250 FISHERMEN'S OWN BOOK, 



Net Codfishing has been practically a failure the past season. In the 

 Winter of 1 880-81 the netting fleet in Ipswich Bay took large fares, while 

 the trawlers met with much poorer success. On a recent trip in the same 

 waters the sch. Magellan Cloud, with twenty-four nets set, took only about 

 1,000 pounds codfish, while in four days fishing there a trawler took 20,000 

 pounds. 



Helping Themselves. — One of the peculiarities of the white fish trade 

 of the lakes is the traffic between the fishermen and the lake craft engaged 

 in the carrying and passenger trade. These boats as they pass up and 

 down the lakes frequently stop and take up the fishermen's nets and help 

 themselves to what they want. The fish taken are weighed and the money 

 to pay for them is attached to the nets, which are again let down to the bot- 

 tom of the lake. So it often happens that the fishermen in lifting their net^ 

 take in considerable money as well as fish. The lake captains are very 

 honorable in this matter, and it has come to be an understood arrangement, 

 satisfactory all around. 



The French Sardine Fishery. — Not less than 30,000 persons are en- 

 gaged in the sardine fishery in France, and fully as many find occupation 

 in "preserving" this fish. A writer in the Journal of the Society of Arts 

 says that in taking the sardine the bait, which is called roe, plays an im- 

 portant part. This lure is a kind of caviare made from the eggs of the cod 

 preserved in brine, 35,000 barrels of which are imported from Norway every 

 year. When the position of a shoal is ascertained the nets are let down 

 and the master of the boat throws the bait, mixed with sand to cause it to 

 sink, into the water. Emerald green flashes on the surface of the water 

 denote the rise of some of the fish. Then the bait is liberally cast out, and 

 soon the whole shoal rises into the nets. At one time a boat could take 

 20,000 sardines, but now it is a rare thing to bring in more than from 5,000 

 to 6,000 at a trip. When the boats land, the sardines are taken to the fac- 

 tories in hampers containing about 500 apiece. There women cut off the 

 heads of the fish, open and clean the bodies, and place each fish one by 

 one on stone or marble slabs previously strewed with salt. While this pre- 

 liminary drying is going on, the fires are lighted and the purest olive oil is 

 put into immense caldrons. When the oil is boiling, the sardines are laid 

 in layers in iron wire baskets provided with handles. These baskets are 

 plunged into the oil and then placed on shelves covered with zinc to drain. 

 When they are moderately dry they are taken to the large drying house, 

 exposed to the sea breeze, and there they remain until fit to be stored and 

 put into boxes. The largest are considered the finest, and the small ones 

 are frequently passed off as anchovies. 



