46 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



buoy, the location of which is indicated to the fishermen by a bunch of 

 sea- weeds placed vertically on a pole. 



The fishermen of the Mourman coast use only English hooks, which 

 they buy from Norwegian merchants from the towns of Wardoe, Wadsoe, 

 Hammerfest, and Tromsoe. They cost 8 " roubles" ($5.60 gold) a thou- 

 sand. Every fishing-boat, called " sehniaka," uses not less than 5,000 

 hooks a year. These boats are open, and have only one mast, with a 

 large sail and six oars. They are from 28 to 40 feet long, their breadth 

 is from 6 to 9 feet, and their draught is 4| feet. Their capacity is from 

 150 to 250 "pouds," (5,400 to 9,000 pounds.) The price of one of these 

 boats, completely rigged, is 60 " roubles," ($42 gold.) The fishermen 

 will go thirty " versts" (upward of seventeen miles) out to sea in these 

 boats. 



Before setting out for the cod fisheries, the fishermen provide themselves 

 with a quantity of bait for their hooks, to be used on the following day. 

 They begin to bait the hooks some hours before going to sea, and con- 

 tinue doing this till they reach the fishing-place. There a train, " yarous," 

 is laid, and every six hours the captured fish are taken out. Eeturning 

 from the fishing-expedition, the nets are hung up to dry on scaffolds 

 erected for the purpose, after which boys of from nine to thirteen years 

 put the "palangres" again in order; i. e., disengage the hooks and the 

 entangled lines. 



Strong threads each 1 " arsheen" (2 feet 4 inches) long, with steel hooks, 

 are suspended from the two ends of a slightly-curved iron rod. The 

 hooks are baited. A cord 2 " arsheens " (4 feet 8 inches) long, with a 

 piece of lead at the end, is attached to a ring at the middle of the rod. 

 Then the whole is tied to a cord 280 feet in length. This implement is 

 chiefly used by the Laplanders and by poor fishermen, who have no 

 means for buying nets. 



A large iron hook is moved easily by means of an iron ring with a 

 pole, to which an iron chain of 4 "arsheens" (80 inches) is attached. 

 This chain is connected with a cable 200 to 300 "sagenes" (1,400 to 

 2,100 feet) long, to which a weight of 10 "pouds" (360 pounds) is 

 attached. Roasted phoca-fat is used for bait. In order to attract the 

 sharks, large pieces of fat are placed in the deep sea in perforated boxes. 

 The voracious shark rushes with avidity at the choice morsel of fat 

 which is baited on the hook, and he is caught. To bring the captured 

 shark to the surface of the water, a winch kept on the boat for the 

 purpose is employed. When brought up, he is killed; the belly is 

 opened, the liver is taken out, and he is then again thrown into the 

 water. But in order that the body may not sink to the bottom and 

 become the prey of other sharks, it is inflated with air by means of a 

 long tube passed into the inside of the fish. In summer, the shark is 

 caught at a depth varying between 100 and 300 " sagenes," (700 and 

 2,100 feet;) sometimes at 100 "versts," (about 57£ miles;) while in the 

 autumn he is caught near the coast. It often happens that during the 



