METHODS OF FISHING 43 



bone. Some people notably the Chinese frequently 

 use unbaited hooks, and rely upon the jerk of the hook 

 at the right moment to secure the fish. Generally, 

 however, the hook is suitably baited, the method being 

 used chiefly for fish that seek their food by scent or 

 sight, e.g. cod and shark. Line fishing for cod is still 

 employed on a large scale off the North of Scotland 

 and the coast of Newfoundland. 



In lining, the fish are caught individually. A " line " 

 may be as much as seven miles long. Short pieces of 

 line from two to three feet long are attached to it at 

 regular intervals. These lines are called the " snoods," 

 and carry the hooks. The line is usually shot at night, 

 and fished in the morning. In most cases line fishing 

 is rapidly being superseded by trawling. 



The invention of netting marked a notable advance 

 in the primitive development of the fishing industry. 

 The net in all its various forms and applications is the 

 characteristic and all-important implement of the 

 fishing industry. A net may be used either to surround 

 a fish and drag it out of the water, as in seining or 

 trawling, or it may be used to enmesh the fish, as in 

 drift netting. The rise and development of the sea 

 fishing industry has been due very largely to the gradually 

 improved efficiency of the net. 



Nets were originally used on the shore. A long 

 strip of netting was attached to upright stakes, to form 

 an enclosure with an opening towards the sea, con- 

 structed like a fishing weir in such a way that the fish 

 enter the enclosure at high tide and are unable to 

 escape. Such devices constructed on shore are known 

 as " fixed engines " ; they include stake nets, poke 

 nets, stream nets and purse nets. The net may simply 

 form the wall of an enclosure (stake net). This enclo- 

 sure may be furnished with a pocket at one corner 



