FISHING NETS, WITH SPECIAL EEFEKENCE TO THE OTTER-TEAWL. 573 



were made in the centre of the board — which plays little or no part in 

 the rotating motion already described — then the same purpose would 

 be served, and if they had sufficiently large surfaces in front and behind 

 the line of action of the trawl warp, they would act just as well as the 

 ordinary boards. Such boards have been used for some months on 

 the trawl of the Association's steamer Oithoim, and so far as one can 

 judge, give as good a spread, and are easier to work with than if they 

 were solid throughout. 



The net of the otter-trawl has gone through several changes since 

 first introduced, and even now there are many differences in detail 

 in difi'erent companies' trawls. In comparison with that of the beam- 

 trawl, it has a shorter "square," but this is compensated for by an 

 additional pair of wings on the top, or rather in front. In other words, 

 the beam-trawl net has only one pair of wings — the bottom pair ; the 

 otter-trawl net has two. The " bag " of the net is identically the same 

 in both. 



The " head-line " is formed of a single rope, which passes from board 

 to board along the front of the net above. It is 3 in. to oi in. in 

 circumference, and is usually from 90 to 100 feet long. Before use 

 it must be well soaked in water for some time, stretched, then soaked 

 again. This prevents the rope from twisting itself up or " kinking," as 

 it is called. The best thing for a head-line is a half-used warp or 

 a rope which has seen some service and had the "kinks" taken out 

 of it. 



The " square " is the central portion of the net which overhangs the 

 ground in front of and above the ground-rope in trawling. It is so- 

 called, I imagine, because it is the nearest approach to a square piece in 

 the whole net. The " top of the square," i.e. the portion immediately 

 behind the head-line and the " top-wings," has 300 meshes across 

 (sometimes as many as 330). The " bottom of the square," the portion 

 immediately above the inner edge of the " ground-rope," has 200 meshes 

 across, and down each side there are from 100 to 120 meshes, according 

 as one has a square of 34 or 40 feet long. The size of the mesh is the 

 same throughout, namely, 3 in. from knot to knot, or " four fingers' 

 breadth," as the fishermen say. 



The " top-wings " are the outlying portions of the net which extend 

 forward from the square on each side to the top part of the boards. 

 They are of a peculiar triangular shape, with a broad base of 100 

 meshes joined on to the head of the square, and an apex of only 

 6 to 12 meshes at the boards. Each may be from 31 to 35 feet long, 

 according to the fancy of the fisherman for a long or a short square. 

 These parts are made to suit one another and the lower portion of the 

 net. As the latter seldom varies, it follows that the top-wings must 



