254 APPARATUS FOR FISHING. 



as well as of those found exclusively in the sea. We shall 

 therefore roughly divide the apparatus into Nets, Lines, and 

 Traps, and begin our descriptions with the important group 

 of nets, which may be again separated into those which are 

 movable, or fixed, when in use. 



NETS. 



a. Movable Trawls, Drift, Seines, etc 



b. Fixed Trammels, Set-nets, Bag-nets, etc. 



Trawls. Among the several methods of fishing in 

 general use in our seas none is of more importance than 

 that known in England as trawling, as by its means we 

 obtain the greater part of the turbot, brill, and soles which 

 are brought to market, and soles are very rarely caught in 

 any other way. But besides the value of this mode of 

 fishing in the capture of what are known as " prime " fish, 

 its importance is even greater as a means of catching 

 plaice, haddock, whiting, and other kinds of common fish, 

 which, inferior as they are usually considered when 

 compared with turbot and soles, yet are in great and 

 constant demand in the market, and from the abundance 

 in which they are caught, they can be sold at so low a rate 

 as practically to be within reach of everyone. Another 

 point of importance in trawling is that it is carried on 

 throughout the year, although as a good deal of wind is 

 desirable for its effective working, it is more generally 

 productive in winter than at any other season, and there- 

 fore at a time when some kinds of sea fishing are difficult 

 on account of bad weather. 



There are two kinds of trawl-net in use, the beam-trawl 

 and the otter-trawl ; but the only one .used by professional 

 fishermen is the beam-trawl, and of that we will now 

 endeavour to give a description ; but an examination of 



