166 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



Where large numbers of fish are to be found over 

 a smooth bottom, this method is far more rapid than 

 long-line fishing. A single steamer sometimes catches 

 as much as two hundred and fifty thousand pounds 

 of fish while on a trip of only a few days' duration. 

 However, both the trawls and the steamers are very 

 costly compared to schooners, dories, and hand-lines. 

 Moreover, if a steamer is unfortunate enough to fish 

 on a rough, rocky bottom, the net is usually torn 

 and sometimes lost. 



The hauling of a trawl net is always of great 

 interest not only to fishermen but also to naturalists, 

 for the net always catches many different species of 

 fishes and other marine animals. Often representa- 

 tives of as many as twenty-five different species are 

 caught in a single haul. Sea-mice, sea-urchins, star- 

 fish, zoophytes, sponges, jellyfish, dead-men's-fingers 

 {Alcyonium) , sea-pens, heart-urchins, sea-cucum- 

 bers, nereids, sea-acorns, hermit-crabs, and cuttle- 

 fish are some of the curious forms of marine life 

 that are often found in the trawl. Small otter-trawls 

 are often used for catching flounders and shrimp. 

 Bag nets called paranzella nets, similar to the trawl 

 nets, are used on the Pacific coast for flounders and 

 soles. 



Pound-nets, trap-nets, floating traps, and weirs 

 all operate on the same principle. An obstruction in 

 the form of a fence or net is placed across the 

 natural course of fish ; and the fish, in trying to swim 

 around it, are led into a pound or trap from which 

 they have great difficulty in escaping. Since there are 

 so many variations in the form and construction 



