44 
This indicates still more clearly the immense dissimilarity 
between the crab and the lobster with regard to the number of the 
berried females liable to be caught by the fishermen. 
It must be admitted in consequence that no better choice of 
months could have been made than that adopted by the Northumber- 
land Committee in their local bye-law framed to protect the berried 
lobster, and that if improvement has resulted and further improve- 
ment is to be sought in legislation, it would be no great hardship to 
protect the berried lobster altogether. 
4.— STATISTICAL ACCOUNT. 
1. — Sea Houses and Beadnell. — The total catches of crabs 
and lobsters at Sea Houses and Beadnell for the years we have 
been considering as given in the Government returns are set forth 
in Tables XV. and XVI. The average annual catch at Sea Houses 
for crabs is 193,988, valued at £1,545, and at Beadnell, 250,837, 
value £2,145; for lobsters at Sea Houses the annual average catch 
is 2,930, value £127; for Beadnell, 2,178, value £111. The average 
values of these fisheries for the six years are then. Sea Houses, 
£1,672 ; Beadnell, £2,256. 
The average catches are introduced in the lower part of Charts 
V. and VI. From these and the tables, it is evident that there is 
a general agreement between the two places as to the maximum 
results being obtained about April or May. At Beadnell, however, 
the catches of crabs are much greater in the early part of the year, 
and again the last months of the year are made to yield far more 
crabs at Beadnell than at Sea Houses. If it may be taken from 
the considerations of the preceeding sections that the proportion of 
soft crabs during these months is 65 per cent., it is evident that a 
large number of soft have to be caught in obtaining the annual 
supplies at Beadnell. To catch the 50,000 odd crabs at this period 
each year, some 72,000 soft or unmarketable have to be caught in 
addition and returned to the water ; and, as has often been stated 
before, in a condition which renders the chances of recovery of 
many very problematic. 
But whether this is a matter of moment or not would depend 
on any evidences of the fishery suffering. In that connexion it has 
to be noted that after the maximum in the early part of the year, 
there is a rapid falling off in the catches, and the figures for the 
successive years do not show any signs of improvement — the reverse 
at Beadnell. As has already been said, there is little doubt that 
