i5 



former are taken whenever required by means of nets, 

 this method of fishing is not suitable for the capture of 

 eels. To obtain the latter in quantity recourse is had to 

 the attractions of the sluice current at the season when 

 the reproductive instinct of these fish renders them 

 eager to gain the open sea and there seek the abyssmal 

 spawning depths where they were themselves hatched. 

 This desire develops in greater degree as autumn pro- 

 gresses and during September, October and November 

 the adult eels in the ponds are ready to respond to this 

 call of the sea. Accordingly on the occasion of any 

 convenient spring tide during the months named the 

 sluice gates are manipulated during one or more night 

 tides, so that a strong current of sea-water is directed 

 from Arcachon basin into the ponds. This is obtained 

 by raising one or both of the sluice shutters at the 

 moment when the tide has reached its highest level. 

 Concurrently the wire screen at the pond end of the 

 sluice is lifted, that at the seaward end remaining 

 down. The adult eels attracted by the current thus 

 produced come from all parts of the pond towards the 

 sluice in the endeavour to gain the sea. Baulked of 

 escape by the seaward screen they accumulate in the 

 sluice till the operator judges the number to be sufficient, 

 when both the sluice gates and the pond screen are shut 

 down. The eels may then be removed at leisure by 

 means of a dip net and transferred to storage boxes or 

 live cases moored in a deep part of a pond, where they 

 will remain till sent to market. It must be noted that 

 large catches are made only when the nights are dark 

 and stormy ; it is useless to attempt to attract the fish 

 into the sluices by this method on calm or clear nights 

 or during daylight, whence the necessity to keep large 

 stocks of eels on hand in the store boxes. 



Mullet and bass are more easily taken when required ; 

 a trammel net set in the evening may generally be de- 

 pended to yield a considerable number of large indivi- 

 duals when it is taken up in the morning. Hence these 

 fish are taken only when orders arrive and when the 

 quantity netted is greater than is necessary, the surplus 

 are liberated as the trammel net has the great advantage 

 among nets of inflicting little or no injury upon the fish 

 taken in it. 



