[9] GILL-NKTS IN THE COD FI.SHEKY. 273 



oltlieir introduction is unknown. It is asserted, however, tliut (his 

 method oflishinj? h;us been imrsued since early in the i)resent century 

 antl is still c;irried on to some extent. 



The coast of Newfoundland is indented wiih many Inr^e bays, which 

 are favorite feedinj^-^n^ounds for the cod. In the eaily sumin'er they 

 make their a|)i)earance in pursuit of the ca])elin that pitlier in immense 

 inimbers alono- the shores to spawn, and Generally remain from three 

 to live weeks. I)urin«:r this time the co<l usually keej) near the surface 

 of tlie water and the nets are set floating-, but later they arc set at the 

 bottom, for when the caj)elin leave the shores the cod nu)\e into deeper 

 water. Plates VIII ami IX show the methods of setting- a,t the sur- 

 face and bottom. The nets are set singly or in gangs of three to 

 seven. Two anchors are g:enerally attached to a ^ang of floating nets, 

 as represented in the plate; but Avhere there is a current, one is some- 

 times found sufficient. They are usually set in the afternoon and hauled 

 in the morinng-. Owing- to the comparative lightness of the anchors, 

 fewer men are required to haul these than in Norway, as a single fish- 

 erman will sometimes take in one or more nets, though in most cases 

 two or three go in a boat. The net fishing is far less productive than 

 that of Norway, but sometimes a large catch is made. Capt. Solomon 

 Jacobs, a native of Newfoundland, states that on one occasion he took 

 2,000 cod from four nets, but says that this catch is rarely ecpuded. 

 These tlsh arc what are known in the American markets as medium cod. 



3.— The American fisheries. 

 The common dory has been used for fishing the nets, each vessel hav- 

 ing from seven to nine of them, according to the nund)er of the crew. 

 The men go singly, one in each dory, and, while out, either setting or 

 underrunuing, the vessel is kept under way, the captain and cook man- 

 j aging her and ])icking up the crew when the work is completed. h]acli 

 [ one of a schooner's crew, except (he captain and cook, is])rovided with a 

 j gang of three nets or more, which are fastened together at top and bot- 

 ' tom when set, these forming- a wall at the bottom of the sea 150 to .300 

 1 fathoms long and 3 fathoms deep, being held in position by an anchor 

 ] at either end. The anchor-lines are usually 50 fathoms in length, and 

 one end of each is bent to the upper corner of the nets, as repr<>sented 

 j in Plate XI. Under favorable circumstances one man can set a gang 

 of nets, by letting the boat drift Avith the Avind or tide and throwing 

 ■ them over as it moA es along, but, as a ruK-, two men can accomplish this 

 jmuch better. The method of underrunning is illustrated in Plate XII. 



'• 4. — History of the gill-nei' cod fishery. 

 I The United States Fish Commission, while il has in so many ways 

 idone a useful and imjx.rtant work in the artificial proi)agation of food- 

 jfishes, has not confined itself solely to lish-culture as a means for 

 ,imi)roving the American fisheries. . It lias also accomplislied fully as 

 .important objects by disseminating among our fishermen knowledge of 

 H. Mis. 68 18 



