46 
From these figures it will be seen, moreover, that the proportion 
of crabs to lobsters is very different in the Northern and Southern 
districts. In the Northern district the proportion of lobsters to 
crabs caught for each year is in rounds numbers, 1 : 40, 1 : 60, 
1 : 70, 1 : 80. In the Southern district the proportion for each 
year is 1 : 11,1: 13, 1 : 6, 1 : 21. The latter figures do not show 
much change, but those for the Northern district seem to indicate 
that the lobsters are steadily decreasing in numbers. Or that the 
extension of the ground has put a large number of creels into less 
favourable situations for catching lobsters. Very likely both views 
of the case are true. 
The crabs are followed during the season out and in and up and 
down the coast. For the few months of the year utilized by the 
fishermen who have contributed the following valuable tables, the 
depths given show the former change of conditions. Each boat 
may be said to fish on an average some 4 — 5 miles along the coast. 
In Mr. Douglas’s tables, the total number of males and females 
are given irrespective of their being hard or soft, but the number 
of hard, and therefore retained crabs are shown separately to the 
right of the table. In 1900 it will be seen that no attempt has 
been made to separate the males from the females. This is true, 
likewise, for both years in regard to the lobsters. But Mr. Douglas 
has added here a column showing the number of small lobsters 
caught and returned to the water. 
