388 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



examples of the use of light in sea-fishing without regard to the mode 

 in which it op- rates. 



Periodically there appears in autumn, from August to the close of 

 October, a i)ike-like fish, Belone acus^ in great schools. They are cap- 

 tured on dark nights in the following manner:* Upon arriving at the 

 fishing place the sail is taken in, whereupon they pull cautiously around 

 searching for the schools. These are easily discovered, because they are 

 constantly pursued by dolphins, which gorge themselves upon the Belone. 

 As soon as a school is discovered a fire is kindled in an iron vessel which 

 is fastened to the bow, whereupon the boat is swung noiselessly around 

 many times in order that the light may be thrown in all directions. 

 "Attracted by this," says the author, "the fish collect around the boat 

 and remain near it, often even following its revolutions. Thereupon the 

 school is decoyed literally to the shore as it follows the boat, which is 

 rowed cautiously towards the beach. In doing this, however, care must 

 be exercised not to touch the bottom, as the least shock will frighten the 

 fish away. A couple of meters from the shore the headway is stopped, 

 the oars are taken in, and the fish are scooped up from both sides with 

 dipnets. At first a few fish are scared off, but they quickly return and 

 join the main school, which does not move. In this way a thousand 

 kilograms of fish are frequently taken in the space of a couple of hours." 



At many places in the Mediterranean anchovy fishing is prosecuted 

 in a similar way. When a school has collected around the torch-bear- 

 ing boat, another boat encircles it with a net, whereupon the lights are 

 extinguished. The spell is broken ; a quick stroke of an oar in the 

 water causes the last remnant of them to disappear, and in the meshes 

 of the nets the deluded fish must pay the penalty of their recent blind- 

 ness or confusion. In your country, in Alten^ord, possibly also in other 

 places, light is sometimes employed in the herring fishing in autumn. 

 When the school has been brought to a standstill by the use of light, 

 the fish are scooped ui) with dip-nets, and the yield is often gratifying. 



During the London Fisheries Exhibition there was exhibited from 

 Tarragona, Spain, a boat with an open well in the middle in which well 

 could be placed a box furnished with a glass bottom and in its lower por- 

 tion with glass sides, in which box lamps could be placed. The box was 

 lowered so far that the glass sides and the flame of the lamps were be- 

 low the bottom of the boat so that the light could shine in all directions. 

 So far as I remember, it was especially intended to be used for the cap- 

 ture of cuttle-fish. In Newfoundland, also, light is often employed in the 

 capture of these mollusks. The fishermen make a fire on the shore and 

 the light so absorbs the attention of the cuttle-fish that with the in- 

 coming tide they are stranded on the beach where they are picked up. 

 Where it frequents the deep water, and where there is a long beach, 

 the method of fishing just mentioned as occasionally employed will be 



* Nicolas Chr. Apoetelides, La peche en Crrhce. Athens, 1883. 



