322 DEEP-SEA FISHING. 



for although Loth sets of fishermen may work in a 

 particular locality where they think the fish are likely 

 to be found, in the one case the sean-trawl is the active 

 agent, enclosing the herrings in a body — in the other 

 it depends upon the movements of each individual fish 

 whether it happen to come in contact with the drift-net 

 and be meshed, or perhaps unconsciously to swim away 

 from the danger. As drift-fishing can be effectively 

 carried on in any depth of water not less than that of 

 the net, and at any distance from the shore, there is 

 obviously a much wider scope for its operation than 

 there can be for the sean-trawl, Avhose work is most 

 efficiently performed when the foot of the net can touch 

 the bottom. The drift men may therefore frequently 

 have a chance of success when sean-trawlers have none ; 

 on the other hand, when the fish come very close to the 

 shore there may be occasions when the produce of a 

 sean-trawl is very far in excess of the result of a night's 

 drift-fishing in the immediate neighbourhood. But 

 these heavy catches of herrings by a different kind of 

 net from that in ordinary use were not likely to be 

 made without some complaint, and a long list of charges 

 was brought against the sean-trawlers. Tliey were 

 accused of catching all sizes of fish, — those which were 

 too small to be stopped by the drift-nets and those too 

 large to be meshed in them — the " mother fish," as 

 some of the fishermen called them ; it was said that 

 they sometimes made such enormous hauls that only a 

 portion of the catch could be saved ; they broke up the 

 shoals and frightened them away; they intercepted them 

 at the entrance to Lochfyne and prevented the drift 

 fishermen up the loch from getting any sport ; they 

 damaged the drift-nets when they came in their way ; 

 and finally, they lowered the price of herrings to a very 



