THE SEA FISHERIES OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. Ill 



the hand-line, to the introduction of the trawl, and mauy accusations 

 have been brought against it, on the score of its destruction of the fish 

 and the injury to the fishing-grounds, in regard to which we shall in- 

 quire hereafter. 



One proof of the antiquity of the long-line is the fact of its exist- 

 ence in almost the form used by civilized nations among the Indians of 

 the northwest coast of America. It usually happens that aboriginal 

 methods now employed by savage tribes have been handed down from 

 a very high antiquity, and it is not at all improbable that the people of 

 modern Europe simply developed an implement made use of many 

 thousands of years previously by their ancestors. 



The trawl-line as mentioned consists essentially of a line of varying 

 length, sometimes, as on the coast of England, as much as 7 or 8 miles, 

 more usually, however, from 100 yards upwards, with short lines of 

 perhaps 3 feet in length attached at intervals of 3J to G feet, each with 

 a hook, but commonly not provided with leads or sinkers. To one end 

 of this long line is attached a weigh*-, by means of which it is carried 

 to the bottom. The line is then paid out at the side of the boat, the 

 hooks being previously properly baited, and the other end is weighted 

 and dropped to the bottom also. At each end of the long line is an 

 attached buoy, which, floating at the surface, indicates the location of the 

 two ends. Sometimes, in the case of very long lines, there may be in- 

 termediate weights and intermediate buoys, those at the extreme ends 

 in such a case being differently marked for their proper designation. 



The bait used on the long-lines varies with the country and the cir- 

 cumstauces, the longer lines used in England for the capture of cod 

 being baited almost entirely with the whelk (Buccinum undatum), a 

 mollusk or shell-fish very abundant in England, and for the capture of 

 which numerous vessels of from 10 to 20 tons are employed. 



The whelk is taken sometimes with the net, more usually by the use 

 of some bait which attracts them into a basket or iuclosure, in which 

 they are then lifted out. The abundance of this object in the Euro- 

 pean waters is very great, as with all its consumption the numbers do 

 not appear to decrease. 



In the ordinary boat fishing the long-line is usually baited with the 

 common muscle, the use of fish, such as fresh herring, &c, being much 

 less common than in Northern Europe and in America. The whelk and 

 species closely allied to it are abundant in the- United States ; but so 

 far comparatively little use is made of them. It is probable that in 

 the search for improved qualities and increased quantities of bait for 

 the capture of codfish this will soon come into play and constitute a 

 very desirable and satisfactory substitute for the other varieties. The 

 clam among the mollusks is more generally employed for this purpose, 

 both the My a arvnaria, or soft clam, and the Venus mercenaria, or 

 hard clam. There are several other species which are used in large 

 numbers for this purpose, to which reference will be made in another 



