152 NEWFOUNDLAND 



nets, or nets, hand-lines, and trawls all together. At this 

 season the fish are at their best quality, as the caplin are in, 

 and on these the cod largely feed. Caplin strike on to the 

 south coast about the loth of June, and last till ist August, 

 dying in myriads on the shore after spawning amongst the 

 seaweed. 



In shape a cod-trap is very like a house, with a large 

 door at which the fish can enter. In the water it is 15 

 fathoms square on the ground plan, and 10 to 12 fathoms 

 deep, the mesh of the net being 7 inches. The trap is set 

 in 10 to 12 fathoms of water, and a long net stretching 

 landwards, and called a "leader," guides the fish in at the 

 front door. Once they go in they seldom return. This 

 effective trap is hauled up twice a day, and generally it will 

 contain anything from i to 150 quintals of fish. 



Cod-nets are of somewhat different construction, the mesh 

 being small, only 6 inches. They are about 100 fathoms 

 long, and are about 20 feet deep. Weights are attached to 

 the bottom, and they are sunk in from 18 to 20 fathoms of 

 water. The cod run their heads into the net, and get their 

 gills entangled. These nets are hauled once a day, and 

 contain from a few fish to 10 quintals. 



A cod-seine is a long net 102 to 130 fathoms of still 

 smaller mesh, 4 inches in the centre and 5 at both ends. 

 It is coiled in the stern of a small boat, and two men cast 

 it out as the boat is rowed in a circle. The men, by means 

 of a water-glass, see the school of fish before casting their 

 net, and are sometimes very successful at this method of 

 fishing. The cod-seine net can be cast several times during 

 the day. 



Hand-line fishing from small boats is somewhat precarious. 

 The men usually average about fifty fish a day, but as many 



