FISHING GEAR AND METHODS 43 



of the sucker the remora attaches to fish and sea turtles. When employed 

 for fishing, the remora is tied to a line and taken to an area where turtles 

 have been observed. The fish is then cast into the sea in the general 

 direction of the reptile. The remora swims to the turtle and attaches itself. 

 The fisherman, through use of the line, then plays the turtle until it tires 

 and can be retrieved. 



Wounding Gear 



The most advanced development of a wounding device is the harpoon 

 employed to harvest whales or porpoises. Whaling harpoons weigh about 

 200 pounds each and are 6 feet in length. The harpoon is propelled towards 

 the whale from a black powder gun mounted on the bow of the vessel. 

 The harpoon is generally made more lethal by adding a grenade to the 

 point, which is preset to detonate about 3 to 4 seconds after the gun dis- 

 charges. Whalers now use nylon ropes about 3 inches in circumference 

 for a leader or ''cast" and a heavy hemp rope for a play line. Modern 

 whaling is carried out extensively in the Arctic and Antarctic. In the 

 United States it is still practiced from the ports of San Francisco, Cali- 

 fornia and Astoria, Oregon. Another type of wounding gear is the large 

 hand-thrown harpoon which is used to take swordfish. Although not legal 

 in most areas of the United States, explosives have been used to capture 

 fishes. 



Gear for Gathering Sessile Animals 



Included in this category are the many techniques employed to harvest 

 marine animals which remain more or less fixed (sessile) within their 

 environment, such as oysters, clams, abalone, and sponges. The simpler 

 devices include shovels, tongs, and rakes. In harvesting oysters and 

 scallops the dredge is one of the most commonly employed techniques 

 (Figure 4.1). A dredge consists of a triangular or oblong metal frame to 

 which a bag or net made of wire mesh iron links or cotton webbing is 

 attached. The leading, lower edge of the dredge is generally equipped 

 with a raking bar having teeth on the underside. Dredges vary between 

 areas or regions, depending on fishermen's ideas regarding eflficiency for 

 harvesting particular shellfish. On the East Coast of the United States 

 hydraulic dredges are used to harvest clams. Dredges of this type are 

 equipped with a series of high-pressure jets located on the front bar of 

 the dredge. The jets wash the clams free of the bottom. They are then 

 collected on a cow-catcher device in back of the jets. A trailing bag on 

 a sled may be used to collect the clams. In the soft-shell clam fishery a 

 hydraulic dredge is commonly used with a conveyor which brings the 

 clams up to the vessel. 



