SEINE FISHING. 65 



Condition of Winter Fishery. — For tlie last two winter 

 seasons pilcliards have been now and then so cheap on the 

 quay, that fishermen have taken their catches out to sea and 

 thrown them overboard rather than sell them for the small 

 sums offered. They have been sold as cheap as 2s. per 1000 

 recently, and indeed, now (November, 1886), boats are fishing- 

 with only half a fleet of nets in order to reduce the catch and 

 keep up the price of the fish. These boats are endeavour- 

 ing, by fishing with hook and line for hake, to make their 

 work pay. 



Condition of Summer Fishery. — The summer fishery for 

 pilchards, on the other hand, has largely decreased in Ply- 

 mouth. It has been taken out of the hands of the Plymouth 

 fishermen by the fishermen of Looe, whose boats appear to be 

 more suitable for the work. At this latter port the increase 

 of boats in the last few years is estimated at 30 per cent. 



3. Moored-net Fishing. 



Boats. — There is but little fishing of this description prac- 

 tised by Plymouth boats. A few of the line fishing boats 

 during the herring season carry on moored-net fishing. These 

 are chiefly Cawsand Bay boats. 



Nets. — The nets are similar to drift nets; but instead of drift- 

 ing with the tide, they are moored by means of grapnels, 

 and are "shot^^ in the direction in which the tide runs. 



Fish. — The fish caught is the herring. 



Ground Fished. — The ground where the nets are set is 

 almost confined to the mouth of Cawsand Bay. 



4. Seine Fishing. 



Seine fishing is carried on all down the coast as far as 

 Land's End. The seine is used to catch mackerel, pilchards, 

 sprats {Clupea sjprattus), and mullet [Mugil capito), but not 

 herrings. 



The great centre for this method of fishing is at St. Ives, 

 on the west coast of Cornwall. 



There are several kinds of seines. 



Seine Proper. — The seine proper is a long net, deeper in 

 the middle or '^ bunt" than at the ends ('''sleeves'' or 



VOL. I, NO. I. 5 



