20 
CRABS AND LOBSTERS. 
In continuation of the accounts which have been given from 
time to time with regard to crabs and lobsters, and for the purpose 
of bringing the information up to date, I wish to submit the 
following figures. 
Ckabs. — The tables and chart given in the last year’s Report 
brought into contrast the Eyemouth, Northumberland and North 
Eastern districts up to 1908. The returns for 1909 are as follows : — 
Eyemouth ... ... 335,501 
Northumberland ... 828,377 
North Eastern ... ... 1,789,705 
I desire again to thank Mr. Procter, Clerk to the North Eastern 
Committee, and the Fishery Officer of the Eyemouth district for 
these and the figures relating to lobsters. 
It will be remembered that in the North Eastern district up to 
190G there was a close time for crabs. In that year the by-law 
was repealed, and the fishermen, instead of fishing for seven 
months each year, now fish for the whole year. Nevertheless, the 
total catches since 1906 have steadily decreased. The average 
catch for the three years 1904 — 06 was 2,267,353, and for the three 
years 1907 — 09, 2,018,464. During the five years 1891 — 95 just 
before the by-law was passed, the average catch was 1,845,670. 
During the eleven years the by-law was in force 1896 — 1906, the 
average catch was 1,853,323. The fishermen of the North Eastern 
district were catching more crabs in seven months per year when 
the by-law was in operation, than they did in twelve months before 
and after the period of the by-law. There can be no question that 
the district was much richer in crabs in 1906 when the by-law 
ceased than it was before and has been since. 
I wish to add here for comparision the figures relating to the 
Eastern District for which I have to thank Mr. Donnison, the 
Fishery Inspector of the Eastern Committee. The Eastern 
Committee has attempted to give a further protection to soft crabs 
by prohibiting the landing of the white-footed crab, and also by not 
allowing under-sized crabs to be used for bait. In both these 
cases, however, the other districts may be said to be as efficiently 
protected as the Eastern. Until the last two years when an 
improvement has been shown, its history will be found to be very 
similar to that of the Northumberland and the Eyemouth districts. 
