250 



MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



(.Courtesy U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 



Fig. 13-7. The pilchard are surrounded by the purse seine. They are then brailed from 

 the seine into the vessel and carried to the cannery. 



line. The netting alone in such a seine weighs almost 7,500 pounds, and the total 

 weight, fully rigged and treated with tar, amounts to 10,500 pounds. 



Mackerel Seines. The average mackerel purse seine used in the North Atlantic 

 is 250 fathoms long by 18 fathoms deep. Except for the bunt, it is made of ^% 

 medium twine, of 2/8-inch mesh, in one long continuous sheet or web. The bunt, 

 located at one end, is usually of 12- and 15-thread medium twine, of 2/8-inch mesh. 

 This is hung to Manila ropes, to which are attached corks at the top and leads at 

 the bottom. This seine, when tarred, weighs about 2 tons. 



Haul, Drag, or Beach Seines. These seines are found in every section of the 

 United States and account for about 3 per cent of the annual catch. They are 

 used in relatively shallow water along the shores of beaches, rivers, and lakes. 

 They are operated by hand for the most part although the larger types may re- 

 quire teams of horses, tractors, or even power-operated winches. They vary in 

 length from small minnow seines of 5 to 10 yards to others of 2,500 yards or more. 

 The meshes in the netting range from /2 to 6 inches. Haul seines are of various 

 patterns, each designed for a specific purpose. In some cases the net is rectangu- 

 lar; others have tapering ends, the center being much deeper. Some have long 

 tapering pockets, extending from the mid-portion, into which the fish collect and 

 become entrapped. The center, bunt, or bag is usually of smaller meshes than 

 the wings. The larger meshes in the wings have less water resistance, thus speed- 

 ing the operation of the gear. 



The smaller sizes, from 5 to 25 yards in length, with meshes of M to 3 inches, 

 are used principally in the interior lake and river fisheries, while the larger ones 



