SALMON FISHERIES OF PACIFIC COAST. 27 



TRAPS OR POUND NETS. 



A trap is stationary and consists of webbing, or part webbing and 

 part wire netting, held in place and position by driven piles. This 

 piling usually is held together above water by a continuous line of 

 wood stringers, also used to fasten webbing to or to walk on if nec- 

 essary. 



In building, the " lead " is first constructed. This runs at right 

 angles, or very nearly so, to the shore, and consists of a straight line 

 of stakes, to which wire or net webbing is hung from top of high 

 water, or a little higher, to the bottom, making a straight, solid wall. 



At a little distance inshore of the outer end of the lead begin what 

 are called the "hearts." These are V-shaped and turned toward 

 the lead, beginning at a distance of 30 to 4Q feet on either .side of 

 same and running in the same general direction, the " big heart " 

 or outer heart first, the inner heart, supplementing the first, being 

 smaller, and the end of the outer heart leading into it. The narrow 

 end of the inner heart leads into the " pot " and forms what is known 

 as the " tunnel." The tunnel ends in a long and narrow opening, 

 running up and down the long way, and is held in position by ropes 

 and rods. Below this is what is known as the " apron," a sheet of 

 web stretched from the bottom of the heart upward to the " pot'," 

 in order to lead the fish into the tunnel when swimming low in the 

 water, and to obviate the necessity of building the pot clear to the 

 bottom, which would be expensive, as the pots of the traps are usually 

 in quite deep water. 



Some traps have " jiggers " (a hook-shaped extension of the outer 

 heart) on each side, which help to turn the fish in the required direc- 

 tion. 



The " pot " is placed at right angles with the inner heart and im- 

 mediately adjoining same. It is a square compartment, with web 

 walls and bottom connected in the shape of a large square sack, fas- 

 tened to piling on all sides. This pot is hauled up and down by 

 means of ropes and tackles, either by hand or, as is most popular, by 

 steam. 



The " spiller " is another square compartment adjoining either end 

 of the pot (sometimes there are two " spillers," one at each end), 

 and is simply a container for fish. A small tunnel leads the fish 

 from the pot into the spiller, from whence the fishermen lift them 

 out. This is accomplished by closing the tunnel from the pot, 

 after which the ropes holding the front of the spiller are loosened 

 and the net wall allowed to drop almost to the level of the water. 

 A steam tug then pushes a scow alongside the spiller and takes 

 position on the outside of this scow. From the deck of the tug 

 a derrick is rigged with a running line from the steam capstan 

 through the block at the top of the derrick. This line is attached 



