for either crabs or lobsters. They are never fished during the winter. Thinks 

 that all lobsters under 4 inches in the barrel should be returned to the sea. 

 The berried hens should also be returned to the sea. The fishermen, however, 

 get more for the berried hens than for the other lobsters. There are a great 

 many contrary people at Scarborough who would not agree to put back the 

 berried hens unless there was a law compelling them to do so. 



Cod are the natural enemies of lobsters. Has seen lobsters as well as crabs 

 inside the cod, especially at this time of the year (November). The crabs 

 begin to sand up in the cold weather, and at that time the trawlers can't get 

 them. The opening into the crab pots was only A\ inches till last year ; has 

 now been reduced to 4 inches. 



George Marshall {examined by Mr. Walpole). Has been a fisherman for 

 43 years. Fishes for crabs and lobsters and all kinds of fish. Agrees with 

 previous witnesses that crabs and lobsters are decreasing very much. The 

 last 20 years the decrease has been more then one half. Believes that the 

 quantity of fishermen makes the crabs and lobsters much scarcer, and cannot 

 say whether there are fewer shell fish in the sea. Is in favour of returning all 

 small crabs and lobsters to the sea. Thinks that no crabs should be taken 

 under 4i inches, and that crabs under this size should be unsaleable every- 

 where. Lobsters over 4i inches are fall-sized lobsters. Agrees that a lobster 

 under 4 inches in the barrel is too small to be taken, and should be returned 

 to the water. Is in favour of prohibiting the sale of all soft crabs. Those 

 now found in the shops are caught by trawlers, off the Dogger, 45 miles out in 

 33 to 37 fathom water. Is in favour of prohibiting the capture of berried 

 crabs. Is also in favour of prohibiting capture and sale of berried lobsters. 

 Thinks that no limit need be put on the amount of tackle each boat carries. 

 Thinks that the in-shore trawling which the Robin Hood's Bay men complain 

 of does harm to the fishery. Is a trawler himself. The in-shore trawling 

 does destroy the small fish. In his opinion no crab should be taken under 

 4\ inches, no lobsters should be taken under 4 inches in the barrel, no berried 

 lobsters should be taken, no berried crabs should be taken, and no soft crabs 

 should be taken. 



J. H. Sellers {recalled.) Produces old gauge for lobsters which one party 

 has had in possession 60 years. Her father had it before her. It measures 

 4\ inches, with a nick at 4 inches for the half lobster. This gauge was 

 abandoned when lobsters were sold by auction 23 or 24 yea.rs ago. 



Robert Heritage {examined by Mr. BucMand). Has fished with crab pots 

 for five years ; with trawls for 20 years. Fishes with pots from Filey Brigg to 

 Sunderland. The crabs are fewer than they were. The crabs here are a 

 different species from the Devonshire and Scotch crabs, and would never grow 

 to the same size. Can't say what the cause of this difference of size is. A 

 7-inch crab is a good crab on the Yorkshire coast. A crab will only eat fresh 

 bait ; a lobster will eat stinking bait. Catches thousands of she crabs and he 

 crabs from the 1st April to the end of June in the trawls. This is in water from 

 3 to 20 fathoms deep. They are all carrying berries. This is on the ground 

 from Texel to Heligoland. They are 4-inch to 5-inch crabs. In his opinion 

 the crab always buries itself in the sand in winter. Is in favour of returning 

 the small crabs under A\ inches. But this must apply to all England. There 

 are as many crabs sent away from the Yorkshire pots as from all the rest of 

 England. The great fishing places are Staithes, Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, 

 Scarborough, Filey, Flamboro', Bridlington, Hornsea, and Withernsea. As to 

 lobsters, all the ninty-cocks ought to be returned to the sea. Nothing under 

 a half-lobster (4 inches m the barrel) ought to be brought to market. Thinks 

 the in-shore trawling does as much good as harm. It kills the little fish which 

 become food for the big ones. The haddock and cod are not falling off in 

 the deep water. Catches soft crabs at all times of the year in the trawls. 

 As a rule they are thrown overboard, but sometimes brought ashore to make 

 up bulk or by mistake. It would not harm the trawlers if they were compelled 

 to return the soft crabs. 



Never catches he crabs on the Texel ground, but many hundred she crabs 

 with the spawn under the apron. Thinks the she crabs migrate to the 

 ground for breeding purposes. Thinks that the she crabs deposit their berries 

 on the sand there. When the berrries are ripe he has seen the berries fall 



