SOME FISH AND SOME FISHING 



appear in those waters until the early 

 summer. 



Permanent tuna fisheries and fish fac- 

 tories exist at Syracuse and Palermo and at 

 other places along the coast. In setting the 

 nets, advantage is taken of a strange fact. 

 The fish are kno-vvn to travel in certain direc- 

 tions along the coast, and when they meet 

 with an ohstruction, they always turn to the 

 left. I was told that the fishermen in Italy, 

 therefore, believe that the fish see only out 

 of the right eye. A strong, deep net is 

 anchored offshore and secured to kedges. 

 It is a trap-net, open toward the sea, and 

 the inner chamber has a strong floor. At 

 Palermo there is a stone tower on shore 

 from which a watchman watches the nets 

 and announces with a bell the arrival of a 

 school of tuna. When the fish are inter- 

 cepted by the nets, they keep turning to the 

 left, until they arrive in the camera di morte, 

 or death-chamber. The watchman having 

 announced the arrival of the fish, and the 

 [441 



