62 
conferences with the fishermen on the Northumberland coast have 
shown that a great change has taken place in the crab and lobster 
fishing during the past 30 or 40 years. About 1870 the old habit 
of fishing with separate pots, placed not nearer to each other 
usually than 18 fathoms, was being given up for fleets of pots only 
10 fathoms apart, and the autumn crab fishing was begun. The 
difficulty in obtaining bait and the increased work demanded ashore 
by the line fishing, together with the good prices to be obtained at 
that period for crabs tempted more and more of the fishermen to 
follow the example of those who had evidently made a successful 
change. At first the results were satisfactory, but “ more 
gear after some years was found to be necessary. Even with 
that to-day the fishing is not so productive, and especially the 
autumn fishing, which is a very unprofitable one, so that we 
are finding some of the fishermen again voluntarily going back 
to the line fishing, and many others willing to do so were it not 
for their neighbours. The returns in price, the fishermen con- 
fess themselves, are now not so good as formerly. The gear 
is expensive and does not last very long. Besides storms 
sometimes cause a great deal of loss during the autumn. The 
fishing itself is very destructive ; so many soft crabs are got in the 
pots that even with much care in the selection those sent to market 
are so inferior that the merchant in many cases refuses to have 
more sent to him. It is the time of year moreover when the 
deterioration which is admitted takes place. 
This is what has accrued from conferences with the fishermen for a 
number of years with reference to crabs. In the case of lobsters, 
many of the fishermen are so convinced of the diminution which 
has taken place in connexion with the modern increase in the 
catching power that they would welcome a further extension of 
the restriction for the preservation of the berried female, and 
indeed a few already without waiting for legal action always 
carefully return the berried lobster when caught. From the pre- 
ceding sections it is plain that this entails a considerable 
sacrifice. 
In the absence of other evidence, and as they are the only 
ones really concerned, and the ones to suffer from any restrictions, 
the fishermen certainly have the right at least to express their 
opinions. It is because of these that the legislation now in force 
has been brought about. It is true also, if mistakes have been 
made, that experimental legislation has a certain value. And as 
* Keport Northd. Sea Fisli. Com., 1899. 
