Used fur 6, 



17 



2'A of these to the ton. They are nearly 31. a ton before they are delivered at CRABS. 

 Stonehaven. Crabs are the best bait if they can be used quickly, but other- 

 wise they are soft and bad. Has never heard of the i)th Geo. II., which 

 provides a close season for lobsters. Does not approve of the close season in 

 that Act, (June, July, August,) for Kincardineshire. 



John Taylor Cowie (examined by Mr. Youny). Has been a fisherman for 

 45 years. Crabs have decreased ; the decrease began about 20 years ago. The Decrease. 

 decrease is due to over-fishing. Agrees with every word of Mr. Mason's evidence. 



James Noble, of Cratown (examined by Mr. Youny). Has been a fisherman 

 for 20 years. Has fished a good deal for crabs. They have fallen off greatly 

 in numbers since he began fishing. There are too many creels and the crabs 

 are over-fished. Cratown is about two or three miles from Dunnottar and 

 the Cratown ground extends about four miles along the coast. There are 

 many more boats than when he commenced fishing, and the boats carry more Boats. 

 than twice as many pots as they used to. Each boat, with double the number 

 of pots, doesn't get half the number of crabs. The price is about three times 

 what it used to be. Thinks it would be a good thing to close November, Clase time. 

 December, and January. Thinks the fishermen would observe the close season. LOBSTERS 

 Would rather lose the bait than take the crabs then. Has caught 30 or 40 - — 



lobsters in one creel. They have fallen off too. Thinks this is due to over- Decrease. 

 fishing. Thinks the close season for lobsters should be the same as for crabs. Close time. 

 Would return all crabs under 4§ inches to the water, A 5-inch crab is a fair Gauge. 

 marketable crab. A lobster 4 inches in the barrel is very small. Would 

 return all under 4| inches. There is no trawling on this ground. 



James Brodie (examined by Mr. Walpole), of Cratown. Has been fishing CBABs. 

 for crabs for 30 years. There were nine boats at Cratown 30 years ago ; there 

 are eight now. Thirty years ago boats used to carry 5 to 10 creels for each 

 man • now they have 40 to 50 betwixt two men. They caught a good deal more 

 with 10 to 12 creels than they do now with more than double that number. 

 Thinks the close season should commence in the middle of October, and end Close timt 

 at the end of January or the middle of February. There is no doubt that this 

 would be a good law for the fishermen. Crabs are of little value in these 

 months. A 4|-inch gauge would be a good thing for crabs. A 5-inch gauge Gauge. 

 would be too large. The gauge now used for lobsters is 4| inches in the barrel. LOBSTERS. 

 Below that they count two for one, and below that thinks they should all be Q a ~~~ 

 returned. 



The Fife Arms Hotel, Banff, Tuesday, 10th October 1876. 



Present : 



Spencer Walpole and Archibald Young, Esquires. 



George Finlay, of Whitehills, near Banff (examined by Mr. Youny). CRABS. 

 Was born and bred a fisherman ; is now a general merchant and fish mer- 

 chant. Is 53 years old. Commenced fishing for lobsters and crabs 40 years 

 ago. Was at this work for 7 years. There are as many crabs caught now as. 

 were caught then, but there is more machinery used in taking them. He com- Boats. 

 menced fishing in 1832. An English company at that time sent clown 

 welled smacks, and bought lobsters through an agent, James Logie. This 

 agent engaged the fishermen who had 11. bounty and 'S\d. for every lobster Price. 

 over 7 inches from tip of nose to the flap. Under this size half price. These 

 smacks bought a great many lobsters, but no crabs. This system went 

 on for about 12 years. After that time the smacks left the coast, as 

 the lobsters were becoming so scarce that it was hardly possible to get 

 them. It was also stated that the Norway lobsters were coming then into 

 the market and competing with the Moray Firth lobsters. It did not 

 therefore pay the smacks to come for them to the Firth. Since that time 

 the lobsters have always been scarce. They have never recovered them- 

 selves. Lobsters are to be had all along the shore of the Moray Firth. 

 The coast is rocky near the shore, sandy further out; From 1832 'to 1843 



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