3-011-608 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Shellfish Supplies: crab-fishing off Fife Coast, [Scotland], 1862. 'The machinery for supplying [the] ever-increasing demand for lobsters, crabs, and oysters is exceedingly simple. On most parts of the British coast there are people who make it their business to provide these luxuries of the table for all who wish them...the fishermen and their families attend to the capture of the crab and lobster in the intervals of other business...The taking of shellfish also affords occupation to the old men and youngsters of the fishing villages, and these folks may be seen in the fine days assiduously waiting on the lobster-traps and crab-cages, which are not unlike overgrown rat-traps, and are constructed of netting fastened over a wooden...On the granite-bound, coast of Scotland the sport of crabhunting may be enjoyed to perfection and the wonders of the deep be studied at the same time...The natives are the best instructors in these arts, and seaside visitors cannot do better than engage the services of some wild fisher youth to act as guide in their perambulations on the beach. There are few seaside places where the natives cannot guide strangers to rock pools and picturesque nooks teeming with materials for studying the wonders of the shore'. From "Illustrated London News", 1862.