APPARATUS USED IN CAPTURING FISH. 



261 



to it, and the upper edge of both leader and trap is floated by corks,, and all kept in 

 place by anchors attached by cables to the upper corners. There are no poles 

 driven into the sea-bottom, as in the heart-seine. The netting, therefore, has a certain 

 amount of swing with the tide. 



The mouth of the trap (or upper end) is kept for the time on the bottom by leads 

 strung on a line and seized to the line run through the meshes that passes across the 

 bottom, up the end of the side opposite the leader, and thence away around the trap, 

 to which is seized the cork-lhie. This line also runs across the top of the open end to 

 prevent the trap from spreading. And here are two buoys of corks, with lines running 

 toj the bottom and attached -p-^ ^ 



to the lead-line, one of which *^* 



is; caught by each boat, and 

 the bottom of the trap jniUed 

 up; to the gunwale, when the 

 setting is caught by the men 

 and distributed among them, 

 each holding as much as he 

 can handle, and keeping a 

 sharp lookout that no opening 

 be left for the fish to pass by 

 them. The netting is now over- 

 hauled, and passes under the 

 boats and to the bottom while 

 the fish are being bunted into 

 the corner where the pound 

 is attached. When they are 

 crowded hard, and a good 

 bunch of them, they will sink 

 the corks, otherwise an oar is 

 used to sink the corks, and 

 they pass over into the pound or 

 pocket. Any remaining seine 

 is thrown from the boats, and 

 by sinking the corks at the 

 most convenient spot, with a 

 scoop-net or oar, the boats go 

 out of the trap, and are ready 

 to itry the same thing over 

 again, and so on until the tide 

 is too strong for them ; when 

 they go ashore to eat and sleep, 

 or wait for another tide, that 

 must be fished in the same 

 way, come when it will, mid- 

 night or daylight. When fish 

 are running, the traps are 

 bunted five or six times each 

 tide. It takes six good men 

 to bunt, and another good man 

 to cook for them. These traps 

 are set the 1st of May and taken up about the 25th. They catch almost wholly scup 

 and sea-bass, but comparatively few other fish. 



To give some idea of the proportion, I wall give the following rough estimate of the 

 catch to one trap: Scup, 1,500 barrels; sea-bass, 2,500 barrels: flat-fish, 1,000 barrels; 

 tautog, 500 barrels ; bass, 700 barrels ; mackerel, 200 barrels ; menhaden, sea-robins, 

 bellows-fish, 200 barrels. 



Nineteen-twentieths of the fish are caught during the great run in five or ten days, 

 from the 10th to the 20th of May. We have known two-thirds of the season's catch 

 to be taken in forty-eight hours. 



These traps vary from twenty to thirty fathoms in length, from five to ten in depth, 

 and ten to fifteen in width. 

 Yours, truly, 



J. M. K. SOUTHWICK. 



Professor Baird. 



It will be seen that this net requires the constant supervision of the 

 fishermen, as there is nothing to prevent the fish from swimming out 

 after they have gone around the circuit of the inclosure. It is therefore 

 necessary to be on the watch, so as to raise the forward part of the net 



ITeart or PoiindXet as set iii. 

 Hlxodc laLini. 

 J. M. K. Soxn'iraicnc. 



Sca]e 30 Xeet to inoU. 



