82 DEEP-SEA FISHING. 



temj^ting subject to dwell on, but it does not legitimately 

 come under the head of sea fisheries. 



Among the circumstances which affect the supply of 

 fish brought to market the weather is by far the most 

 important; in fact, as regards those kinds which are 

 the particular produce of the trawl, it is, taking one 

 year with another, the only thing which causes any 

 material fluctuation ; for there is no reason whatever 

 for believing that the fishing grounds are becoming 

 exhausted, or that many more smacks might not be as 

 profitably employed in trawling as those which are now 

 afloat. The hot summer months are those in which the 

 least work is done, because then there is very often not 

 enough wind to enable the vessels to tow the trawl. 

 In light weather the quantity of extra warp allowed 

 after the net has reached the ground is much less than 

 with ordinary working winds, so as to give the trawl 

 a help by taking off some of the dead weight of the 

 beam and head-irons on the ground and lessening the 

 friction over the bottom. Any strain on the warp 

 then tends to lift the beam slightly, and as the rope is 

 always at an angle with the ground the weight of the 

 beam helps to bring it forward and towards the per- 

 pendicular. It is, however, a matter requiring nice 

 adjustment, and after all is frequently of little practical 

 advantage, for the resistance of the water within the 

 trawl, as soon as the net begins to move, can only be 

 overcome by strong pressure on the sails or by some 

 other mechanical driving power. What the trawlers 

 like is a fresh steady breeze — one that would enable 

 them to do eight or nine knots off the wind when the 

 trawl is not overboard •, tliey can then afford to lose six 

 or seven knots by the resistance of the net, and yet 

 move fast enough to enal)le it to do its work properly. 



