42 



Naar Lodderne kom op, haledes Bugten af Touget 

 ind til Loddebroen, hvor Vægten blev afstukken. Et godt 

 Mærke paa, atSkraben havde været i Bund. var det. naar 

 Lodderne var overtrukne med Bundler. Naar Skraben 

 kom op. ihukedes et Takkel fra Gaffelen, og med dette 

 løftedes den ind over Agterdækket. 



Bundskrdbning med Otter-Trawl. Naar man havde 

 faaet denne klar ud i Soen. saa at Otterne skar ud og 

 Nettet slæbte klatt etter, foregik Operationerne som med 

 Skrabe. Apparatet var imidlertid vanskeligt at faa klart 

 til Bunds. Det behøvede en større Hastighed under Skrab- 

 ningeu, tog ikke meget af Bunden niejd og kom ikke sjæl- 

 den uklart op. Det brugtes derfor efterhaanden mindre 

 og blev det sidste Aar ganske fortrængt af Bom-Trawlen. 



Bwidskrdbning med Bom-Trawl. Fra Agterdækket 

 løftedes Bom og Mejer ud over Rækken ved en .Tolle fra 

 Gaffelen. Denne .folle var fastgjort med en Tærs til en 

 Strop paa Midten af Bommen. Dette gjordes, medens Ski- 

 bet havde fuld Fart forover. Naar Bommen var kommen 

 i den rette Stilling udenfor Rækken. standsedes Maskinen, 

 Nettet kastedes ud. og man rykkede Tærsen ud ved en 

 deri fastgjort Stjert, hvoretter Udfiringen af Skrahetouget 

 begyndte. De videre Manøvrer var de samme som med 

 Skraben, kun niaatte Farten under Skrahningen være min- 

 dre, for at Trawlen skulde holde sig i Bund. En større 

 Fart antoges at være hensigtsmæssig til at fange Fiske og 

 anvendtes oftere en kortere Tid efter den egentlige Bund- 

 skrabnings Afslutning. 



Naar Bomtrawlen kom op fuld af Bundler i hele 

 sin nedre Del. maatte særegne Foranstaltninger til for at 

 faa den ind paa Dækket, dels paa Grund af dens Længde 

 dels paa Grund af dens Vægt, der var for stor til at dens 

 nedre Ende kunde løftes ind med Haandmagt. Den fyldte 

 Trawl havde Form af en Tragt. hvis Spids var udvidet til 

 en Kugle af en Meters (3 Fods) Diameter. I dette Til- 

 ladde sloges Stropper om selve Trawluettet saa langt nede 

 som niuligt. og i disse hukedes Talje fra Gaffelen. Naar 

 Trawlen med denne var løftet saavidt, at kun den nederste 

 kugleforinede Del var i Våndet, firedes ned under denne 

 en -vindretning", bestaaende af en tyk Jernring, indvendig 

 udforet med et meget stærkt Tougnet og som hang i 3 

 Ender, i hvilke man halede ombord under Indlottningen. 

 Denne Sikkerhedsindretning, hvis Hensigt nærmest var at 

 forhindre, at Trawlnettets nedre Ende skulde revne, naar 

 den kom ud af Våndet, idet den har en Del af Trawlnet- 

 tets Vægt, var til stor Betryggelse og Hjælp ved at faa 

 Trawlen ombord. Det hændte os ikke nogen Gang. at 

 Trawlen aabnede sig selv under Indboldets Tryk; men før 

 Indretningen kom i Brug. vovede vi ikke at hale Trawlen 

 ombord, førend en stor Del af det tine Bundslam var 

 udsleinniet ved Trawlens Svingninger i Våndet. 



often the case. had to be kept going for 4 or 5 hours at 

 a stretch. 



On the weights coming up. the bight of the rope 

 was hauled in to the sounding-bridge. where they were 

 severally detached. If covered with clay, it was a sure 

 sign tbat the dredge had been at tlie bottom. When 

 the dredge appeared, we hooked a tackle on to it from 

 the gaff, by means of which the apparatus was got in on 

 the after-deck. 



Working the Otter-Trawl. — Once properly in the 

 water, with the -'otters" sheering out to either side. and 

 the hag behind horizontally extendecb as the instrument 

 was pulled along after the vessel, we worked the otter- 

 trawl precisely as the dredge. The apparatus was, how- 

 ever, apt to foul before reaching the bottom, greater speed 

 being requisite to work it: besides, it failed to secure a 

 satisfactorv sample of the bottom, and came up frequently 

 foul. Hence. on disco vering these drawbacks, we came to 

 use it less;, and on the last cruise it was entirely super- 

 seded hy the beam-trawl. 



Working flu- Beam-Trawl. - - The beam and runners 

 were hoisted over the railing of the after-deck by means 

 of a whip trom the gaff. secured with a toggle to a strap 

 on the middle of the beam, — the vessel steaming ahead 

 the while at full speed. So soon as the beam had beén 

 given the right position for letting go, the engine was 

 stopped. the bag pitched out. and the toggle pulled off the 

 strap by means of a lanyard, to which it was attaclied. 

 This done. we began veering the rope. The remainder of 

 the operation was the same as with the dredge, saving the 

 speed, which we had to reduce lest the trawl should be 

 lifted off the bottom. For catching fish. some increase 

 in speed was presumed to he of advantage, and frequently 

 tried as a wind-up to the bottom-trawling. 



If the beam-trawl came up with the whole of the 

 lower part filled with clay. special provision had to be 

 made for getting it in. partly on account of its length, and 

 partly owing to its great weight, which would not admit 

 of lifting in the lower part by hand. With the hag full 

 of clay or mud. the trawl had the shape of a cone. ex- 

 panded at the apex into a sphere, 3 feet in diameter. A 

 bight of rope was passed round the trawl-net as low down 

 as possible, and a purchase hooked on from the gaff. 

 Then. after bauling up the apparatus till the only part 

 left in the water was the spherical extremity of the bag, 

 we lowered under the latter a contrivauce consisting of a 

 thick iron ring, having the opening covered with strong 

 cord netting, and the shank firmly secured to 3 stout 

 hempen ropes, by which the apparatus was lifted mer. 

 This precautionarv device. tin- main ohject of which 

 was to prevent the trawl-bag, on its leaving the water, 

 from bursting at the bottom while partially supporting 

 the net and its eontents. proved a safe and most efticinit 

 expedient for getting the instrument on board. < )n no 

 single occasion did the hag give way from the pressure ol' 

 its freight. whereas previous to our adoption of the con- 

 trivance, we had never dared to haul in the apparatus till 



