64 



CRABS. 



Trade in. 



Gauge. 



LOBSTERS. 



Gauge. 



Store pots. 



Trade 



CRABS. 



Trade in. 



John Scovell, fish merchant at Hamble. Has taken an active part in 

 the trade for 11 years. A member of the firm of Messrs. Warner and Scovell, 

 and a brother of Mr. Robert Scovell. Messrs. Warner and Scovell have six 

 smacks, trading from Start Bay to Scilly Islands, Padstow, and Lundy 

 Island, Ireland, and France. His smacks go from Baltimore (Cape Clear) to 

 Connemara. Doesn't think that the crabs are getting less numerous anywhere. 

 Contracts to take the whole catch of the fishermen. Used to trade with the 

 West Coast of Scotland ; but never traded with the East Coast of Scotland 

 and England. Is in favour of a 6-inch gauge for he crabs, and a 5-inch gauge 

 for she crabs. All berried crabs should be put back. All the soft light crabs 

 and black crabs should be put back. The black crabs take their colour from 

 the ground. 



Is also in favour of an 8-inch gauge for lobsters. Berried lobsters must be 

 sent to market. The lobsters are in the country sold by weight. Has had 

 pits, and has boxes for storing lobsters. Thinks that lobsters would be more 

 likely to deteriorate in J une and July than at any other time in the pits. They 

 will, if properly attended to, do as well in the pits as anywhere else. It would 

 be a great injury to the London trade if no pits were allowed. Thousands 

 were lost before the pits were introduced. During the last two years has 

 purchased* — 



Crabs 



Cray-fish 



Lobsters 



Crabs 



Cray-fish 



Lobsters 



In 18/5. 



In 1876. 



76,470 

 11,000 

 27,460 



82,000 



9,500 



27,500 



Thinks that about 10 per cent, of the crabs from Cornwall go by rail. Mr. 



Locke, another merchant in the trade, has also five smacks. The produce of 



Devonshire and Cornwall may be placed as follows : — 



Messrs. Scovell, and Warner and Scovell - - 200,000 crabs 



Capt. Harnden - 50,000 „ 



Mr. Locke ------ 60,000 „ 



Railway - 50,000 to 100,000 „ 



Local trade - - - - - 90,000 „ 



or about half a million of crabs for Cornwall and Devonshire, 



The Assembly Kooms, Bognor, Saturday, 9th December 1876. 



LOBSTERS. 



Small. 



Decrease. 



PRAWNS. 



Pots. 



Present : 



Frank Buckland and Spencer Walpole, Esquires. 



Reverend Alfred Conder, Rector of Middleton. Has been requested by 

 the fishermen to set an epitome of evidence before the Commissioners. The 

 fishermen are unanimously of opinion that some. legislation is necessary; that 

 lobsters have hitherto been caught too small ; that lobsters have been taken 

 14 to 20 to the pound. They think this state of things wrong; but, while 

 one man does it, all will take the small lobsters, called chicken lobsters. There 

 is no natural cause, so far as Bognor and Selsea are concerned, for the destruc- 

 tion of the fish ; but there is a great diminution. There is a diversity of 

 opinion among the Bognor and Selsea men as to the size of the lobster. The 

 Bognor men propose that no lobster should be taken under a quarter pound 

 weight. The fishery at Bognor is chiefly connected with the prawn trade, and 

 the small lobsters are caught in the prawn pots. In the Selsea fishery ports 

 larger pots are used, with ribs an inch apart. The mouth of the pots is 6J 

 inches; the mouth of the prawn pots is 4J inches. The Selsea men also propose 

 that no lobster should be taken under a quarter of a pound. The fishermen say 



