FRESH -WATER MUSSEI^S AND MUSSEI^ INDUSTRIES. 55 



from 3 to 4.5 feet, according to the size of the hoop ; when not made of chain, it is usually- 

 tarred to insure longer life. Soft twine is preferred to hard twine ; the sizes used range 

 from 36 to 96, but the latter size is the one generally employed. ' 



Power is a very important factor in the use of the dip net. The bo^t and engine, 

 in fact, govern the size of the appliance, since it 'would be useless to work iyith a large 

 dip net and very little power. Any ordinary John boat or launch, which the sheller 

 may have, can be readily fitted up for use. Uprights or standards on the boat, as 

 well as the mule, can be dispensed with. The engines are of the gasoline type and are 

 from 4 to 20 horsepower. 



The cost of the complete dip net, including the necessary ropes, is about $5 to $7, 

 depending upon the size. Considering the good results obtained by this method of 

 mussel fishery, together with the durability of the apparatus, the first cost is very 

 small, indeed. 



Operation of Dip Net. — To operate a boat successfully, two men or a man and 

 a boy are needed; one attends to the dip net and the steering, while the other looks 

 after the engine and assists with the shells. When the boat is over the mussel bed, and 

 running at full speed, the operator stands in the stem and steers with his foot or leg 

 while manipulating the dip net wdth his hands. The apparatus is put into the water, 

 usually at his right side, and when it reaches the bottom he bears dowTi heavily on the 

 handle. The towing line is attached, as previously mentioned, to the bridle at one 

 end and to the bow of the boat at the other. The dip net, therefore, functions as a 

 dredge, while the pole is handled by the fisherman in the stern in such a way as to change 

 the angle of the net and cause it to dig into the bottom more or less deeply. Physical 

 energy and endurance are required on the part of the operator, if the dip net is large 

 and the power strong. 



If the w^ater be rather deep or the boat very short, the angle formed by the towing 

 line and the upright handle may be too sharp for proper manipulation. In this case a 

 boom pole is rigged out from the bow and a longer line attached to its forward end. 



The teeth on the low^er edge of the hoop dig up the mussels, which, due to the motion 

 of the boat, roll into the net. Unless the net is placed at the stem in direct line of 

 travel, the boat is retarded on one side and consequently makes a large circle over the 

 mussel beds; this is usually desired. When the apparatus is raised after making a haul, 

 the mud and small shells are washed out as well as can be done rapidly, and the contents 

 are dumped into the bottom of the boat. The partner attends to the sorting out of the 

 mussels, the trash and some of the dead shells being thrown overboard. 



By this method of mussel fishery two men or a man and a boy have been known to 

 take from 1,500 to 1,800 pounds of shells in half a day in a good locality. 



Advantages of the Dip-net Method. — The dip-net appliance is strongly recom- 

 mended to the attention of mussel fishermen, as it is especially adapted for use on soft- 

 mud bottoms and in waters which are without strong current and also where the depth 

 is too great or the mussels too scattering for the successful operation of the rake or 

 tongs. It may also be employed where there is a good current, providing the bottom 

 conditions are satisfactory. 



The method will be at a disadvantage in very hard or gravelly bottoms or where 

 there are numerous obstructions; in the first case the net will become "overloaded with 

 rocks, and in the second the progress will be stopped altogether. 



