134 MARVELS OF FISH LIFE 



the trawl. The net itself is cone-shaped, and the end 

 of the cone, known as the " cod end " is open, in order 

 to let the fish out. When being fished the cod end of 

 the trawl is tied up with rope. 



In the otter trawl, the beam is dispensed with, and 

 the mouth of the net is kept open by means of two 

 " otter boards." These boards may be six to seven feet 

 high and three feet wide. To the top of each board is 

 attached the head line, and to the bottom the ground 

 line. In large trawls the head line may be one hundred 

 feet in length, while the ground line is half as long 

 again. The trawl is hauled by two steel wire ropes, 

 often a mile in length. Each rope is attached to 

 an otter board in such a manner that as the vessel 

 advances, the boards incline outwards from the 

 mouth of the trawl. Thus the rush of water forces 

 these two boards apart, and the mouth of the net is 

 kept open. 



The " harvest of the sea " is a term with which most 

 of us are familiar. But the term is a misnomer. Harvest 

 implies that man sows and reaps the result of his labours. 

 In the sea Nature sows, and man in gathering the crop 

 does immense harm to the supply in the future by the 

 destruction of immature fish. 



Round fishes, in consequence of their habits, have 

 not suffered to the same extent as the fishes that live 

 on the bottom, nevertheless, the North Sea is gradually 

 being emptied of its fish life, and in consequence the 

 fisherman has to go farther afield. It is small matter for 



