168 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



ting is attached to pipes which pass through the 

 logs and down into the water for about thirty feet. 

 The leader is also constructed of logs bolted to- 

 gether with webbing fastened to suspended pipes. 



Pound-nets are used for catching river herring, 

 whiting, herring, shad, squeteague, and many other 

 kinds of fish. Floating traps are operated chiefly in 

 the salmon fisheries of the Pacific coast. 



The gill-net is a relatively inexpensive form of 

 gear which is popular with fishermen possessing little 

 capital. These nets are made of very fine, strong 

 thread which is invisible in the water. Their mesh is 

 of such a size that it permits the passage of the head 

 of the fish but not the body. In trying to swim 

 through the net, the fish become entangled in the 

 nets, either by the gills or by the fins, and are thus 

 rendered as helpless as a fly caught in a spider's web. 

 These nets are usually placed across a channel or 

 other place where fish are passing. In some fisheries 

 they are anchored or staked; in others they are 

 allowed to drift with the tide or current. In fishing 

 with this type of net, the fisherman rows along it, 

 raising the net to the surface as he goes, removes 

 any fish that it may hold, and then drops it into the 

 water again. 



Gill-nets are commonly used for the capture of 

 shad, salmon, mackerel, herring, mullet, and several 

 other fishes. 



Seines are long nets with the upper edge kept 

 afloat by means of corks or floats of some other ma- 

 terial, and with the lower edge weighted down by 



