FISHING NETS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE OTTER-TRAWL. 567 



On the south coast of England probably the best-known forms 

 of this kind of net are the sicciy-nets for mackerel and pilchard. These 

 are used to surround a shoal of these fish ; and a second smaller net — 

 the stop-net — is employed to close the opening in the circle which the 

 large seine is making round the shoal. When the circle is completed 

 the stop-net is removed, and the whole concern is dragged towards the 

 shore if possible. If the fish are exceedingly numerous, another net — 

 the tuck-nct — is shot inside the seine, and the fish are removed in 

 batches.* 



In the United States f the tuck-net is largely employed, and it may 

 be used any distance from land and over any depth of water. When 

 a shoal of fish has been surrounded the different portions of the lower 

 part of the net are pulled tight together by means of a long " purse- 

 string" passed through rings on the foot-rope. The net is thus 

 " pursed " or " tucked," and the fish cannot escape underneath. The 

 slack of the net is then hauled in until all the fish are collected 

 in the bunt, when the steamer comes alongside, and the fish are ladled 

 on board by means of a bucket. 



As already mentioned, the central portion or bunt of these seines has 

 usually a much smaller mesh than the outlying portions or wings. It 

 is also somewhat deeper. In those used for small fish the centre may 

 even be of canvas or calico, as in the sand-eel seines. In Plate I. 

 Fig. 1, a sketch is given of a form of seine which has been much used 

 by members of the Association, especially for small flat-fish. + The 



* For fuller description see Holdsworth, loc. cit. t Augur, loc. cit. 



X DIMENSIONS OF DRAG-SEINE OR TUCK-NET. 

 Length of wing (from A to D, Fig. 1), 10 fathoms (20 m.). 

 ,, wide-meshed portion (A to B), 2 fathoms (4 m.). 

 ,, intermediate portion (B to C), 5 fathoms (10 m.). 

 ,, small-meshed portion (C to D), 3 fathoms (6 m.). 

 „ "bunt" (E to E'), 3 fathoms (6 m.). 



Number of meshes in portion from A to B, 30 to the yard (31 to metre). 



B toC, 36 ,, ,, (37 ,, ). 

 ,, ,, in "bunt "and from C to D, 42 ,, ,, (43 ,, ). 



Cod-end at E' may or may not have a short piece of still finer netting sewed on. 

 Number of meshes deep at D and D' . . 80. 



„ „ A . . . 60. 



,, ,, across " bunt " from D to D' 80. 



The mode of "setting-up" the net on to the foot-rope is shown in Fig. 2, and to the 

 head-rope in the central portion of Fig. 3. Across the "bunt" and in the fine portion 

 of the net there are four meshes to every "setting." There are therefore twenty "settings" 

 across the "bunt." Across the "bunt" the "settings" are stretched tighter on the 

 head-rope than on the foot-rope, so as to allow more slack in the net underneath. 

 Towards the outer end of the wings the number of meshes on each setting is gradually 

 reduced to three. Small pieces of sheet-lead are fastened to the foot-rope every three to 

 four settings, and small pieces of cork are attached to the head-rope at correspond- 

 ing distances, but more lead and corks are placed on the " bunt " than on the wings. 



The net as a whole is made of 21 -ply cotton ; the head-rope is of 3-strand hemp, and 



