106 THE SEA-FISHERIES [PART I 



equipped with electric light and all the refinements of modern 

 naval architecture which have strictly utilitarian objects. At first 

 the steam trawler was an obsolete tug-boat but now she is a steam 

 vessel sui generis. She is often fitted with automatic sounding 

 apparatus, for the trawl is now used in much deeper water than was 

 the case not so many years past. Even a short time ago 50 fathoms 

 was regarded as the limit at which it was possible to use this 

 fishing instrument, but now the trawl is often used in water of 

 100 fathoms, and there is little doubt that this depth will soon be 

 greatly exceeded. Simultaneously with the improvement of the 

 vessel the trawl itself has been perfected. The modern steam 

 trawler carries two trawls each of about 100 feet spread. While 

 one of the nets is on the sea bottom the other is being made ready 

 for shooting, and the fish just taken are being gutted and stowed 

 away in the fish hold, so that the fishing is carried on continuously. 

 The trawl is hauled by means of two strong steel wire ropes which 

 are wound on the drums of the steam winch, and a modern steam 

 trawler may carry about a mile of wire on each side of the windlass. 



The traditional trawling vessel is the smack, a yawl -rigged vessel 

 of about 80 tons burden, and manned by four " hands." She almost 

 always carries a small steam-engine for the purpose of hauling the 

 net, and working the sails, but the latter are the sole means of propul- 

 sion. Not having the length of side nor the room of the steam vessel 

 the smack carries the older beam trawl, but this is nevertheless a 

 large net which has a spread of about 50 feet of sea bottom. There 

 is little doubt that the smacks are passing away. Every j^ear sees 

 more steam trawlers on the fishing register, and as the smacks are 

 lost, or become obsolete, they are seldom replaced by vessels of 

 their class. When they disappear the sea will have become less 

 picturesque, and the population of our seaside towns will, to some 

 extent at least, have deteriorated. 



Then we have the second class fishing boats. These are half- 

 decked vessels of about 10 tons in register and about 30 to 40 feet 

 in length as an average. Their crews consist of two men, a man 

 and a boy, or one man alone. They carry a trawl which does not 

 usually exceed 30 feet in length. Sometimes they may carry two 

 shank nets, or even four of these fishing instrumebts : in the 

 latter case the vessel will tow one shank net from over each 



