120 REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



of small cotton twine (No. 20 to No, 12 thread), except in the middle, or 

 "bunt," which is knit of stronger twine (No. 14 to No. 9 thread), to hold 

 the fish when they are gathered into a small compass. They weigh GOO or 

 700 pounds, and cost not far from $1,000 when ready for use. On the 

 coast of Maine they are larger, being commonly from 225 to 275 fathoms 

 long and 20 fathoms deep in the middle, tapering to 14 fathoms at each 

 end.* 



The American Net and Twine Company suj)plies the Maine fishermen 

 with seines usually 250 fathoms long and 20 or 25 fathoms deep, those 

 of Southern New England and New York with shorter ones, usually 150 

 fathoms long and 15 to 20 fathoms deep. 



The steamers of the Pemaquid Oil Company carry each two seines ; a 

 long one and a short one. The long seines are about 9,500 meshes long 

 and C50 meshes deep (size of mesh 3J inches), and when rigged are from 

 280 to 300 fathoms long, and 15 to 17 fathoms deep. The shallow-water 

 seines are from 7,000 to 7,500 meshes long and 500 to 550 meshes deep 

 (size of mesh 2| inches), and when rigged are from 170 to 180 fathoms 

 long, and 8 to 10 fathoms deep. Each steamer employs from 12 to 15 

 men, including captain, mate, engineer, fireman, cook, and sharesmen, 

 and is isupplied with two large working boats from 22 to 82 feet long, as 

 well as two small boats, — " drive boats," — which are rowed by the men 

 who drive the fish into the seine. 



The three sloops of Gurdon S. Allyn & Co. carry seines 200 fathoms 

 long and 580 meshes (2J-inch mesh) deep. 



Gallup & Holmes use seines of 3-inch mesh, 9,200 meshes in length 

 and 600 meshes deep, with shallower seines for shoal water. 



The three steamers of E. T. De Blois carry seines 300 fathoms long 

 and 17 fathoms deep. 



The two sloop-yachts of William T. Fithian & Co., Napeague, N. Y., 

 carry seines about 160 fathoms long and 15 fathoms deep. 



The three sloop-yachts and two steamers of Hawkins Brothers, James- 

 port, N. Y., carry seines from 100 to 130 fathoms in length and of 2^-iuch 

 mesh. 



Luce Brothers, of East Lyme, Conn., use seines 150 fathoms long and 

 18 fathoms deep. 



The seines used by the Sterling Company of Greenport, N. Y., are 125 

 to 150 fathoms long and SO to 100 feet deep. 



The seine-boats. 



109. The boats used by the Gloucester fleet in the purse-seine fishery 

 are built after a peculiar model and solely for this purpose. The present 

 form of the seine-boat was devised, about the year L857, by Messrs. Big- 

 gins & Gifford, boat-builders, Gloucester, Mass. The seines had pre- 

 viously been set from square-sterned lap-streak boats, about 28 feet in 

 length, and resembling in shape an ordinary. ship's yawl. 

 * Boardman and Atkins, oj9. cit., p. 23. 



