MODERN SEA FISHING 



for flat fish than for round fish, which are inclined to swim 

 upwards. 



A yacht of ten tons could carry an otter trawl measuring 

 about forty-two feet on the ground rope, and costing about 1 2/. 

 without the warp. A very long bridle ending with a shackle is 

 required with this trawl. To avoid catching undersized fish, I 



think yachtsmen might set the 

 example of having these nets 

 made with a larger mesh than 

 that ordinarily employed. 



I must confess I shared 

 the opinion, common among 

 fishermen, that the size of the 

 mesh, within reasonable limits, 

 had no influence on the size 

 of the fish captured, owing to 

 the meshes being drawn close 

 together by the strain on the 

 net while fishing. But some 

 recent experiments carried on 

 by the directions of the Scotch 

 Fishery Board have disillu- 

 sioned me. They have proved 

 beyond question that a com- 

 paratively small difference in 



the size of the mesh makes a very appreciable difference in 

 the size of the fish captured. 



The experiments were performed in the most thorough 

 manner. A beam trawl of twenty-five feet was used, the cod 

 of which had a mesh of one and a half inch from knot to 

 knot. Surrounding the cod was a second net of small mesh 

 measuring only half an inch from knot to knot. Thus, what- 

 ever escaped through the meshes of the trawl net would be 



