304 APPARATUS FOR FISHING. 



The most important long-lining in this country is 

 carried on from Grimsby by large smacks, which mostly 

 fish for cod in the neighbourhood of the Doggerbank in 

 the North Sea. These vessels carry from nine to eleven 

 hands each, and remain at sea until they have a fair cargo 

 of fish, which are kept alive as long as possible in a well 

 built in the vessel. The construction of this well will be 

 explained presently, and we will now say a few words 

 about the long-line itself. 



A complete set of long-lines, as used in one of these 

 vessels, consists of about fifteen dozen, or 180 lines 

 forty fathoms in length, each supporting twenty-six hooks 

 on smaller short lines called " snoods ; " these are fastened 

 to the main line at a fathom and a half apart, that distance 

 being sufficient to prevent the snoods fouling one another 

 and the hooks becoming entangled. A "string" of this 

 description, made up of the 180 lines all fastened together 

 into one is 7,200 fathoms long, equal to more than seven 

 nautical miles, or about eight ordinary ones, and has 

 4,680 hooks. The bait used on these lines is the common 

 large whelk, which is an attractive bait for cod and ling, 

 and from its toughness and substance is not so easily 

 worked off the hook, as that more favourite bait with 

 fishermen generally, the common mussel. The operation 

 of baiting so many hooks of course takes up a good deal of 

 time, and gives plenty of occupation to the numerous 

 hands on board before this great length of line can be shot. 

 Long-lining by these vessels is only carried on during the 

 day, as light is wanted to enable the men to see what they 

 are about when hauling in the line and taking off the fish. 

 The lines are therefore shot about sunrise, or earlier if the 

 weather is fine, and it is not very dark, and sometimes a 

 second shot is made if there is time in the course of the 



