74 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



which are going up the river. Several sweep-nets are usually placed 

 side by side in such a manner that their wings form sharp angles. It 

 is strictly forbidden to obstruct the whole breadth of the river, or the 

 whole extent of a fishing-ground with a row of sweep-nets. 



These nets are generally used in the winter ; while, in the summer, 

 small sweep-nets with one wing are used, chiefly for catching " som," 

 (Hilurus giants.) 



Floating nets. — The use of floating nets in the sea is strictly pro- 

 hibited, because during the summer- months immense schools of stur- 

 geon leave the sea to spawn in the rivers. It has sometimes happened 

 that sturgeon have been caught in this manner, aud for want of la- 

 borers and salt have been thrown into the sea after their roe aud their 

 swimming-bladder had been taken out. Whenever the officers of the 

 fisheries find a fisherman with floating nets in the sea, they confiscate 

 his nets and the fish he has caught, and make him pay a fine of 25 

 " roubles," ($17.50 gold.) 



The floating nets are from 12 to 15 " sagenes" long, (84 to 105 feet,) 

 with meshes 4 inches square, of which 28 or 32 go to one net. The 

 floats consist of wooden blocks one "arsheen" (2 feet 4 inches) long, 

 cut iu the shape of a spatula, and attached to cords, which are tied to 

 the upper bolt-rope of the net, so that they can be lengthened or short- 

 ened at will, according as the school of fish keeps at a certain depth or 

 near the surface. These nets have no lower bolt-rope and no leads. 

 Two nets are generally tied together longitudinally, in order to double 

 the total depth of the leap to 5Q or 64 meshes. Every boat carries from 

 30 to 80 nets, which, bound together end to end, and thrown into the 

 sea, form a wall of meshes several "versts" in length; and this, at- 

 tached to one of the boards of the boats, is dragged along with the 

 boat, while the latter is driveu by the wind, till it extends facing the 

 school of the advancing fish. Frequently, two boats keep the nets 

 extended between them, and move with full sail to meet the school 

 of fish. 



In the Volga and its various branches, as also in the Ural, floating 

 nets are used only for catching the several kinds of sturgeon. In the 

 Terek, the " chemaya" (Aspius clupeoides, Pall.) is caught with simple 

 floating nets, aud in the Koura with silk nets. Floating nets in the 

 shape of a bag are used in the Koura and the Volga for catching the 

 "som," (Silurus giants.) 



The floating nets in the Volga have different names. For catching 

 the " belouga," (Acipenser huso,) they use the "pogona'ie" nets that are 

 150 "sagenes" (1,050 feet) long and from 7 to 11 "sagenes" (49 to 77 

 feet) broad, having meshes inches square. For catch ug the sturgeon 

 and the " sevriouga," (Acipenser stellatus,) they use, immediately after the 

 ice has broken up, the " samoplavy ;" and from the end of May to the 

 middle of June, the " svintchatki ; " then, immediately after the rising of 

 bhe sea, which occurs iu July, the "rejaki." The first-mentioned nets 



