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Modern legislation is based in the Oyster, Crab, and Lobster 
Act, 1877, which gives protection to crabs measuring less than 
4 Jin. across the back, to soft and to berried crabs (except it can be 
proved that they were to be used for bait), and to lobsters under 
Sin. in length. The Act is open to the criticism that it protects 
to a large extent what was already protected. There is practically 
no value in the crabs and lobsters under the sizes named, and on 
our coast and the East Coast of England as a whole the small and 
soft crabs are not used for bait. The berried crab, at all events 
with the apparatus now in use for catching, does not require pro- 
tection. The berried lobster was not protected because of the 
greater value of the species and the special value of the berried 
female. 
The limitations of the Act have led certain of the District Com- 
mittees of England to pass bye-laws to further control the 
Fisheries. 
The size limit for lobsters has been raised to 9in. in both the 
Northumberland (1899) and the North Eastern districts (1896), 
and also in the Southern, Devon, Lancashire and Western, and 
Cumberland districts. 
The berried lobster has been protected by the Northumberland 
Committee (1899) for the months of April to July inclusive, and 
for all the year by the Eastern (1895), and also by the Kent and 
Essex, the Lancashire and Western, and the Cumberland Com- 
mittees. 
The minimum size for crabs has been raised to Sin. by the South- 
ern, Devon, Cornwall, and the Lancashire and Western Committees. 
The crab, locally known as the whitefooted crab, which is a 
crab in the process of becoming hard after casting, is protected 
from 1st November to 30th June by the Eastern Committee, and 
the soft lobster is also protected in that district. 
The bait reservation has been withdrawn by the North 
Eastern and the Eastern Committees. 
In the North Eastern district (1896) there is also a bye-law giving 
a close time for crabs from 1st September to 31st January. 
It is not easy to judge from the statistical evidence at our dis- 
posal whether overfishing does occur, but the efforts at legislation 
which have been briefly reviewed above, have resulted from the 
complaints made by the fishermen who are convinced that con- 
siderable depletion has occurred, and their statements have been 
particularly strong and emphatic with regard to lobsters. The 
