BOATS AND GEAR 239 



head is to the wind, and the fish become caught by the 

 gills in the meshes. 



The mackerel-net is almost identical with the herring- 

 net, only the meshes are half as large again. 



The Mediterranean sardine-net is boat-shaped as seen 

 from above and pointed at either end. It is about 160 

 feet long and 40 feet wide. The lower edge is loaded 

 with lead ; the upper edge is buoyed by means of corks. 

 The meshes are of linen thread and very fine. The 

 battude and veiradiere are of a similar type. The prin- 

 ciple of action is the same in all : the fish rushes into 

 the meshes and is caught by the gills. 



The easier and the diable both on the principle of the 

 eel-pot or crab-pot are very easy to handle ; they are 

 simply sunk and left to themselves for a time. The 

 diable is used in the estuary of the Seine for catching 

 sprats, herrings, and shrimps. It consists of a pyramidal 

 bag of netting some 20 feet long, mounted on a frame of 

 wood measuring 16 feet by 6 feet 6 inches. To this 

 frame is attached a weight and an anchor, which hold 

 the net lying on the bottom, while a couple of floats 

 betray its location. 



With trap-nets and dredge-nets (which are not drag- 

 nets) we come to the series of fixed gear. These 

 are also known in France as fish-parks or fisheries 

 and include mullet-nets, crawls, tunny-nets, stake-nets, 

 &c. 



Trap-nets and dredge-nets (filet-dr agues, which we owe 

 to M. Ruret) are enclosures of network moored by means 

 of anchors not far from the shore. They are used in 

 Newfoundland for cod and in Norway for salmon. The 

 mullet-nets of the Gulf of Marseilles are shaped like 

 enormous spouts, the sides being more or less vertical 

 and the lower portion inclined obliquely. They catch 



