78 DEEP-SEA FISHING. 



great resistance to the trawl being from the water and 

 not from dragging over the ground may he easily 

 given. In the early part of the year the Brixham and 

 Plymouth trawlers catch a great number of hake in 

 their nets, but they have to work in a particular 

 manner to do so. Hake generally keep very near the 

 bottom ; they are active and restless fish, and would be 

 likely to dart forwards and escape from the net if it 

 were moving at only the usual rate of from half a knot 

 to a knot and a half faster than the tide. To catch 

 these fish it is necessary to keep the net almost clear of 

 the ground, or barely skimming it, and to tow the trawl 

 at the rate of two or two and a half knots. But to 

 obtain this increased speed, and although favoured by 

 the net hardly touching the ground, every sail that can 

 be put on the vessel is often required ; a half square- 

 sail or sort of lower studding-sail is frequently rigged 

 up to a yard-arm on the weather side, in addition to 

 the ordinary sails, if the wind be sufSciently aft for it 

 to stand, and the curious appearance is often presented 

 of the vessel laying over to the breeze and apparently 

 rushing through the water (Plate III.) when in reality, 

 with all the help of a great spread of canvas and a 

 favourable tide, she is not going more than five knots 

 over the ground. The resistance here must evidently 

 be caused by the water inside the net, and not by the 

 friction of the net on the bottom. It is of course con- 

 siderably increased by the more rapid movement of the 

 trawl through the water ; but the slowest rate of trawl- 

 ing practised must be fast enough to expand the net 

 behind the ground-rope, or the fish would not enter it, 

 although it is in the very slow trawling, when working 

 for soles especially, there is the greatest pressure on the 

 bottom from the ground-rope. 



