﻿OTTER- 
  TEAWL 
  FISHEEY. 
  47 
  

  

  or 
  net, 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  rectangular 
  steel 
  frame, 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  on 
  its 
  

   long 
  sides. 
  The 
  average 
  weight 
  of 
  these 
  dredges 
  is 
  about 
  150 
  pounds, 
  

   and 
  the 
  long 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  frames 
  are 
  provided 
  with 
  15 
  or 
  more 
  long, 
  

   steel 
  teeth 
  which 
  dig 
  into 
  the 
  bottom 
  as 
  the 
  instrument 
  is 
  dragged 
  

   over 
  the 
  beds. 
  They 
  are 
  designed 
  especially 
  to 
  tear 
  the 
  oysters 
  

   from 
  the 
  bed, 
  and 
  incidentally 
  they 
  bring 
  up 
  sponges, 
  starfishes, 
  

   mussels, 
  and 
  other 
  bottom 
  organisms. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  estimated 
  on 
  good 
  data 
  that 
  in 
  Maryland 
  the 
  dredging 
  ves- 
  

   sels 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  season's 
  work 
  cover 
  with 
  their 
  dredges 
  

   an 
  area 
  equal 
  to 
  about 
  three 
  times 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  oyster 
  beds, 
  or, 
  in 
  

   other 
  words, 
  an 
  average 
  acre 
  or 
  square 
  mile 
  is 
  scraped 
  three 
  times 
  

   in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  These 
  beds 
  have 
  been 
  intensively 
  dredged 
  

   annually 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  and 
  while 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  been 
  de- 
  

   pleted, 
  they 
  are 
  still 
  producing 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  oysters 
  wherever 
  

   care 
  has 
  been 
  exercised 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  beds 
  all 
  shells 
  and 
  small 
  

   oysters. 
  Where 
  the 
  beds 
  have 
  been 
  depleted 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  nearly 
  every 
  

   case 
  due 
  to 
  neglect 
  to 
  comply 
  with 
  the 
  requirements 
  of 
  the 
  law 
  in 
  

   this 
  respect. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  implement 
  to 
  which 
  reference 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  a 
  pre- 
  

   ceding 
  paragraph 
  is 
  the 
  gaugava, 
  a 
  peculiar 
  type 
  of 
  dredge 
  trawl 
  

   used 
  in 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  sponge 
  fisheries. 
  It 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  short 
  

   bag 
  net 
  of 
  heavy 
  twine 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  rectangular 
  frame 
  about 
  35 
  

   feet 
  long 
  and 
  2 
  feet 
  high. 
  The 
  lower 
  side 
  and 
  about 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   ends 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  an 
  iron 
  bar 
  2| 
  to 
  3 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  weigh- 
  

   ing 
  about 
  600 
  or 
  700 
  pounds, 
  and 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  frauie 
  is 
  a 
  wooden 
  

   bar 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter. 
  This 
  implement 
  is 
  towed 
  at 
  a 
  speed 
  

   of 
  about 
  1 
  to 
  1| 
  miles 
  per 
  hour, 
  and 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  towing 
  warp 
  

   is 
  so 
  adjusted 
  that 
  the 
  iron 
  bar 
  scours 
  the 
  bottom 
  without 
  burrow- 
  

   ing. 
  The 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  gaugava 
  is 
  to 
  tear 
  commercial 
  sponges 
  

   from 
  their 
  firm 
  attachments 
  to 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  incidentally 
  it 
  brings 
  

   up 
  all 
  other 
  bottom 
  growths. 
  It 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  most 
  destructive 
  

   method 
  of 
  sponge 
  fishing, 
  as 
  it 
  tears 
  from 
  their 
  attachment 
  many 
  

   commercial 
  sponges 
  too 
  small 
  for 
  the 
  market 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  valu- 
  

   able 
  -if 
  permitted 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  older. 
  Yet 
  150 
  vessels 
  

   are 
  using 
  this 
  appliance 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Tunisia, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  

   beds 
  have 
  been 
  depleted 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  and 
  require 
  occasional 
  peri- 
  

   ods 
  of 
  recuperation, 
  they 
  are 
  after 
  many 
  years 
  still 
  profitably 
  pro- 
  

   ductive. 
  Now 
  both 
  the 
  oyster 
  dredge 
  and 
  the 
  gaugava 
  are 
  designed 
  

   for 
  tearing 
  up 
  and 
  capturing 
  the 
  bottom 
  growth, 
  they 
  are 
  employed 
  

   in 
  a 
  way 
  to 
  accomplish 
  that 
  purpose, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  material 
  

   captured 
  is 
  not 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  water. 
  Each 
  of 
  them 
  is 
  much 
  heavier 
  

   than 
  the 
  ground 
  rope 
  of 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl, 
  the 
  dredge 
  weighing 
  in 
  

   water 
  about 
  30 
  to 
  35 
  pounds 
  to 
  the 
  linear 
  foot, 
  the 
  gaugava 
  about 
  

   15 
  pounds, 
  and 
  the 
  footrope 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  less 
  than 
  2 
  pounds. 
  

  

  