Crustacea. 



93 



The crabs at Cromer and the neighbourhood are counted 

 by a peculiar standard. Thus, two crabs are counted as 

 one, the two crabs being called "a cast;" six score of crabs 

 is called a hundred ; therefore lOO crabs is strictly 240. 



There are about 50 boats, each worked by two men, 

 used by the Cromer fishermen. Each boat would set from 

 30 to 35 pots. These crab-pots cost about '^s. A good 

 catch for a boat in two tides' fishing would be about 180 

 crabs. Supposing the 50 boats had good luck, they would 

 catch about 9000 crabs a day. Sizeable crabs are sold in 

 the Norwich and London markets at the average of 5oj-. 

 the long hundred, or nearly ^d. each. At Sherningham 

 there are about 100 crab boats, and each boat has about 

 20 pots. 



The crab-pots are set out to sea from the foreshore to 

 the distance of about two miles. The extent of the united 

 Cromer and Sherningham crab fisheries is about eight and 

 a quarter miles long by two wide. 



The crab-pots are made of a cage of thick, strong 

 netting, fastened across bows of iron or wood. This cage 

 is I ft 9 in. long, and i ft. 3 in. across the bottom. The 

 crabs enter the pots through two funnel-shaped doors, 

 which act on the principle of a mouse-trap ; a side door 

 can easily be let down, and the crabs removed. The bait 

 used for catching crabs are flat-fish, usually called " butts." 

 The small crabs called toggs " are also much used, 

 smashed up, for bait, and are sold in large quantities, 

 scarcely fetching a penny each retail, to the great injur}- 

 of the fishery. 



The crab and lobster fisheries of Ireland continue to be 

 prett}' productive ; but with a view to their better preser\-a- 

 tion, regulations have been laid down, limiting the size of 

 crabs to be taken to five inches in length across the back at 



