262 THE COMMERCIAL SEA FISHES OF 



the shoals of herring are, the presence of whales or flocks 

 of sea-birds are often useful, but, if no such indications are 

 present, the nets are frequently shot at a venture. For- 

 merly it was the invariable custom to cast the nets by 

 night, for fear of scaring the fish, but now this rule is 

 being broken by some vessels. On very dark nights the 

 phosphorescence of a shoal, if near, can be readily perceived ; 

 in fact, off the east coast, the majority of fishermen assert 

 that they always wait until "the flame" is visible, and 

 consider that they are able to tell the difference between 

 " full " and " shotten " fish, a shoal of the former swimming 

 close together in a compact body, whereas in the latter the 

 individual fish are constantly dashing about. In some 

 places the shad is termed the damon herring, and popularly 

 believed to lead the shoals. 



In fishing for herrings a number of drift-nets are joined 

 together, and these are termed a " fleet," the length of each 

 being about 20 yards, while from 101 to 181 comprise 

 a fleet, the length of which, off the east coast, varies from 

 ij to 2 miles. The Scotch fleet consists of 48 pieces, each 

 40 yards long ; they are made of cotton, which is found 

 much more destructive than hemp, which was formerly 

 employed. The mesh should be of sufficient size to allow 

 the herring to obtain entrance for its head as far as its gills. 

 During the autumnal herring season it has been computed 

 that there are frequently from 8000 to 10,000 miles of nets 

 in the North Sea at one time. In 1809 it was enacted that 

 the size of the mesh should be I inch from knot to knot, or 

 4 inches all round, and in 1839 France signed a convention 

 with Great Britain, constituting it the law for both 

 countries; this was abrogated in 1862, and in 1868 the 

 regulation was repealed. Since then the fishermen have 

 reduced the size, and off the east coast the mesh has 



