﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  61 
  

  

  netting 
  fleet 
  to 
  38 
  vessels. 
  Few 
  fish 
  were 
  taken 
  by 
  this 
  method 
  that 
  

   year 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  months, 
  and 
  not 
  until 
  early 
  spring 
  were 
  any 
  

   considerable 
  quantities 
  caught, 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  fleet 
  reahzed 
  

   enough 
  profit 
  on 
  their 
  catch 
  to 
  pay 
  for 
  the 
  gear 
  purchased. 
  In 
  the 
  

   early 
  inception 
  of 
  tliis 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  only 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  immedi- 
  

   ate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Cape 
  Ann 
  were 
  resorted 
  to, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  season 
  

   scarcely 
  any 
  fish 
  were 
  caught 
  close 
  inshore, 
  and 
  the 
  fleet 
  was 
  com- 
  

   pelled 
  to 
  seek 
  fisliing 
  banks 
  lying 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  12 
  miles 
  offshore. 
  

  

  About 
  20 
  years 
  ago 
  cod 
  gill-net 
  fishing 
  was 
  extensively 
  carried 
  

   on 
  in 
  Ipswich 
  Bay 
  and 
  on 
  other 
  local 
  grounds, 
  but 
  in 
  recent 
  years, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  fish 
  on 
  those 
  grounds, 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  

   of 
  vessels 
  have 
  employed 
  giU 
  nets 
  for 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  cod. 
  The 
  dif- 
  

   ference 
  between 
  cod 
  gill 
  nets 
  and 
  the 
  nets 
  introduced 
  by 
  lake 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  is 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  set 
  and 
  hauled, 
  size 
  

   of 
  mesh, 
  and 
  kind 
  of 
  floats 
  and 
  sinkers 
  used. 
  Cod 
  giU 
  nets 
  are 
  35 
  

   fathoms 
  long, 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  mesh 
  is 
  9^ 
  and 
  

   10 
  inches. 
  Large 
  glass 
  globes 
  attached 
  at 
  regular 
  intervals 
  along 
  

   the 
  head 
  rope 
  serve 
  as 
  floats. 
  On 
  the 
  footrope 
  opposite 
  each 
  globe 
  

   is 
  attached 
  a 
  brick. 
  The 
  buoyancy 
  of 
  the 
  floats 
  combined 
  with 
  

   the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  bricks 
  keeps 
  the 
  nets 
  perpendicular 
  in 
  the 
  water. 
  

   They 
  are 
  set 
  and 
  hauled 
  from 
  dories. 
  

  

  The 
  nets 
  introduced 
  by 
  the 
  lake 
  fishermen 
  are 
  50 
  fathoms 
  long, 
  

   from 
  6 
  to 
  8 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  mesh 
  is 
  6 
  and 
  6^ 
  inches. 
  The 
  

   twine 
  generally 
  used 
  is 
  Hnen, 
  although 
  cotton 
  twine 
  is 
  now 
  employed 
  

   to 
  some 
  extent. 
  The 
  floats 
  are 
  of 
  wood 
  and 
  aluminum. 
  To 
  keep 
  the 
  

   net 
  in 
  an 
  upright 
  position 
  when 
  set 
  a 
  lead 
  sinker 
  is 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  foot 
  

   line 
  opposite 
  each 
  float. 
  These 
  nets, 
  hke 
  cod 
  nets, 
  are 
  set 
  at 
  and 
  

   near 
  the 
  bottom, 
  but 
  instead 
  of 
  bemg 
  set 
  from 
  dories 
  they 
  are 
  payed 
  

   out 
  over 
  the 
  stern 
  from 
  boxes 
  while 
  the 
  vessel 
  is 
  going 
  at 
  slow 
  .speed. 
  

   A 
  box 
  contains 
  4 
  nets 
  of 
  50 
  fathoms 
  each, 
  and 
  12 
  boxes 
  of 
  nets 
  con- 
  

   stitute 
  a 
  string. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  boxes 
  set 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  depends 
  upon 
  

   the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  weather. 
  The 
  nets 
  are 
  hauled 
  by 
  a 
  Ufter, 
  some- 
  

   times 
  called 
  an 
  "iron 
  man," 
  rigged 
  on 
  the 
  port 
  side 
  just 
  aft 
  of 
  the 
  

   wheelhouse. 
  A 
  separate 
  engine 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  operating 
  the 
  After. 
  The 
  

   fish, 
  on 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  nets 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  

   boxes. 
  Each 
  vessel 
  or 
  boat 
  has 
  three 
  strings 
  of 
  nets. 
  The 
  weather 
  

   permitting, 
  one 
  string 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  vessel 
  ready 
  to 
  set 
  

   as 
  soon 
  as 
  a 
  haul 
  has 
  been 
  made, 
  and 
  another 
  on 
  the 
  wharf 
  under- 
  

   going 
  repairs, 
  no 
  mending 
  being 
  done 
  on 
  the 
  vessel. 
  Haddock 
  is 
  the 
  

   principal 
  species 
  taken, 
  but 
  cod 
  and 
  pollock 
  are 
  also 
  obtained 
  in 
  

   considerable 
  quantities. 
  

   22889°— 
  14 
  5 
  

  

  