158 DEEP-SEA FISHING. 



off a portion of the shoal, whilst the stop-net is shot at a 

 right angle to the other and towards the land, across 

 the course of the fish, so as to stop them. If one stop- 

 net he not long enough for the purpose, a second is 

 joined to it, and the end of this and of the large sean 

 are hauled towards each other till they meet and the 

 fish are entirely surrounded. The circle is then gradu- 

 ally contracted by taking out the stop-nets, till the 

 whole catch is enclosed within the single large sean, 

 the ends of which are at once fastened together. The 

 whole concern is then slowly hauled towards the shore 

 into some quiet part, if j^ossihle, where there is not 

 much tide, till the foot of the net grounds, or touches the 

 bottom ; and there it is securely moored. The fish are 

 taken out of this net by the tuck-sean, which is 70 or 80 

 fathoms long, 8 fathoms deep at the sleeves, and 10 at 

 the bunt. It is shot inside the large sean, and as it is 

 hauled in the foot of the bunt is raised so as to get the 

 net under the fish and bring them to the surface, when 

 they are taken out in baskets and put into the boats to 

 be carried on shore. 



In many places where only one net is used for the 

 whole process, and the enclosed fish are at once "tucked" 

 into the boat, the net is called, according to fancy, either 

 a stop-sean or a tuck-sean. The catches of pilchards at 

 St. Ives, however, are so large at times that several days 

 may be required for landing the fish, and it would be 

 impossible to use one net for all purposes. In Lochfyne 

 and on some other parts of the coast of Scotland where 

 seaning is carried ou, it is called "circle-net" fishing 

 or "trawling," the latter being a term which, out of 

 Scotland, is applied to an entirely different kind of 

 fishing, as we have before pointed out.^ 



' Trawling, p. 51, note. 



