THE HERRING FISHERY. 15 



well corked, so that the net can be kept on or near the 

 surface. This plan will do well where herrings are fished 

 in the tracks of steamers. Some of these, as well as 

 sailing vessels, draw twenty-four feet water, so fishermen 

 must have their nets fully that distance below the surface 

 to allow them to pass ; so if the herrings are near the 

 surface the greater part of the nets will be beneath them. 

 When the small rope is uppermost, steamers or sailing 

 vessels passing over the nets will only break the small rope, 

 doing very little damage, as the strong rope will keep the 

 whole fleet of nets together. By this means the herrings 



can be fished near the surface. This inverted net was first T 



Inverted net 



used on the east coast of Scotland, where it has now first used on 



east coast of 



become general. A few of the west coast fishermen have Scotland, 

 adopted the plan with success. 



At Ballantrae a different kind of net is used when the Nets at 

 herrings are on the banks spawning. These nets are called Ballantrae - 

 ' bottom nets," and are about eighty meshes deep. A rope "Bottom" 

 is put on both edges ; the upper one is well corked, while on 

 the one underneath stones are tied to keep the nets at the 

 bottom, the stones being some distance apart. A large 

 stone is attached to either end for moorings. I have seen 

 these narrow strips of nets completely filled with herrings, 

 and when this is the case it is with the greatest difficulty 

 that the crew can get them hauled. 



It is to these banks that the greater part of the herrings Banks at 

 on the west coast of Scotland resort to spawn, and I may 

 add from the English Channel also, as great shoals are seen 

 coming from the south. The herrings begin to gather 

 there about the 1st of January, and by the middle of 

 February the greater part of the body has arrived. They 

 begin to spawn about the end of February, and are Spawning, 

 generally spawned and away by the middle of March. 



