THE SEA FISHERIES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. Lee 
| destroyed the young fish, and the others were that they interfered with the nets. 
They complained that the trammel-net especially, which is a particular kind used in 
England, was fouled by these lines and injured. 
Q. On the other hand, the net was in the way of the trawl?—A. No; the trawl 
was in the way of the nets. The trawlers didn’t care about the net, but the net fish- 
ermen did complain of the trawl. But I have looked carefully to find whether there 
was any complaint against that line, and I haven’t found it. There may be, but I 
am quite confident it has not assumed anything like the antagonistic features and 
impression of magnitude that it has in the United States and America generally. 
Q. We mean by the trawl a long line weighted or anchored which sinks to the bot- 
tom and has —— A. It has branches three feet long. That is called a long-line or 
bultow. 
Q. Then at intervals there are buoys?—A. Yes. 
Q. To show the position. They are usually ina straight line ?—A. In Europe there 
are generally several shorter lines united in one long line, so much so that on the 
coast of Great Britain they have a line of trawls six or eight miles in length. In 
America the trawling on the banks is generally by means of five shorter lines radiat- 
ing from the vessel, but in England the trawling is done generally on a large scale, 
without rowboats, directly from a vessel of forty or sixty tons, and the entire series 
of lines is united in one and sunk. 
Q. They are hauled in from aboard the vessel, and not from a boat at all?—A. Yes. 
Q. Now, what do they call that which we call a trawl, if itis used at all ?—A. 
They call it a long-line or bultow. 
Q. What bait do you find to be the best for codfish?—A. Well, I can’t say I find 
any bait to be the best, because I never caught many fish, but I know that every- 
thing of an animal nature, and to some extent vegetable, has been used for the cod, 
Generally, in America, our bait consists of herring, menhaden, mackerel, a portion of 
the offal of the fish, sea-birds of various kinds, clams, squid, and the various species 
of shells, and in fact anything that can be got hold of. 
Q. Well, now, what are the methods of preservation of this bait? We have heard 
of their using salt clams, &c. Has much attention been paid to the possibility of 
_ greater preservation of the bait than we have ever yet had ?—A. Yes; the science of 
preserving bait, as well as of the preservation of fish on shipboard, is very low in- 
deed, far below what can be applied, and I have no doubt will be applied, both in 
keeping fish for food and in keeping it for bait. 
Q. Now, will you state what obser vation you have made respecting the method of 
preserving fresh bait from the start all the voyage through ?— A. Asa general rule it 
is pow preserved either by salting or freezing. Of course they keep it as long as it 
will remain without spoiling, and when you have to carry it beyond that time, either 
iceit or salt it. Salting, of course, is a very simple process, but it alters materially 
the texture and taste to such a degree that fish or other bait that under certain cir- 
cumstances is highly prized by the fish is looked upon with a great deal of indiffer- 
ence when salted. Now, there are special methods of preservin g the fish or bait by 
gome chemical preparation, which preserves the fish without giving the saline taste. 
There are preparations by means of which oysters or clams or fish can be kept in so- 
lutions for six months without getting any appreciable taste, and without involving 
the slightest degree of deterioration or destruction. One process submitted to the 
group of judges, of whom I was chairman, was exhibited by an experimenter who 
placed a great jar of oysters in our room preparedin that way. I think about the 1st 
of August those were placed in our room and they were kept there until the middle of 
ptember, for six weeks during the hottest portion of the centennial summer, and 
twashotenough. At theend of that time we mustered up courage to pass judgment 
pon this preparation, and we tasted these oysters and could not find them affected 
Ve would have preferred absolutely fresh oysters, but there was nothing repugnant to 
€ sensibilities, and I believe we consumed the entire jar. And we gave the exhib- 
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