VI 



a beam of certain length supported on a pair of runners 

 which glide over the sea bed. The "otter trawl," which 

 has a considerably greater span, is generally carried by 

 steam trawlers, and in this type of gear the mouth of the 

 trawl is opened by the action of a pair of solid runners 

 (otter boards), which are attached to the bridles in such a 

 way that their resistance to the water causes a continuous 

 outward strain on the otherwise collapsible mouth. 



It is obvious that a trawl can only be used on ground that 

 is comparatively free of rocks, etc., and in consequence 

 the greater proportion of the trawlers' catch consists of 

 certain kinds of demersal fishes which habitually frequent 

 the sand and shingle. Of these the most notable are 



i^ 



Haddock, Whiting, Soles, Plaice, Turbot, Brill, Cod, 

 Hake, Ling, Cattish, and others, although certain of these 

 species have a liking also for rocky ground, and are taken 

 in such areas by the line fishermen. 



Generally speaking, the long-liners, i.e., vessels carrying 

 lines baited with a large number of hooks, work in deeper 

 water than do the trawlers, and secure catches of larger 

 rish, but limited to a small number of species, e.g., Cod, 

 Ling, Tusk, Conger, Halibut, Skates and Rays, &c. 



But whereas long-lining may be carried out at almost 

 any reasonable depth, the trawlers seldom work" in water 

 beyond 1 10 fathoms. The usual fishing grounds frequented 

 by British vessels are determined largely by this fact, since 

 the extensive use of steam nowadays renders distance a 

 matter of minor importance in comparison with that of 

 securing profitable catches. 



FISHING GROUNDS. 



For statistical purposes the fishing grounds are divided 

 up into eighteen areas, covering a total extent of 678,900 

 square miles. These include the waters of the White Sea, 

 Iceland, West of Norway, the Faroes, Rockall Bank, Baltic 

 Sea, North Sea, English Channel, Irish Sea, and the 

 adjacent waters, parts of the Bay of Biscay, and down to 

 the loo-fathom line off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, and 

 Morocco. 



The quantity of fish landed annually at the Fast Coast 

 ports has amounted of recent years to roughly 7 'gths of 

 the entire supply, and a very large proportion of this is 

 derived from the North Sea itself. 



