THE SEA FISH OF TRINIDAD AS SEA-FOOD 41 
spliced together; one end of this warp is shackled to two 
other pieces, each 15 fathoms long, and called the “spans” or 
“bridles,’’ which lead one to each end of the beam, and are 
shackled to swivel-bolts in front of the iron heads, so as to 
give a firm pull on the whole apparatus. 
There is a belief prevalent amongst the fishing folk here, 
that steam-trawling would soon exhaust all the grounds, but 
this is erroneous, as for some time at all events there would be 
but one steam-trawl. At Brixham in Devonshire, where 
trawling is believed to have originated, and fishing has al- 
ways been the chief industry, one particular fishing ground, 
practically about twenty miles long and from three to eight 
miles from land, has been worked steadily for over a hundred 
years, and yet there is no sign of the ground being exhausted; 
in fact it has never been so prosperous as in the past few 
years. 
The trawler would also have to be provided with “ drift- 
nets’ and “stow-nets.”’ The “drift-net’’ in its use corre- 
sponds to what is locally called a “fillet’’ but it is worked in 
a more intelligent manner in British seas. The essential 
principle of the working of the “drift-net’’ is that it forms 
a long wall or barrier of netting, hanging for a few fathoms 
perpendicularly in the water, but extending a great length 
horizontally, and that the surface fish meeting these nets, 
and trying to pass, become meshed, that is, get their heads 
and gills in the meshes of the net, from which they cannot 
withdraw, their gill-covers being caught. This system of 
fishing is generally prosecuted at night. The ‘“stow-net’’ 
used from the trawler, ought to be particularly successful 
with shoal-fish like “jacks” and “anchois’’, etc. It is the 
same mode as followed in the sprat fisheries in England. 
Long-lining, which consists of coils of line 7,200 fathoms, or 
nearly eight miles long, and with nearly 5,000 hooks fastened 
on snoods 14 fathoms apart, I am afraid would not answer 
on account of the predaceous fish, but the trawler would 
have to carry hand-lines, as some of the choicest table-fish, 
to wit, the “vivanot jolle bleu” can only be caught on the 
deep-sea bottom, where nets cannot reach. The trawl would 
have to carry plenty of ice to keep the fish fresh, the “ well’’ 
