FISHING STATIONS— IRELAND. 379 



Trawling has before now been restricted to certain 

 parts of the bay, but the whole of the ground is now 

 free ; many portions of it, however, are too rough for 

 that mode of fishing. It has been more or less followed 

 up during a great part of the year in recent times, and 

 there is no reason to think that any injury to the 

 general fisheries has been caused by it. Trawling can 

 only be carried on satisfactorily within the headlands of 

 this bay, as the water outside is very deep, and there is 

 usually a heavy Atlantic roll setting in. 



Line-fishing is extensively practised, and many cod, 

 ling, and other descriptions of fish are taken there either 

 by handlines or longlines. It has been said that large 

 numbers of soles used to be caught by the Anascaul 

 fishermen on their spilliards, using the lugworm as a 

 bait ; but although there seems to be no question about 

 soles having been taken b}^ this method, there is very 

 great doubt about the numbers alleged to have been so 

 captured. We have known these fish to have been 

 caught with a hook on the English coast, but it is a 

 very rare occurrence. 



Drift-nets are used in Dingle Bay for herrings, and 

 tliese fish together with mackerel and scad are also 

 taken with seans, generally worked as circle-nets, and 

 not hauled in on the shore. 



The boats largely used at Dingle • some years ago 

 were heavy open craft commonly known as " sprit- 

 boats"; they carried two spritsails and a jib, and had a 

 crew of six or seven men each. The number of these 

 boats, however, has been very much reduced, and they 

 will doubtless altogether disappear under the influence 

 of this improving age. Another class of boats of very 

 peculiar build here attracts attention. These are the 

 " curraghs," or canvas canoes. They have only been in 



