172 



THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



the swell, which for a littk' time was 

 rather disconcerting. 



The chief fishing grounds of the New 

 South Wales coast are off Norah Head, 

 Botany Bay, Montague Island, Eden, 

 and Gabo Island. The Botany ground 

 is particularly favoured about the montli 

 of October, when great schools of flat- 

 head abound in its vicinity, and then 

 one may see as many as five ships at 

 Avork together. On the occasion of the 

 present voyage, Captain Flett decided to 

 exploit the ground off Norah Head, and 

 our destination was readied at about 

 five p.m. During the afternoon busy 

 scenes had been witnessed on Ijoard. The 

 deck-hands were getting the net ready; 

 the winch was tested and oiled; a gene- 

 ral inspection was made of all gear and 

 tackle, and final preparations were made 

 for fishing. As the engines were slow- 

 ed down there began a scene of great 

 bustle and activity, and all work seem- 

 ed to be done with utmost promptitude 

 and precision. I'he vessel had been skil- 

 fully manoeuvered into position for the 

 "shooting" of the net. With three- 

 quarter speed ahead, this was passed 

 over the side, and the heavy otter 

 boards attached to each end were lowered 

 with a thunderous rattle and disappear- 

 ed with a splash into the sea. 



The otter trawl is quite a modern 

 English invention, and appears in dia- 

 gram very mucli like a conventional 

 onion bag; the width at its mouth is 

 about ninety feet, tapering off poster- 

 iorly to a pointed extremity known as 

 the cod-end. This latter is protected by 

 extra pieces of netting known as the 

 flaps, which are attached by one edge 

 td the outside. The otter boards or 

 "(poors'' are of massive construction, 

 measuring four feet six inches in height, 

 ten feet in length, and four inches thick ; 

 tlie edges are heavily shod witli iron. 

 Tlie action of the water on these doors 

 is comparable to that of wind on a kite, 

 and tends to keep them far apart, and 

 so liold the mouth of tlie net o]jen. 

 I'hey ride with their long edges on the 

 bottom of the sea, and steel cables or 

 warps are attached to rigid iron frames 

 ui^on them. The warps pass inboard by 

 way of blocks suspended from the gal- 

 lows — iron structures shaped like an in- 



verted "U." Tliere are two of these on 

 both port and starboard sides of the 

 ship, one set placed for'ard, and the 

 other aft. Only the gallows of one side, 

 however, are in operation at once. 



My attention was attracted })y the 

 rattle of the winch, paying out the 

 warps from two separate coils attached 

 to the drum^s. The winch was straining 

 and screeching, whilst the keen eyes of 

 the operators kept strict watch for the 

 markings on the warps which indicated 

 lengths of twenty-five fathoms. At each 

 of these a temporary halt was made for 

 the purpose of allowing the net to "lay 

 out," thus preventing it from tangling. 

 With the application of the brakes, the 

 winch gradually ceased its noisy part, 

 and held the taut warps secui'e. By 

 grasping these latter at a point where 

 they left the ship's side, one could feel 

 the vibration caused by the dragging of 

 the net over the sea floor forty fathoms 

 below. This dragging considerably re- 

 duces the speed of the ship, so that she 

 only progresses from three to four 

 knots per hour during the period that 

 the trawl is down. 



With the completion of the duties as- 

 sociated with the shooting of the net, 

 general f(uietness supervened, and was 

 ))roken only by the monotonous dron- 

 ing of the engines, and intermittent jol- 

 lifications emanating from the region of 

 the galley, where most of the crew had 

 now assembled, busy with their tea. 

 Gradually the glow of the sun waned in 

 the western sky, throwing a red shaft 

 across the sea ere it faded completely. 

 A faint wind fanned the surface of the 

 water and seemed to bring with it night, 

 who immediately began to spread hei" 

 dusky robes over the watery waste. A 

 dark night without moon, but with a 

 world of stars. Leaning over the side, 

 one saw the dark water agleam with 

 liliosphorescent flashes of light, caused 

 by the flsh which darted away from the 

 vessel's jn-ow. I'he vivid revolving light 

 at N(n-ah Head was in the western sky. 

 wliilst clusters of smaller lights marked 

 the laud in the further distance. 



Suddeidy the deck was flooded witlr 

 bright light, and the clanging of the 

 engine-room bell was heard. Witliin a 

 few minutes all tlie sliip was astir, and 



