﻿48 
  OTTEB- 
  TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  The 
  footrope 
  of 
  the 
  trawl 
  is 
  of 
  larger 
  diameter 
  than 
  the 
  frames 
  of 
  

   the 
  other 
  two 
  implements, 
  and, 
  moreover, 
  it 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  rope, 
  a 
  

   cushioning 
  material, 
  while 
  the 
  others 
  are 
  bare 
  steel. 
  It 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  

   if 
  it 
  were 
  towed 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  speed 
  as 
  the 
  oyster 
  dredge 
  and 
  the 
  gaugava 
  

   it 
  would 
  do 
  much 
  less 
  damage 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  comparatively 
  small 
  

   weight 
  per 
  foot, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  dragged 
  at 
  a 
  much 
  higher 
  speed 
  than 
  the 
  

   oyster 
  dredge 
  and 
  at 
  about 
  three 
  times 
  the 
  speed 
  of 
  the 
  gangava, 
  

   which 
  it 
  more 
  closely 
  resembles. 
  With 
  the 
  same 
  length 
  of 
  warp, 
  

   dredges 
  and 
  trawls 
  touch 
  the 
  bottom 
  more 
  lightly 
  the 
  higher 
  the 
  

   speed 
  at 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  towed, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  speed 
  the 
  lighter 
  

   and 
  more 
  bulky 
  gear 
  lifts 
  more 
  freely 
  than 
  the 
  heavier 
  and 
  more 
  

   compact. 
  That 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  catches 
  an 
  insigificant 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   bottom 
  material 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  oyster 
  dredge 
  and 
  the 
  gau- 
  

   gava 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  by 
  direct 
  observation, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  a 
  neg- 
  

   ligible 
  amount 
  of 
  damage 
  not 
  observable 
  is 
  clear 
  from 
  a 
  comparison 
  

   of 
  the 
  construction 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  operation 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  types 
  of 
  

   apparatus 
  and 
  a 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  years 
  of 
  intensive 
  

   operation 
  of 
  the 
  dredge 
  and 
  gaugava 
  have 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  destroyed, 
  

   although 
  they 
  have 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  depleted, 
  the 
  beds 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  

   work, 
  especially 
  when 
  recklessly 
  used. 
  The 
  only 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  otter 
  

   trawl 
  which 
  have 
  sufficient 
  weight 
  to 
  effectively 
  scrape 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  its 
  attached 
  organisms 
  are 
  the 
  boards, 
  and 
  they 
  cover 
  but 
  about 
  

   10 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  sweep 
  of 
  the 
  net 
  and 
  undoubtedly 
  are 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   time 
  largely 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  wholly 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  draft 
  of 
  

   the 
  towing 
  warps. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  believed, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  denudation 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  

   momentous 
  factor 
  in 
  any 
  injury 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  wrought 
  to 
  the 
  fish- 
  

   eries 
  by 
  the 
  otter 
  trawls. 
  

  

  DESTRUCTION 
  OF 
  SPAWN 
  BY 
  OTTER 
  TRAWLERS. 
  

  

  The 
  allegation 
  sometimes 
  made 
  that 
  the 
  otter 
  trawl 
  destroys 
  the 
  

   spawn 
  of 
  food 
  fishes 
  can 
  be 
  dismissed 
  with 
  a 
  simple 
  negation. 
  The 
  

   eggs 
  of 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  food 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast 
  

   and 
  the 
  banks, 
  except 
  the 
  herring, 
  are 
  pelagic; 
  that 
  is, 
  they 
  float 
  

   at 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  destruction 
  of 
  spawn 
  is 
  that 
  involved 
  in 
  taking 
  spawn- 
  

   ing 
  fish, 
  and 
  such 
  fish 
  are 
  also 
  taken 
  on 
  hand 
  lines 
  on 
  Georges 
  Bank 
  

   at 
  least 
  and 
  by 
  nets 
  along 
  the 
  coast. 
  

  

  INTERFERENCE 
  OF 
  THE 
  OTTER 
  TRAAVL 
  WITH 
  OTHER 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  observers 
  on 
  the 
  vessels 
  were 
  instructed 
  to 
  make 
  note 
  of 
  all 
  

   cases 
  in 
  which 
  lines 
  or 
  other 
  fishing 
  gear 
  were 
  destroyed 
  or 
  inter- 
  

   fered 
  with 
  by 
  the 
  steam 
  trawlers. 
  Very 
  few 
  cases 
  of 
  such 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  or 
  interference 
  were 
  noted. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Walter 
  H. 
  Eich, 
  who 
  served 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  November, 
  inclu- 
  

   sive, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  on 
  steam 
  trawlers, 
  but 
  who 
  made 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

  

  