THE BANK TRAWL LINE COD FISHERY. 151 



the slaughter-house. The sills of these doors are about two feet above the bottom of the pen. When 

 the bait is being iced and .stored the door openings are gradually filled up by boards sibling into 

 grooves to prevent the fish from falling out, and after the bin is entirely full the door, which is 

 not hinged, is secured in its place by means of a horizontal bar. 



The store-room or forehold is connected with the forecastle by a door and is used as in other 

 vessels for fresh water and provisions, and also by the cook for a pantry. 



As fast as the salt-pens are emptied they are knocked down; the space they occupied is filled 

 up with salted fish, so that when the fare of the vessel is completed the hold is entirely clear, with 

 the exception of the store-rooms and bait-pens, and is filled with fish, and even the latter are also 

 often filled with fish. 



The supply of water for a trawler is much less than for a hand-liner, since the latter rarely 

 visits any harbor after they have once reached the Bank until the voyage is completed. The 

 trawler seldom carries more than 30 barrels, while the hand-liner carries from 60 to 120. 



4. APPARATUS AND METHODS OP FISHING. 



THE APPARATUS. 



EQUIPMENT OF DORY. The cod trawl-line is described in detail in another section of this 

 report under the heading "Apparatus of the fisheries." 



Each vessel carries from 4 to G dories, which are in the main equipped as in the halibut fish- 

 ery, though with some slight differences. One of these dories ready to leave the vessel is fitted 

 with the following articles : 



1. Painter, 5 fathoms of 2-iuch manila rope. 2. Stern becket, 3 feet of 2-inch rope. 3. Stern 

 painter, 3 fathoms of buoy-line. 4. Two pairs of 9-foot ash oars. 5. Wooden scoop for bailing. 

 6. Gob-stick, 2 feet long. 7. Gaff in wooden handle, 2 feet long. 8. Single-score trawl roller. 

 9. Two pairs woolen nippers. 10. Plug with becket and line. 11. Four thwart lashings, each 3 

 feet long, of buoy-line. 12. Rubber boot-heel bumper on stem. 13. Leather on forward ends of 

 dory ribband strakes. 14. Dory knife, 5J-iuch pointed blade. 15. Brass dory compass in wooden 

 box (compasses are not always carried). 16. Four to six tubs of trawl. Each tub of trawl is rigged 

 in the following manner: Ground-line of ll.J 25 fathom skeins of 18-pound tarred cotton line, .'300 

 No. 14 cod-hooks (center-draught eyed), 5 feet apart, on ground line, gangings 3 feet long, of 

 6-pound tarred cotton line. 17. One buoy, rigged with staff, swivels, and black ball. 18. One 

 buoy, rigged with staff, swivels, and small flag. 19. Two buoy-lines. 20. Two 16-pound anchors, 

 served in ring and part of stock with spun yarn and strap bent into ring. 21. One and a half 

 dozen thole-pins. 



The tackle for hoisting the dories on deck is like that used on halibut schooners, rather than 

 those used in the hand-line cod fishery. 



BAIT. In the early part of the season the vessels trawling on the Western Bank bait with 

 frozen herring, generally that brought from Grand Manan and Newfoundland, and later in the year 

 use herring and mackerel which they obtain in the various ports of Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 

 wick. Mackerel are sometimes obtained from seining vessels encountered on the passage to the 

 Bank. Vessels going to the Grand Bank in April usually carry a few barrels of salted clams, but 

 rely chiefly upon herring obtained at Newfoundland in spring and capeliu in June and the early 

 part of July, and squid, which are used for the remainder of the season, are obtained also at New- 

 foundland. Not infrequently a full supply of squid can be obtained on the Bank by the crew of 

 a vessel. From 150 to 200 barrels of bait are required by an ordinary banker for a season's work ; 

 sometimes the quantity is as great as from 300 to 350 barrels. 



