THE SEA FISHERIES 273 



over the side ; a flush deck ; a powerful winch capable 

 of carrying many hundred fathoms of heavy wire rope for 

 hauling the huge nets ; a well protected propeller, and a 

 capacious hold for storing ice and fish. The vessels are 

 built of iron and are capable of speeds up to ten knots. 

 The most up-to-date trawlers are fitted with electric light, 

 and wireless, and a few even with refrigerating apparatus. 



The net used is known as a " trawl," of which there are 

 two kinds, the " beam-trawl " and the " otter-trawl," 

 the former now being only used by sailing vessels. The 

 net is of a flattened conical shape. The top edge of its 

 mouth is straight in the case of the beam-trawl ; while 

 its lower edge is in the form of a hollow curve and has 

 running along it a heavy " foot-rope " ; this sweeps the 

 ground as the net is fishing and stirs up the fish which, 

 rising upwards, are swept into the mouth of the net. The 

 net itself tapers away behind, narrowing down until the 

 last ten feet of the net are reached ; in this portion, known 

 as the " cod-end," or " purse," the sides are parallel, 

 and laced through the extremity is a rope, the cod-line, 

 by means of which the purse may be closed by drawing 

 tight (Plate 99). It is in this portion of the net that the 

 fish collect, and on the arrival of the net on board, the 

 contents can be emptied out by merely untying the cod- 

 line. The fish, once having reached the cod-end, are 

 prevented from swimming forward in the net again, and 

 possibly escaping out at its mouth, by valve devices known 

 as " flappers " and " pockets." The lower surface of the 

 cod-end, that portion of the net which receives greatest 

 wear by dragging over the sea bottom, is protected by stout 

 pieces of old netting known as the "rubber " or " false 

 belly," the under surface of the whole net itself being 

 called the " belly." In these main essentials the nets 

 used for either beam- or otter-trawls are much the same. 



