FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 
255 
erel purse riugs fair trial and were forced to abandon them, as the parse line would 
invariably draw twine into the rings, thereby preventing the pursing of the seine. 
Schools of salmon were often lost from this cause. A subsequent examination of some 
of the condemned “Gloucester rings,” as they were called, showed them to be of the 
small composition make, such as were employed at one time on the “shoal” or small 
seines. This kind of ring has not been in use by the mackerel fishermen for 8 or 10 
years, having been given up by them for the same reason explained above. There is 
no apparent reason why the modern mackerel purse ring would not work to advan- 
tage on the salmon purse seines of Puget Sound. 
The time is not far distant when the combination of Oriental ideas which now pre- 
vails in this region will give way to the modern improvements which the American 
fishermen are bringing with them to the Pacific coast. It will, however, probably 
take sometime to overcome the prejudice which now exists against the introduction 
of new methods of fishing, as the Greek and Italian fishermen are very conservative 
and look with disfavor upon any change from the old ways. 
A sharpy seine-boat and a scow are required for operating each seine. 
The former carries 5 men and the latter 4 men, this constituting the reg- 
ular seine crew. The scow is about 20 feet long and 8 feet wide. It is 
fitted with an iron winch at each end, for pursing up the seine, and is 
deemed indispensable for operating a net of this kind. The seine is 
stowed upon the after part of the seine-boat, about 8 feet of which is 
decked over at the stern for this purpose. Captain Tanner says : 
The method of stowing and throwing the seine differs somewhat from that followed 
in the mackerel fishery. The salmon seine being thrown over the stern of the boat, it 
has to be stowed fore and aft instead of athwartship. The corks are placed on the 
port side, the twine on the starboard side. The twine isthrown in a heap, not arranged 
neatly in “ flakes” and “ bits ” as upon a mackerel boat, because the man who throws 
is not particular to have it clear the stern so as not to retard the speed of the boat in 
going around a school. The result is that the oarsmen have an extra ainouut of work 
to perform . 
He also gives the following interesting account of the method of fish- 
ing with a purse seine in Puget Sound : 
Starting upon a fishing trip, the boat, with its scow in tow, is rowed to a favorable 
locality where salmon are likely to occur, and, Laving anchored the scow, a lookout 
is kept for fish. As soon as a school is sighted the boat is shoved off, leaving one end 
of the seine attached to the scow. A circle is made around the fish, the boat return- 
ing again to the scow, when all hands jump aboard of it aud commence to haul in on 
the twine and corks, two men standing at the winches and slowly taking in the 
slack on the purse line. It is not, however, until half the length of the seine has 
been pulled in that they begin to purse up in earnest. At this time the anchor rope 
is slacked off, and, all hands laying hold of the purse line, purse the scow into the . 
middle of the seine. Were this done in the beginning much hard labor could be 
saved. Time and labor would also bo economized by slacking the anchor rope while 
the first half of the seine is being hauled in, instead of which the seine is hauled 
bodily through tlio water. 
During the slow process of pursing a man stands at the davit with a long pole, 
having a block of wood called a “ plunger” fastened to it. This is kept working up 
and down between tlife purse lines, for tlio purposo of frightening the fish away from 
the center of the net ; and it is, no doubt, \ery effective in saving the school, as the 
bottom of the seine is left opon from 25 to 40 minutes, which is ample time for a sal- 
mon to find its way out. 
