FISHING NETS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 241 



CHAPTER XIII. 



FISHING NETS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. Hauling-Net, Garfish-Net, 

 Meshing-Net, Gill-Net, Trammel-Net, Drum-Net, Trawl-Nets. 



FISH ECONOMICS. Fish Oil, Fish Fertilizer, Skins of Fishes, Scales 

 cf Fishes, Guanin. Food Value of Australian Fishes compared with 

 Lean Beef. 



A DESCRIPTION OF THE FISHING NETS IN USE 

 IN THE WATERS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 



IN dealing with the Murray Cod, slight mention was made 

 of some of the gear used in its capture ; and before closing 

 this little volume, it may be as well to briefly describe the 

 various kinds of fishing-nets used by the fishermen of New 

 South Wales ; especially as several of them have been 

 mentioned here and there. As befits her station, as the 

 Mother State, New South Wales has developed her fisheries, 

 to a very much greater extent than has any other State of 

 the Commonwealth. Though this is quite true, and though 

 the New South Wales fisheries are even at the present time 

 of very great importance ; still, comparatively speaking, \ve 

 are only "on the threshold" ; and there are vast storehouses 

 filled with untold wealth lying at our doors, with their 

 portals wide open, bidding us to enter and carry off the 

 spoil. 



As deep-sea fishing other than "hand-lining"- is not 

 carried on to any great extent in the waters of New South 

 Wales (or, indeed, in any of the Australian States), it 

 naturally follows that the fishing-nets have been chiefly 

 adapted for use in shallow waters, and principally belong 

 to the group known in a general way as "Hauling- Nets. ' 

 In these, there is usually a central portion made up from 

 netting of a smaller mesh, this being termed the "bunt" ; 

 while the end pieces are called the "wings." Not infre- 

 quently the central portion of the bunt itself is made very 

 much deeper (that is, it contains more meshes) than the 

 neighbouring parts ; with the result that when the net Is 



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