428 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



into the fishing. When one of the fishermen is perceived to be 

 successful his mates are apt to try their luck on the same spot. The 

 men return to the vessel about noon, or sooner if a dory load has 

 been obtained. After obtaining their dinner they go out again, 

 and sometimes a trip is made after supper. Each man's catch is 

 counted as he pews the fish inboard upon his return to the vessel. 



During the last few seasons some of the companies that operate 

 both fishing vessels and shore stations have anchored certain of the 

 former at favorable spots in the North Pacific, and, concentrating a 

 fleet of local power and sail dories with the vessel as a focus, have 

 used her as a salting station. As soon as the vessel wets all her salt 

 she sails for the home port, while the local fishermen return to theii 

 former shore station and resume fishing there. 



While the fishermen are out on their first trip of the day the 

 members of the dress gang usually fish over the rail of the vessel, 

 and some of them do this whenever they have a few spare moments. 

 These men are paid a fixed sum (usually an average of the prices 

 paid the fishermen) for all fish so caught, which is in addition to 

 their regular wages. 



Trawl or long lines. — But little trawling or long lining ever has 

 been done by the vessels fishing on the Alaska banks, and none by 

 those fishing on the Okhotsk banks. In 1888 the schooner Arago, 

 belonging to Lynde & Hough, of San Francisco, employed long 

 lines on the Bering Sea banks, but the fishermen claimed that the 

 fleas (amphipod crustaceans) devoured the cod or injured them so 

 badly that the use of such lines had to be abandoned. 



But few efforts along this line were made by the vessels of the 

 fleet until in 1913, when the schooner Vega and the power schooner 

 Union Jack, belonging to the Union Fish Co., of San Francisco, 

 used long lines for a considerable part of the season. On the Vega, 

 which fished on the outer banks off the Shumagin Islands, the ground 

 line of the trawl was of 20-pound tarred cotton. The gangings, 

 which were about 3 feet in length and set about 6 feet apart, were of 

 G-pound tarred cotton. The hooks used were of the 10/O japanned 

 Limerick brand. The lines were coiled in tubs made by sawing 

 barrels into equal halves. Each dory crew was expected to have 

 rigged up 42 long lines of 50 fathoms each, but under ordinary con- 

 ditions would rarely ever have in the water at one time more than 

 14, one-half of the balance being baited and ready for use, while the 

 rest w T ere held in reserve in case of emergencies. 



Around the edges of the top of the cabin of the vessel were nailed 

 boards. When ready for the first baiting the fishermen dumped the 

 bait onto the top of the cabin and then stood in the gangways and 

 cut up the bait on the boards, and as fast as the hooks were baited 

 the line was carefully coiled in a tub with the baited hooks in the 

 center of the coil. Only one piece of bait, and that not a large one, 

 is put on a hook. 



The buoy line used was of 6-thread manila. At the surface the 

 ends were marked by 10-gallon buoy kegs, painted red, attached 

 to the buoy line by swivels similar to those used for this purpose by 

 the halibut fishermen. On rough bottom the ground line was buoyed 

 up by glass balls attached at intervals. Twelve or fourteen pound 

 anchors were attached to each end of the trawl. 



