WALLEM ON AMERICAN FISHERIES. llo 



Auother iS'oi'wegian ijuise-seiue of hemp thread, procured in Bergeu, 

 was used north of Doore in the summer-herring fishing ; it was, tliough 

 more nearly i)erfect, yet hirger and more massive; but it caugiit a few 

 herring. Some errors and inaccuracies I had occasion to point out and 

 partly remedy in both of these. In the southern spring-herring district 

 in the winter a partial attempt was made with more or less unpractical 

 imitations of purse-seines, as the common herring-seines were fastened 

 together ; concerning these attempts I think it should be said that they 

 surely injure rather than benefit the matter ; because they must as a 

 rule bring disappointments and indirectly weaken the desire to make the 

 attempt with a proper and easily managed implement. In Sweden and 

 Germany also they wish now to experiment with American purse-seines 

 of cotton 5 thither were sent, after the receipt of orders, many small 

 models with descriptions fi'om Norway. 



The purse-seine is, however, fully discussed in Consul Joakim Ander- 

 sen's interesting communication on his operations as a juryman at the 

 Exhibition. I shall therefore not occupy myself further with it, l)ut take 

 leave of it by closing with a little note, which has its special interest : 

 The American purse-seine is arranged on exactly the same principle as 

 that which forms the basis of an implement of capture for herring in- 

 vented by Berent Chr. Vedeler, of Bergeu, now^ deceased, on which he, 

 by a supreme resolution of the 12th of March, 1859, received a patent 

 for five years. A drawing and model of Vedeler's purse-seine are found 

 in the Polytechnic Journal for 1801 (the time registered by engineer JsT. 

 H. Brun, m.Jl.), pages 123 and 124. From this it is seen that it differs 

 very shghtly from the American ; the difterence is essentially this, that 

 Vedeler allowed the pursing-rope to run in rings along three sides of 

 the seine, while the Americans more practically let the pursing-rope run 

 only along the bottom line. Moreover Vedeler decided that his seine 

 ought to be only 40 fathoms long and 10 fathoms deep, also only a sixth 

 part of the usual size among the Americans for large seines. Since Ved- 

 eler said nothing about the thread, I assume that he has used hemp 

 thread, which, as before mentioned, is not used in America, where cottoa 

 thread is considered far more suitable and the only proper thing for i)urse- 

 seines. It is not so unlikely that Vedeler's patent is the first entirely 

 original invention, and that his invention, like so many remarkable ones, 

 has found its way to America, and there received the merited a])precia- 

 tion and such a practical adaptation that it has become the most impor- 

 tant implement for a very considerable business. In any case it seems 

 to me that Mr. Vedeler's invention deserves mention and his talent to be 

 commemorated at this time, since his original idea returns to its native 

 land in improved form now to find in all probability full appreciation.* 



* The purse-seine was in use in America in its present form at least as early as 1855. — 

 Translator. 



8 F 



