The Fishing Industry

by William E. Gibbs

A lobster grows slowly, and when from 9 to 10 ins. long is probably from four to five years old. It becomes mature when about 6 ins. long—that is when about three years old.

The lobster is usually caught in creels or “pots” baited with portions of stale fish—generally flounder, skate, eels, etc. Lobster fisheries tend to deteriorate in value very rapidly. Owing to the lobsters’ keen sense of smell, the method of capture by means of creels or pots is very efficient, so that the lobsters are caught in great numbers, with the result that the fishery soon shows signs of exhaustion, the average size of the lobster caught becoming smaller. The lobster fishery is entirely confined to the shallow water near the shore, and can only be replenished and maintained by the young lobsters that hatch out in that neighbourhood. Large quantities of lobster spawn are destroyed every year when berried lobsters are caught. It is estimated that, on an average, 30 per cent of the lobsters caught are berried females. The fishermen either remove the spawn and throw it back into the sea—where, of course, it almost certainly becomes fish food—or sell it to be used in making certain special sauces.

Various attempts have been made by legislation in different countries to prevent the capture of berried females, and so protect the lobster spawn, but, since berried females are found all the year round and comprise about 30 per cent of all the lobsters captured, it is practically impossible to prohibit the capture of berried lobsters without seriously penalizing the fishermen.

A better policy would be to hatch lobster eggs in large numbers artificially, and when the young lobsters are well established add them to the natural stock. This is actually done on a large scale and with excellent results in America and Norway.

In Europe lobsters are generally sent to market in a fresh state, but in America they form the basis of an extensive canning industry. In 1913 over 2,500,000 lobsters were captured round the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, the total value of the fish being more than £110,000.

Shrimping is one of the most important methods of inshore fishing, and gives employment to a large number of fishermen round our coasts. The shrimp is found on sandy or muddy ground in shallow water near the coast. A female shrimp, like the lobster and the crab, carries its eggs under its tail.

Shrimps are caught with a fine-meshed trawl net, drawn by a boat or by horse and cart, or with push nets or hose nets. One great objection to shrimping is that the shallow, sandy areas on which it takes place are much frequented by young fish—particularly dabs, plaice, soles, whiting and codling. Owing to the small mesh of the shrimp trawl, these small fish are captured in large numbers and are generally dead or dying when discharged from the net. Generally, the shrimps are separated from the small fish by riddling, and the smaller shrimps are then separated from the larger ones by a second riddling process, and are returned to the sea. The shrimps are thrown into boiling salt water, rapidly stirred for a few seconds, and spread out on the deck to cool. From three to four hauls are made per day, a good day’s fishing consisting of from 30 to 40 quarts of shrimps. Large numbers of shrimps are potted.

The other important group of shellfish is the mollusca. Molluscs, i.e. “soft creatures,” are essentially soft, mobile animals, protected by shells. They are classed as bi-valves, for example oyster and mussel, and uni-valves, for example limpet and whelk. There is no real difference between a bi-valve and a uni-valve, for what appear to be the two shells of the bi-valve are really one shell divided into two parts by a line of soft, uncalcified material which forms a hinge between the two halves of the shell; this hinge tends to keep the shell open, but the muscular action of the living animal inside keeps it closed when required.

With the exception of the mussel, very few shellfish actually live on the shore between the tide marks. Most of the seashore shells are brought by the sea from animals that lived in from 10 to 20 fathoms of water. The cockle lives buried in the sand, about an inch below the surface. The oyster lives on stones and shells below low-water mark.