.: 



368 INTERNATIONAL LAWS FOR THE 



temporary fleets, possibly for a few months in the summer, 

 and not working far away from port, where a few owners 

 co-operate and each vessel takes her turn to bring in the 

 fish of the others every day. But the large established 

 fleets, of which there are several in the North Sea, such as 

 the Hull, Grimsby, Hewitt's, Lowestoft, Ramsgate, and 

 others, are generally working all the year round, and are 

 served by regular steam or sailing carrying vessels. Vessels 

 join or leave as their time expires, and go to whichever 

 fleet the owner desires. Such a fleet is commanded by an 

 admiral, usually selected by the principal smack-owners for 

 his superior qualities or experience. He flies a distinguish- 

 ing flag and signals his orders to the fleet when to shoot 

 the gear, and when to haul, tack or otherwise, and in some 

 fleets, what is most important, decides whether the weather 

 is fit for the vessels to get out their boats to convey the fish 

 to the steamer or cutter, which is waiting to convey them 

 to market. This rule is rigidly adhered to in some fleets 

 by special orders from the owners. The admiral also 

 leads the fleets to various grounds wherever he judges best. 

 In some cases he is paid by weekly wages, a share of his 

 own catch, and fifteenpence for every hundred packages of 

 fish caught by the fleet ; in other cases half-a-crown for each 

 time the fleet shoot their gear by his orders, or other similar 

 methods. There is generally a second admiral in the fleet 

 who is appointed to take charge in case of accident, or 

 when the admiral in command leaves the fleet for home, 

 his time being expired. 



Coopering. It is at these fleets that so much harm is done by the 

 system known as " coopering," which is usually carried on 

 by vessels sailing under a foreign flag, which are nothing 

 more than floating grog and tobacco shops. They dispose 

 of their goods either for cash, stores, or clothes of any kind, 



