TEAWLING. G5 



of the beain-trawl may be talven as tliose generally 

 adopted in the construction of the large deep-sea nets, 

 but they vary somewhat in different localities and in 

 different vessels; some trawlers make the cod of the 

 net longer than others, and in some of the small trawls 

 used by inshore fishermen we have seen the number of 

 pockets increased to six. In the large trawl-nets the 

 meshes are of four sizes, diminishing from 4 inches 

 square in the back to 1|- inch in the cod; and the 

 twine used for the under part of the net is usually a 

 size larger than that for the back. 



The trawl is towed over the ground by means of the 

 trawl- warp, generally a 6-incli rope, 150 fathoms long, 

 and made up of two lengths of 75 fathoms spliced toge- 

 tlier. The end of this warp (Fig. 1 k) is shackled to 

 two other pieces of 15 fathoms each, termed the " spans " 

 or " bridles," which lead one to each end of the beam 

 and shackle on to swivel-bolts (Fig. 2 I) in the front of 

 the head-irons. Another rope, of much smaller size, 

 but a little longer than the bridle, and called the "dandy 

 bridle," is made fast to that end of the beam which 

 comes astern when it is hoisted on board, and the other 

 end of this rope is hitched round the trawl-warp just 

 above the shackle when the net is in the water. The 

 use of this rope will be explained when the mode of 

 working the trawl is described. 



The vessels used for trawling are commonly called 

 smacks. During the last twenty years great improve- 

 ment has been made in their design with the object of 

 making them faster ; and in some few cases it may be 

 a question whether by the adoption of very fine lines 

 sea-going qualities have not been to some extent sacri- 

 ficed to the desire for increased speed. Formerly the 

 smacks were much smaller than at the present time, 



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