264 niSTOEY AND METHODS OP TOE F1SIIE1UES. 



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while the captain stands up with tlie steering- oar in his hand, looking for the school. Soon he 



espies the fish, or the man on the mast-head sees them, and tells the men in the boat which way 

 to go. When the captain sees them he sings out: 'I see them, boys! Pull away! Pull hard, the 

 mackerel are going fast.' When the boat is in the right position the captain shouts, 'Give 'em 

 twine,' and away goes the seine, three men heaving it out as fast as they can. When they are 

 nearly aronnd the school they sing out: ' Give them twine.' Sometimes they make a good circle so 

 that the seine-boat and dory will meet, but it is difficult to do this in the night. When the seine 

 comes together they haul in on the purse-line, and when the net is pursed up and they see the 

 mackerel, signs are made for the vessel, which conies alongside. The lines are hove from the boat 

 and the mackerel are 'bailed in' on deck and dressed." 



SETTING A SEINE AROUND A VESSEL. The following description of the manner of setting the 

 seine round the vessel is quoted from the Cape Ann Bulletin: 



" It is a well known fact that at times, for days and sometimes weeks, no mackerel are to be 

 seen 'schooling' at the surface of the water, although that they are present on the fishing ground 

 can be easily proven by heaving a vessel to and 'throwing bait' for a short time, when the fish 

 will rise from the depths and remain alongside of the vessel as long as the operation of feeding is 

 continued. Again, when making their passage, in coming North or in returning to their winter 

 haunts, the fish are sometimes very difficult to catch, even though swimming near the surface of 

 the sea, for the reason that they generally travel at a rapid rate; but by scattering bait across 

 their line of travel and heaving the vessel to they can be stopped, though sometimes but for a few 

 moments. At such times seiners take care to keep the seine-boat in readiness on the port side of 

 the vessel (the leeward side when hove to), hauled up snug to the vessel, that no delay may be 

 had if mackerel rise in sufficient quantities to warrant the setting of the seine. It requires but a 

 word from the master, if they do rise, when away go the men into the boat, followed by the skipper 

 a spare hand or the cook taking the place at the bait-box, and continuing to throw the 'food for 

 the fishes.' The boat is in the meanwhile dropped around on the starboard quarter, and when 

 about 20 fathoms off overboard goes the end of the seine, with buoy attached, which is picked up 

 and held by two men in the seine-dory, and the boat is pulled to leeward, at right angles with the 

 vessel, as fast as the seine can be got out, as much depends on getting to leeward as far as possible, 

 as the vessel is constantly changing her position, driven by wind and wave. When the middle of 

 the seine is reached (usually marked by a double canvas covered cork), the boat is turned short 

 around and all possible speed made up to and across the vessel's bow, and, with another sharp 

 turn, straight to the dory. As soon as the operation of ' pursing,' or drawing the bottom of the 

 seine together, is commenced, the man in charge of the vessel quickly scatters several buckets of 

 bait into the water, in order to keep the unsuspecting victims of man's wants busy; then springs 

 to the fore sheet and hauls it in; up goes the jib; the wheel, which has been hard down, is righted; 

 the vessel pays off, and, gathering headway, is soon speeding over the cork-ropes out of the center 

 of the seine, the ropes and seine sinking and going beneath the vessel at right angles to the keel, 

 leaving the mackerel behind. If the operation of getting headway on the vessel is not skillfully 

 done, and she be allowed to drift broadside to the ropes, there is danger of catching the seine, and 

 then good-by to the fish, for that time at least, with a prospect of mending to be done to repair 

 damages. When once outside of the seine the man in charge of the vessel has only to keep clear 

 of the boat and sail at his own sweet will and pleasure nntil the fish are 'dried up' (all the slack 

 twine being in the boat and the fish in close quarters in the bunt), which fact is learned by observ- 

 ing an oar upheld by some one on board of the boat. Perhaps at the last moment, before the com- 

 plete closing of the seine, the fish have escaped; with sore hands and tired body, we, remembering 



