Double corklines, one right-hand lay 

 and one left-hand lay to prevent twisting, were 

 used on all gill nets. Each salvage mesh was 

 lashed tightly to one corkline with a double hitch 

 to minimize chafing of the salvage caused by 

 wave action on the open ocean. Otherwise, the 

 nets were hung essentially according to the con- 

 ventional manner used in the salmon fishery. 

 Details of the 5-1/4-inch nets are given in fig- 

 ure 4. 



With the exception of three experimental 

 daytime sets, the nets were fished at night, be- 

 ing set in the evening and hauled just after day- 

 break . The nets were set downwind over the 

 stern of the boat at a speed of about 4 knots. A 

 lighted flagpole was tied to each end of the 

 string. Seven hundred feet of 4-1/4-inch cir- 

 cumference lubricated-core rope was attached 

 with a bridle to the last shackle to go overboard, 

 and was then made fast to the bow of the vessel 

 at the lee end of the nets. The vessel thus held 

 on to the gear all night while drifting. 



Nylon rope, 15/16 -inch diameter, was 

 lashed along the corklines of the first eight 

 shackles of nets nearest the vessel to relieve 

 strain from the corklines while hauling. The 

 gear was hauled over a shark roller mounted on 

 the starboard rail near the bow of the John N . 

 Cobb . Power for hauling was transmitted 

 through a rubberized sheave attached to the 

 main anchor winch. Fish were removed on a 

 canvas-covered iron grating between the bow 

 roller and the anchor winch . Two men then 

 cleared the web and pulled it to the stern where 

 it was piled in the bin in readiness for the next 

 set. 



Hauling time averaged about five min- 

 utes per shackle, increasing proportionately to 

 the number of fish in the net. The occasional 

 mackerel shark caused considerable gear dam- 

 age and delay in hauling. Jack mackerel were 

 extremely difficult to remove from the nets, but 

 most of the pcmfret could be shaken out with no 

 trouble. The nets were mended daily on the 

 John N. Cobb, and they were completely over- 

 hauled several times during the trip on brief 

 port calls. 



The Mitkof and the Paragon fished with 

 four different mesh sizes of nylon gill nets, 



2-1/4-inch, 3-1/4-inch, 4-1/2-inch, and 5-1/4- 

 inch stretched mesh measure. Construction of 

 the nets was the same as for the John N. Cobb, 

 as shown in figure 4. 



Twelve 50 -fathom shackles of gill net 

 were used for each set by the Mitkof and the 

 Paragon, and the numbers of shackles of each 

 mesh size used on every set were two shackles 

 of 2-1/4-inch mesh, two shackles of 3-1/4-inch, 

 two shackles of 4- 1/2 -inch and six shackles of 

 5-1/4-inch mesh. A standard arrangement of 

 the various mesh sizes in the net was used for 

 all sets, with the 5-1/4-inch mesh alternating 

 with the smaller mesh sizes throughout the net. 



In the fishing operations of both the Mitkof 

 and the Paragon , nylon rope, 15/ 16 -inch diameter, 

 was lashed along the corklines for 1/4 to 1/2 of 

 the net, and about 200 fathoms of manila line was 

 fastened to the bridle from the vessel during the 

 fishing. A flagpole with a light was tied to each 

 end of the net during fishing, and the vessel re- 

 mained attached to the net at all times. All sets 

 by the Mitkof and Paragon were overnight sets. 



The same system for setting and hauling 

 the gill nets was used by both schooner -type 

 vessels. The net was set from the stern of the 

 vessel, paying out while the vessel proceeded 

 ahead at slow speed for a period of 15 to 20 

 minutes (fig. 8) . The net was set with the wind, 

 so that when it was completely out, the vessel 

 could remain secured to the lee end. 



The net was hauled in from the starboard 

 side of the vessel over a roller attached to the 

 guard rail and over a table (where the fish were 

 removed) by means of a mechanically driven 

 "gurdy™ (fig. 9). This operation took place in the 

 well -deck forward of the pilot house, and from 

 there the net was passed along the deck to the 

 stern where it was re -piled in preparation for 

 the next set. The hauling operation required up 

 to two hours per set for both the Mitkof and the 

 Paragon . 



Upon completion of hauling, measurements 

 and scale samples were taken from each salmon 

 caught (fig. 11). On all three vessels a numbered 

 metal strap tag was attached to the gill cover of 

 each salmon for identification, and the fish were 

 then frozen for further racial studies at the 

 laboratory. 



