﻿288 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [72] 
  

  

  line. 
  Two 
  moderately 
  long- 
  shanked, 
  round-bowed, 
  eyed 
  hooks 
  are 
  bent 
  

   to 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  a 
  snood 
  of 
  smaller 
  line 
  (about 
  F-J 
  pounds 
  to 
  the 
  dozen) 
  

   of 
  10 
  or 
  11 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  line 
  above 
  

   the 
  sinker 
  by 
  doubling 
  the 
  snood 
  and 
  passing 
  the 
  ends, 
  with 
  the 
  hooks 
  

   attached, 
  through 
  the 
  bight 
  and 
  hauling 
  it 
  taut. 
  One 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  snood 
  

   is 
  left 
  to 
  hang 
  below 
  the 
  other 
  about 
  a 
  foot. 
  No 
  swivels 
  are 
  used. 
  The 
  

   method 
  of 
  ganging 
  is 
  to 
  pass 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  snood 
  through 
  the 
  eye 
  of 
  a 
  

   hook, 
  then 
  around 
  the 
  shank 
  and 
  back 
  underneath 
  the 
  standing 
  part 
  to 
  

   form 
  a 
  hitch. 
  The 
  end, 
  which 
  is 
  usually 
  G 
  or 
  S 
  inches 
  long, 
  is 
  sometimes 
  

   laid 
  tip 
  on, 
  and 
  bent 
  to, 
  the 
  standing 
  part. 
  More 
  frequently, 
  however, 
  

   the 
  end 
  is 
  simply 
  cut 
  off, 
  or 
  carried 
  up 
  and 
  bent 
  in 
  a 
  bowline 
  to 
  the 
  

   standing 
  part, 
  no 
  trouble 
  being 
  taken 
  to 
  lay 
  the 
  line 
  together. 
  The 
  line 
  

   is, 
  in 
  most 
  cases, 
  doubled 
  above 
  the 
  hook 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  being 
  bitten 
  off. 
  

   Sounding-line. 
  — 
  Each 
  vessel 
  is 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  sounding-line, 
  which 
  

   is 
  also 
  a 
  fishing-line. 
  The 
  line 
  itself 
  does 
  not 
  differ 
  from 
  those 
  previ- 
  

   ously 
  described. 
  The 
  sounding 
  lead 
  weighs 
  about 
  8 
  or 
  1) 
  pounds, 
  and 
  

   has 
  a 
  cavity 
  in 
  its 
  lower 
  end 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  arming, 
  which 
  is 
  generally 
  

   wax. 
  A 
  snood, 
  about 
  3 
  feet 
  long, 
  with 
  a 
  hook 
  attached 
  to 
  its 
  end, 
  is 
  

   bent 
  to 
  the 
  line 
  some 
  2 
  to 
  1 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  lead. 
  When 
  the 
  line 
  is 
  being 
  

   used 
  lor 
  sounding 
  this 
  hook 
  is 
  baited. 
  Attached 
  to 
  the 
  line, 
  at 
  a 
  suit- 
  

   able 
  distance 
  above 
  the 
  lead, 
  is 
  a 
  wooden 
  toggle 
  placed 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  

   to 
  the 
  line, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  grasped 
  in 
  the 
  hand 
  to 
  throw 
  the 
  lead. 
  

  

  Trawl-lines. 
  — 
  It 
  seems 
  desirable 
  to 
  mention 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  attempts 
  

   have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  utilize 
  trawl-lines 
  for 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  snapper, 
  

   this 
  apparatus 
  being 
  precisely 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  cod 
  and 
  had- 
  

   dock 
  fisheries 
  from 
  IS'ew 
  England 
  ports. 
  For 
  various 
  reasons, 
  however, 
  

   trawls 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  found 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  this 
  fishery. 
  More 
  fish 
  can 
  

   be 
  caught 
  on 
  hand-lines 
  than 
  on 
  trawls, 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  reasons 
  : 
  (1) 
  

   the 
  red 
  snapper, 
  as 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  stated, 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  schools 
  of 
  such 
  

   limited 
  extent 
  that 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  trawl 
  could 
  be 
  set 
  where 
  the 
  

   fish 
  were, 
  consequently 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  would 
  be 
  put 
  out 
  to 
  no 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  ; 
  (2) 
  this 
  being 
  the 
  case, 
  the 
  catch 
  must 
  necessarily 
  be 
  small, 
  even 
  

   if 
  a 
  fish 
  was 
  taken 
  on 
  every 
  hook 
  that 
  crossed 
  the 
  school; 
  (3) 
  the 
  snap- 
  

   per 
  is 
  so 
  active 
  and 
  persistent 
  in 
  its 
  efforts 
  to 
  escape 
  that 
  it 
  frequently 
  

   tears 
  itself 
  clear 
  of 
  a 
  trawl-hook, 
  especially 
  if 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  not 
  well 
  fast- 
  

   ened 
  ; 
  (!) 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  sharks 
  and 
  large 
  jewfish 
  on 
  the 
  grounds 
  in 
  

   considerable 
  numbers 
  is 
  a 
  decided 
  drawback 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  trawls, 
  even 
  

   if 
  other 
  conditions 
  favored 
  it, 
  for 
  not 
  only 
  are 
  lish 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  torn 
  from 
  

   the 
  lines 
  or 
  mutilated 
  by 
  these 
  pests, 
  but 
  the 
  apparatus 
  is 
  also 
  exposed 
  

   to 
  the 
  risk 
  of 
  being 
  injured 
  ; 
  (5) 
  the 
  snapper 
  bites 
  so 
  freely 
  at 
  a 
  hand 
  

   line 
  that 
  more 
  can 
  be 
  taken 
  by 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  apparatus 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  time 
  

   than 
  by 
  any 
  other 
  means 
  that 
  has 
  \x^vn 
  tried. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  above 
  objections 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  trawls, 
  and 
  the 
  additional 
  one 
  

   that 
  they 
  are 
  far 
  more 
  expensive 
  than 
  hand-lines, 
  there 
  seems 
  no 
  reason 
  

   to 
  suppose 
  that 
  they 
  will 
  ever 
  be 
  profitably 
  employed 
  in 
  this 
  fishery. 
  

  

  Crimping 
  (<><>h. 
  — 
  The 
  welled 
  smacks, 
  on 
  which 
  fish 
  are 
  kept 
  alive, 
  are 
  

  

  