40 



CRABS. 



Close time. 



Season for. 

 Growth,. 



Decrease. 



Trawlers. 



15 miles out to sea on the haddock lines. There should be a close time for 

 crabs in July and August. In these months crabs are in spawn. Does not 

 use crabs for bait. Has opened a good many cod, and found either a crab or 

 a lobster inside them. This is the chief food of cod. 



Robert Walker. Has been a salmon fisher for 22 years. Has had creels 

 set from St. Abb's Head to Holy Island. Has fished at Hartlepool. Crabs are 

 in best condition at harvest time ; they spawn in May. They should be 

 caught when in proper condition to be eaten. There should be a close time 

 when they are spawning. If left in the water the spawn would develop into 

 thousands of mature crabs. Thinks that it takes two years for a crab to come 

 to maturity. 



John Mackie. Has lived at Burghead for 55 years. Hardly sees any 

 crabs now where there used to be plenty. The trawlers began about three 

 years ago. Before the trawlers came they used to catch plenty of crabs on the 

 lines, now they catch none. The trawlers have banished all sorts of fish off 

 the ground. Crabs have two seasons ; one season is in October, this is for 

 out-shore crabs. The other season is in June and July, for in-shore crabs. 

 He means that then they are full of meat. The outside crabs would be 8 

 inches, the inside crabs would be smaller. 



Coastguard House, North Berwick, Friday, 20th October 1876. 



Present : 

 Frank Buckland, Esquire. 



Provost P. Brodie. Has known North Berwick for 40 years. There is a 



Decrease. crab and lobster fishery here. Both the crab and lobster fisheries in North 



Berwick have fallen off about one half within his recollection. Has seen them 

 sent off in barrels and boxes 15 years ago. The railway was opened 18 or 20 

 years ago ; does not now see the same numbers of barrels and boxes going away 

 as he formerly did. Can give no reason for the diminution. It would be 

 of great advantage to the town to have the fisheries increased, and would 

 like to see this done. The resident population of the place is about 1,000; in 

 the summer season there are about 2,000 people in the town. It is a cele- 

 brated watering place ; a good resort for invalids. Many visitors come from 

 London, and it would be an advantage to have fresh crabs and lobsters for the 

 visitors. The visitors from Edinburgh and Glasgow would have fresh crabs and 

 lobsters, and this would be an additional attraction to North Berwick. 



James Goodall. Fish merchant. Has been in the trade five years. White 



Decrease. fish, lobsters, and crabs have fallen off one quarter within the last five years. 



Lobsters have not fallen off so much in quantity, but they have become smaller. 

 In consequence of this deterioration in size, prices have fallen off. Sends crabs 

 and lobsters to Hull and London. Four inches across would be a "full crab." 

 Crabs measuring under 3 inches, when measured the long way of the back, 

 would go two for one. Sends them away from April to the end of August. 



Close time. There are few to be taken in March. There should be a close time for crabs 



when they are casting their shells, that is, between the end of August and 

 the end of November. White crabs are then unsaleable and unfit for food. 



Robert Miller, fisherman. Has fished for 20 years. The mode of fishing 

 at North Berwick is by creels, which are baited generally with codfish. Never 

 fishes with rings. The fishermen begin to set their creels at the end of March, 

 and about the middle of July they bring them ashore, as they cannot get a 

 sufficient quantity of crabs to pay. 



When he first began he used to get a creel full of crabs. Now he only 



Decrease, gets 9 to 12 crabs in a creel. Has seen as many as 35 crabs in a creel, halves 



and wholes together. A large whole crab would be 4 inches across the back, 

 a half crab is 3 inches across the back. Anything below 4 inches goes two 





