276 KEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [12] 



fall of 1880 tliat Captain Martin lifsitatcd about fittin- out fordawliu-, 

 fearing that the cost and ditliculty of sccnrinj; a ,sui.i)ly of this article, 

 which is indispensable to the trawl-line lisherv, would render the under- 

 taking- unprotitable. While the matter of fitting out in the old way was 

 under consideration gill-nets were suggested by the father of Captain 

 Martin, an employe of the Fish Coniuiission, as a means of solving the 

 perplexities of the bait question. He thought the idea a good one, 

 and together with several of his crew, visited the station of the Com- 

 mission at Gloucester, looked at the Norwegian nets which were there, 

 and consulted with the agent in charge as to the probabilities of sut;- 

 cess. The result of this interview Avas that Captain ]\Iartin dei-ided to 

 fit out and give the new method a thorough trial, and nets were there- 

 fore obtained ibr this puri)Ose, part of them being supplied by the Fish 

 Commission. 



Before the trial trip was made Captain JMartin had an interview with 

 me at Gloucester in order to get some additional information as to the 

 management of the nets. 1 explained to him briefly the methods 

 adai)ted by the Norwegians. He thought, however, that the nets might 

 be " underrun," as trawls sometimes are, which would enable one man 

 to handle a gang of nets for which an entire boat's crew, six to eight 

 men, is required in Norway. I could see no reason myselt why the 

 nets could not be underrun, providing the current was not too strong and 

 the Mater not too deep. It may be exi)lained here that the Norwegians 

 set their nets late in the day and take them up on the following morn- 

 ing, the ap})aratus being carried to the land, the fish removed from the 

 meshes, and the gear prepared for setting again. This involves a large 

 amount of labor and much loss of time as compared with the method 

 of underrunning, which may be considered another Yankee invention. 



When the nets are set for underrunning, the anchor is first thrown 

 over and 25 fathoms of line paid out, when the buoy -line is attached to 

 it. The buoy and line are then thrown o\er, and the reniainder of the 

 anchor-line is then paid out, the end of the latter being made fast 

 to the nets, which are the next to follow. A middle buoy is attached 

 to the center of the gang. When the nets are all out, the other anchor- 

 line, with the buoy -line attaclied, is veered out, and last of all the an- 

 chor is thrown over, which finishes tiie work. The nets are usually 

 set in the afternoon, and allowed to remain in the water for several days, 

 uidess for some reason the vessel leaves the fishing ground, l^^ven then, 

 when the vessels have been forced to seek the shelter of a harbor during 

 a storm, the nets have frequently been left out. Fish are caught only 

 at night, and, consequently, the nets are underrun (jiily in the morning, 

 unless the men are detained by unfavorable weather until later in the 

 day. In underruning, the fisherman goes to one of the buoys on the 

 end (.1" his gang of nets, takes it in the dory, and hauls away on the 

 buoy-Hnc. the buoy being thrown out on the other side, and the line 

 allowed to run out on one side as fast as it is hauled in on the other. 



