92 NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 
Fishing-grounds.—The same boats and gear are employed for the 
capture of both shrimps (Crangon vulgaris) and prawns (Pandalus 
annulicornis), but as the latter are the more valuable, they receive by 
far the greatest share of attention. 
Subjoined is a list of the grounds, with local names, and soundings 
at low water. 
Prawn Grounds. 
“Inside the Middle Sand”. : 5») 23:40°50 feet: 
“Outside the Trinity Sand” . : tu eOrtoa7Oimes 
(Clee) ‘‘ Ness Channel ” , ; sin USator4Ory: 
“ Back of the (Clee) Ness” . ; i Mlb nbols0, eh 
“ Tetney ” 24 to 30 _,, 
Shrimp Grounds. 
“ Paull Middle” (Sand) : : . 8 to 16 feet. 
“Sand "Halle? 7-22, ; f ; 2 Sto ots 
Shrimps are represented to some extent on all the grounds, but 
very few large prawns are present on the shrimp grounds, 
Owing to the prevalence of wrecks and other obstructions, such as 
clay banks and accumulations of ‘ ross” (Sabellaria), the grounds are 
very sharply defined, so that a sailing boat is absolutely dependent 
on favorable conditions of weather to allow her to work at all. 
Except at slack water, it is only possible for her to trawl with the 
tide, and it will be readily understood that it is not every day that 
the wind allows a sailing boat to keep her course drifting along a 
very narrow strip of ground. In the “ Vallota,” owing to her large 
size and comparatively high freeboard, it was difficult to go slow 
enough when wind and tide happened to be in the same direction. 
As a rule, however, we were fortunate in being able to work at the 
required speed, and, when the wind was abeam, an occasional use of 
the engines enabled us to keep our course in a manner impossible to 
a sailing vessel, while at slack water we could, of course, choose our 
own direction. 
Method of working gear.—To avoid damage to the net professional 
shrimp-trawlers attach one buoy by a long line to the cod end, and 
another to the end of the warp, which is made fast to the boat by a 
stop of small cord. Thus, if any obstruction is met with, the stop 
will break before much damage is done to the net, which can after- 
wards be lifted by whichever end is most convenient. 
Capture of fish.—In dealing with the results it will be necessary 
to consider the shrimping and prawning grounds separately, since, 
as might be expected from the difference in soundings, they differ 
