FIGURE 10 - MOST OF THE ALBACORE WERE REMOVED 

 FROM THE NETS ON A PLYWOOD TABLE BETWEEN THE 

 RAIL AND THE HAULING SHEAVE. 



being damaged by the web, some al- 

 bacore, half-eaten by sharks, were 

 found in the net. Sharics, mostly of 

 the blue variety, also inflicted dam- 

 age to the nets, were sometimes quite 

 numerous in the catch, and constitut«;i 

 a nuisance factor in removing them 

 from the meshes. 



After the fish were all 

 removed, the net was hauled over the 

 top of the bait tank on two wooden 

 rollers and stacked in the stem bin 

 in preparation for the next set. 

 Periodically the nets were. overhauled 

 and mended. 



Some hazards to gill netting albacore which were encountered are as fol- 

 lows: rough seas, which resulted in damage to the fish and to the gear; fog, 

 which caused difficulty in keeping the buoy lights in sight at night; other fish- 

 ing vessels which threatened to drift into and foul the nets at night; and sharks 

 (mostly blue sharks) which were caught in good numbers and besides damaging the 

 web, occasionally ate tuna which were caught in the nets. Observations revealed 

 that a large percentage of the albacore were taken in the top half of the nets; 

 therefore, it is possible that nets made up 50-meshes deep (half the depth of 

 those used in these experiments) would catch cilmost the same number of fish with 

 half the cost in gear and much less trouble in hauling and maintenance. 



FIGURE 11 - CONSIDERABLE DIFFICULTY WAS ENCOUNTERED AT TIMES IN REMOVING THE ALBA- 

 CORE FROM THE GILL NETS WITHOUT BREAKING THE MESHES OR INJURING THE FISH. NOTE 

 HOW TIGHTLY THE FISH IS HELD IN THE MESH. 



16 



