66 FISHING INDUSTRY OF PLYMOUTH. 



" wings''). A large seine is about two hundred fathoms long 

 and ten fathoms deep at the " bunt.'' 



Method of Fishing. — It is carried in two boats, which lie in 

 wait for shoals of fish near the land. 



The fish are, during the time this fishery is carried on, 

 swimming near the surface of the water, and a shoal is 

 readily observed by means of the colour, or, especially in 

 the case of pilchards, by the oily appearance of the water 

 covering them. 



The two boats row round the shoal, or as much of it as 

 the length of their net will allow them to compass, shooting 

 the net as they go ; the two ends of the net are brought 

 together and it is hauled to the shore, where it is moored, 

 the fish contained therein being taken out as required with 

 smaller seines called '' tuck seines." 



Tuck Seine. — A tuck seine is, say, seventy fathoms long, 

 but much deeper in the " bunt " than an ordinary seine, so 

 that it may be hauled in under the fish and raise them to 

 the surface, to enable the men to get them out of the water. 



Ground Seine. — A third kind of seine, the ground seine, 

 is used here. It is much smaller than the seine proper, and 

 is used close to the shore. A rope attached to one end is 

 left on shore, a boat then rows in a semicircle, and the net 

 is shot as the boat goes along. Finally, both ends are 

 brought ashore and the net hauled bodily on to the land. 

 These nets may be quite small, and are readily worked. 

 Their structure, although differing in detail, is very similar 

 to the large seine. 



Mackerel Seining. — Mackerel seining is carried on from 

 June until the end of July all along the coast from Start 

 Bay to Land's End. Most of the seines here are owned in 

 Cawsand, at the mouth of the Sound. This is a favourite 

 place for carrying on the fishery, and there the seine boats, 

 full of nets, may regularly be seen lying near the mouth of 

 Cawsand Bay, waiting for a shoal of fish. 



Pilchard Seining. — Pilchards are seined during the summer. 

 At Cawsand this fishery is carried on on a small scale. 



It is said that some years ago the pilchard fishery at 

 Cawsand was conducted on a very considerable scale, and 



