FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 153 
with one and sometimes two skiffs are necessary to operate the net. 
When operated with one boat, the method is as follows: When a school 
of fish is sighted one end of the net, with a buoy and sometimes an 
anchor attached, is thrown out. The boat is then rowed in a circle 
around the fish, the net in the meanwhile being let out as the boat 
moves. When the buoy or starting point is reached an anchor is 
thrown out from the side of the boat away from the net to prevent 
the latter from being interfered with by the boat. Some of the men 
then begin pulling in from the bow and others from the stern of the 
boat until the bag is alongside, when the fish are’dipped out. .The 
net is then overhauled and made ready for another layout. It is 
sometimes fished from two boats by first dropping the bag of the net 
overboard, then the boats, each with its share of the net, being rowed 
in opposite directions, until the boats meet after making a. circle. 
The men in the boats then exchange ends of the net and anchor the 
boats, after which they begin pulling in, keeping the wings crossed as 
they pull, until the bag reaches the space between the two boats. 
It takes at least four men with two boats to haul the net in this 
manner, which is followed mostly by the Japanese in the lower part 
of California. 
Seimes.—The output with seines in 1915 amounted to 3,537,965 
pounds, with a value to the fishermen of $98,394. Of this amount, 
2,968,737 pounds were taken in the shore, and the remainder 
_in the vessel, fisheries. As compared with 1904, there was a de- 
crease of 551,446 pounds in quantity, but an increase of $5,030 
in value. Seines were operated in 19 of the 27 counties of the 
State having fisheries, but sardines taken in the shore fisheries of 
Monterey County constituted more than 31 per cent of the total 
seine catch. Chinook salmon taken in the counties bordering on 
the Sacramento River and smelt taken mainly in the ocean are 
also worthy of mention. Besides those mentioned, 30 other species 
were taken with seines. The seines used in the vessel fisheries were 
mostly purse seines, and averaged about 528 yards each in length, 
while those in the shore fisheries were mostly haul seines and averaged 
only 132 yards each in length. 
Pyke nets.—¥ yke nets are fished only in five counties of the State, 
all located on the Sacramento River and its tributary, the San Joaquin 
River. The latter river was much the more important of the two. 
The total catch in 1915 amounted to 598,776 pounds, valued at $26,- 
327, as compared with a catch in 1904 of 541,123 pounds, valued at 
$15,285, showing an increase both in quantity and value, but espe- 
cially the latter. In both years the catch consisted mainly of catfish, 
though small quantities of five other species were taken. The fyke 
net commonly used has five hoops, the largest being 5 feet and the 
smallest 2 feet in diameter, the total length of the net being 10 feet. 
The bait, which in fishing for catfish commonly consists of salt shad, 
is placed in a small knit bag at the end of the fyke net. 
Abalone outfit.—The output with abalone outfits in 1915 consisted 
of 24,026 pounds of live abalone, valued at $517; 730,974 pounds of 
abalone meat, valued at $16,830; 74,000 pounds of abalone shells 
valued at $1,890; and $1,240 worth of pearls and blisters, the total 
quantity amounting to 829,000 pounds, valued at $20,477, as com- 
pared with 833,678 pounds, valued at $10,873, in 1904. The tables 
show a very large decrease in abalone sold alive, but an increase in 
