95 
males alone migrating from the district, a byelaw such as that 
lich has been made by the North Eastern Committee is capable of 
proving the crab fishery. 
Such a contention is liable, as has been stated in previous 
ports, to the criticism that the protection is likely to be consider- 
•ly minimised, if not made entirely useless, from the destruction 
soft crabs by trawlers fishing in the region — generally 3 to 6 
lea from the shore- where the general adult population of crabs 
Urates in the winter. There is the evidence of the above results 
' D 
show, however, that the destruction by trawlers is not so great as 
render such protection useless. The consideration raises the 
estion, however, whether it would be better to attempt to protect 
ft crabs from this form of destruction, or to do it by such regu- 
ion of the inshore fisheries as that now in force in the North 
„stern district, or if both methods are necessary. 
At present, with international law as it is with refereuce to terri- 
•ial waters, there are or appear to be grave difficulties in the way 
attempting further regulation of the trawl fishing, although we 
ire the example of the Scottish Fishery Board with regard to the 
miy Firth and the Firth of Clyde. The amount of the destruc- 
n can only be inferred from the answers to enquiries addressed 
trawl fishermen, and the information is so contradictory that it 
impossible to make very much of it. It is granted that a certain 
Kraut of destruction does take place, and that is about all that can 
• said about the question at the moment. 
But whether it be necessary or not to protect the crab fishing 
m such an extraneous method of destruction, the problem dis- 
ced above is not affected in the least by this further factor, for it 
mot be assumed that the destruction is liable to be greater in one 
;ion more than another. Nor can it be said that the reasons 
ich have been adduced in favour of protection in a case where a 
at amount of destruction is likely to take place by the ordinary 
thod of fishing, lose in force, if it can be shown that such pro- 
tion has produced benefit, and that where it has not been given 
fishery has suffered. 
Again in the case of lobsters, the berried females of which are 
•tected during the months when they are liable to be caught most 
mercusly in the Northumberland region, and not at all in the 
*t two districts, the results also point to the advantages of pro- 
tion. There has been a general decrease in the catches for 1905, 
• it is evident that the leading position assumed for the first time 
t year by Northumberland is more than maintained. 
