200 THE SEA FISHERIES 



" In the Lancashire and Western district the ratio of non-berried 

 females to males points unmistakably to the widespread occurrence 

 of " stripping," but as can easily be seen by a reference to the Central 

 Department's own figures it points unmistakably to nothing of the 

 sort. The number of non-berried females and males in the Lan- 

 cashire and Western district may be compared with those given for 

 Cornwall. 



That is to say, the ratio of non-berried females to males is in 

 Cornwall 123-2 : 100 and in the Lancashire and Western district 

 108-6 : 100. So that if these figures prove that stripping is prevalent 

 in the Lancashire and Western district, they also prove that it is 

 still more prevalent in Cornwall ; which is rather strange since 

 there is no restriction in Cornwall on the landing of the berried 

 lobster. 



The Board maintain that it would be more effective to increase 

 the statutory minimum from 8 to 9 in. ; in support of their argument 

 they adduce the following evidence : — 



Ratio 

 Value Number number 



Protective measure. sacrificed. protected. to value. 



9-in. Umit . . . 12-5 per cent . 23-9 per cent . i-gi 



Protection of berried females . 12-8 per cent . 10-48 per cent . 0-82 



" From this table it would appear that the 9-in. limit protects 

 more than double the number of lobsters, with the same loss of 

 value." The fallacy in this method of reasoning is ably pointed 

 out by Meek,i who says, " It will be noticed at once that the whole 

 point and purpose of protecting the berried lobster has either been 

 forgotten or ignored. No one, to my knowledge, has ever proposed 

 to protect the berried lobster as a lobster, the desire has been to 

 protect her because of the crop of embryo lobsters which she is 

 carrying. If this essential point be taken into consideration, the 

 number protected in relation to the value sacrificed assumes an 

 altogether different aspect. The number protected is the berried 

 lobster and the number of the larvae which will survive to maturity. 



1 Northnmberland Sea Fisheries Committee. Report by Professor Meek on the 

 •■ Memorandum issued by the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries on the Size. Sex 

 and Condition of Lobsters." April, 1912. 



