55° 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



as required. When the fish have come toward the surface and are 

 on one side or the other of the net, his object is to cast the bait in such 

 a way that they will rush against the net and become gilled. 



Considerable skill and experience are of course necessary in man- 

 aging the net and in having it hang properly in the water and not be- 

 come folded or wavy owing to currents or tide. Unless the net is 

 straight or gently curved, the fish will see and avoid it. When a net 

 contains fish and is ready for hauling, it is taken in the boat and the fish 

 are removed from the meshes by gently shaking the net. 



The sardines are often found in a compact body, and the boats will 

 be concentrated in a comparatively small area, at times so close together 

 that the operation of the net would seem almost impossible and the 

 chance of catching fish very improbable. The entire fleet of a given 



Fishing Boats on the Shoke, Concaknkau. 



port — consisting of several hundred boats — may be at work on one 

 school and fishing literally ew masse instead of individually. 



No ice or other preservative is used on the fish, which are landed a 

 short time after gilling. The fish reach port in good condition, and 

 are often at the canneries within one or two hours after capture. 

 Should the failure or unfavorable direction of the wind threaten to de- 

 lay the arrival of the boats, and hence impair the quality of the fish, the 

 crews row leisurely back to the port. 



Soon after reaching port the nets are spread for drying, being hauled 

 to the top of the masts and suspended between them for this purpose. 

 When all the fieet has arrived and the nets are spread, the view of the 

 maze of blue nets, sails and masts is most interesting and unique. 



