﻿OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  45 
  

  

  square 
  and 
  9 
  inches 
  high 
  on 
  each 
  acre 
  traversed. 
  This 
  means 
  

   either 
  that 
  a 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  existing 
  bottom 
  material 
  was 
  

   captured 
  by 
  the 
  net, 
  which 
  is 
  probable, 
  or 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  very 
  little 
  

   material 
  to 
  take. 
  In 
  either 
  case 
  the 
  result 
  to 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  trivial 
  and 
  

   negligible, 
  as 
  the 
  whole 
  quantity, 
  shells 
  and 
  all, 
  if 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  

   marketable 
  haddock 
  and 
  cod 
  alone 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  hauls 
  would 
  

   constitute 
  a 
  morsel 
  of 
  but 
  about 
  2|- 
  cubic 
  inches 
  for 
  each 
  — 
  a 
  very 
  

   small 
  meal, 
  indeed 
  — 
  and 
  leave 
  nothing 
  for 
  the 
  many 
  other 
  fishes 
  

   taken 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  

  

  But, 
  the 
  evidence 
  shows, 
  this 
  material 
  was 
  not 
  destroyed 
  but 
  

   thrown 
  overboard 
  when 
  the 
  decks 
  were 
  cleared 
  after 
  each 
  haul, 
  the 
  

   uninjured 
  organisms 
  in 
  large 
  part 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  their 
  lives 
  as 
  before, 
  

   and 
  the 
  dead 
  shells 
  to 
  lie 
  again 
  on 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  serve 
  as 
  places 
  

   for 
  attachment 
  for 
  other 
  growths. 
  Any 
  crushed 
  scallops, 
  mussels, 
  

   etc., 
  undoubtedly 
  would 
  be 
  eaten 
  by 
  fishes 
  or 
  by 
  animals 
  on 
  which 
  

   the 
  fishes 
  feed, 
  for 
  no 
  dead 
  organic 
  matter 
  is 
  permitted 
  to 
  lie 
  long 
  

   unutilized 
  on 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  Fragments 
  of 
  sponges 
  would 
  each 
  

   begin 
  to 
  grow 
  into 
  a 
  new 
  sponge, 
  and 
  mutilated 
  starfishes 
  would 
  

   soon 
  reproduce 
  the 
  injured 
  or 
  lost 
  parts, 
  if 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  fall 
  prey 
  

   to 
  the 
  fishes 
  in 
  the 
  meantime. 
  This 
  modicum 
  of 
  captured 
  and 
  lib- 
  

   erated 
  material 
  would 
  therefore 
  be 
  little 
  if 
  any 
  diverted 
  from 
  the 
  

   function 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  discharged 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  remained 
  unmo- 
  

   lested 
  on 
  the 
  bottom. 
  It 
  is 
  claimed, 
  however, 
  that 
  but 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   damage 
  wrought 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  by 
  the 
  trawls 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  

   mateWal 
  brought 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  nets, 
  greater 
  quantities 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   organisms 
  being 
  torn 
  loose, 
  crushed, 
  and 
  mutilated. 
  To 
  the 
  extent 
  

   that 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  true, 
  the 
  preceding 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  utilization 
  of 
  

   the 
  detached 
  and 
  injured 
  organisms 
  also 
  apply. 
  It 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  trawls 
  operated 
  in 
  depths 
  as 
  great 
  

   as 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  bank 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  by 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  catch, 
  

   the 
  method 
  of 
  operating 
  the 
  apparatus, 
  and 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  

   laiown 
  effects 
  of 
  similar 
  appliances, 
  conclusions 
  of 
  some 
  value 
  may 
  

   be 
  deduced. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  three 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  which 
  scrape 
  the 
  bottom 
  : 
  

   The 
  boards, 
  the 
  foot 
  line, 
  and 
  the 
  net 
  itself. 
  The 
  boards 
  each 
  weigh 
  

   about 
  1,500 
  pounds 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  or 
  about 
  900 
  pounds 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  

   and 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  12 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  2^ 
  inches 
  thick 
  they 
  bear 
  on 
  the 
  

   bottom 
  with 
  a 
  pressure 
  of 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  3 
  pounds 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  

   inch. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  standing 
  pressure 
  of 
  an 
  average 
  

   man. 
  AVhen 
  the 
  net 
  is 
  fishing, 
  the 
  otter 
  boards 
  are 
  set 
  with 
  the 
  

   short 
  sides 
  vertical 
  and 
  their 
  long 
  sides 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  about 
  20 
  

   degrees 
  or 
  less 
  to 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  motion, 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  12 
  feet 
  

   long 
  each 
  scrapes 
  a 
  strip 
  about 
  4^ 
  feet 
  wide. 
  As 
  the 
  average 
  haul 
  

   of 
  an 
  otter 
  trawl 
  is 
  about 
  6 
  miles, 
  the 
  two 
  boards 
  scrape 
  on 
  each 
  

   haul 
  a 
  surface 
  of 
  about 
  6| 
  acres. 
  An 
  average 
  of 
  about 
  35 
  hauls 
  

   was 
  made 
  on 
  each 
  trip 
  observed, 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  basis 
  it 
  is 
  computed 
  

  

  