44 THE FISHING INDUSTRY 



(poke net). It may consist essentially of one long, 

 deep pocket kept open by rings or stakes at intervals 

 (purse and hose nets). It may be simply a wall of netting 

 into which the fish thrust their heads ; owing to their gill 

 openings they are unable to withdraw and so become 

 entangled (stream net). 



The first development of a movable net was the seine 

 or drag net. The seine is a semi-circular drag net, 

 which is shot in shallow water so as to enclose an area 

 of water close to the shore. It is then hauled ashore, 

 and gathers up the fish that are in the enclosed area of 

 water. Such a net is limited to inshore use. Generally, 

 a line is attached to each end of the net. The free end 

 of one of these lines is made fast to the shore by a stake, 

 and the net is paid out from a small boat. When the 

 whole of the net has been paid out, the boat travels 

 round until the net forms a semi-circle of which the 

 diameter is parallel to the shore ; the net is then hauled in. 



The seine net was used in ancient times by Phoenicians, 

 Greeks, and other Mediterranean peoples. Various 

 types of seines are in common use to-day. In Denmark 

 a seine net is employed to catch eels and plaice. On the 

 Cornish coast pilchards are caught with a large seine 

 up to two hundred fathoms long and eight fathoms 

 deep. In the United States a seine is used in water 

 of any depth to catch mackerel. Rings are attached 

 to the footrope of the net, and by passing a line through 

 these rings and drawing it tight, the net is transformed 

 into a bowl of netting. This is called the purse seine. 



The seine was first improved by the addition of a 

 pocket at its centre. Then the sides or wings were 

 gradually lengthened, until finally it developed into a 

 deep, conical, bag-shaped net, furnished with long 

 arms or wings. This was dragged along the bottom, 

 behind a boat in full sail, The net was weighted and its 



