16 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



reason to doubt that similar results may be obtained on the banks. The 

 difficulties of the bait question will then be done away with, and we may 

 therefore confidently anticipate a marked imi^rovement in the American 

 cod-fisheries as a result of this change in the methods of fishing, and an 

 emancipation of our bank-fishermen from their present dependence upon 

 Canada for sui)plies of bait and ice. 



D.— EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 



I 

 Plate I. — Metliod of hanging cod gill-nets in Norway. 



1. Hanging roj^e or line. 



2. Hanging twine. 



3. Clove-hitcli around tlie rope. 



4. Upper part of the net meshes. 



5. Open knot, showing how it is made. 



Plate II. — Manner in which the glass floats are attached to the top of the nets. 



1. Glass float. 



2. Eye of the float-covering. 



3. Small roiie holding the float to the net. 



4. Eye-splice in rope C, and way in which it is fastened to the net. 

 Plate III. — Way in which the sinkers are fastened to the bottom of the nets. 



1. Sinker-stone. 



2. Double line holding the sinker. 



3. Foot of the net. 



Plate IV. — Size of twine of which the American nets are made. 

 Plate V. — Norwegian method of setting the nets at the bottom. 



1. Nets. 



2. Large rocks used for moorings. 



3. Buoy. 



4. Buoy-line. 



5. Glass floats attached to buoy-line. 



6. Watch-floats. 



Plate VI. — Way in which nets are set at different depths to ascertain the position of 

 the fish. 



1. Nets. 



2. Foot-lines by which the nets are held to the bottom. 



3. Stone moorings to the nets. 



4. Buoy-line. 



5. Buoy. 



Plate VII. — Manner in which the ends of a gang of nets are attached to the stone 

 anchors and buoy-line in Norway ; also showing the position of the glass floats 

 and sinkers. 



1. Net. 



2. Glass floats. 



3. Sinkers. 



4. Large stone anchor or mooring. 



5. Anchor-line, called foot-line by the Norwegian fishermen. 



6. Short rope, one end of which is bent to the lower corner of the net and the 



other in an eye of the buoy-line. 



7. Short rope, one end having an eye-splice in it through which the buoy-line 



passes, and the other end bent to the upper corner of the net. 



8. Buoy-line. The dotted lines show the probable position of the end of the net, 



buoy-liue, &c., when swept back by the current. 



