MARINE FOOD FISHES 127 
or young eel, ascends into fresh water. In due course 
small eels make their way during floods and rains to the 
inland ponds. 
Kels may live in ponds for many years, and grow 
to several pounds in weight before they descend to the 
sea to spawn. But after spawning they probably die, 
for adult eels have never been known to return from the 
sea to fresh water. 
From the brief description given, it will be seen how 
very different are the life histories and habits of our food 
fishes. Many of the methods employed by fishermen in 
capturing fish from the sea, are based upon a knowledge 
of these habits. For example, at sundown herring and 
sprats turn their heads from the shore, and slowly advance 
in immense shoals as they strain their food from the 
water. For the capture of these fish, therefore, a wall 
of netting known as a drift-net, is floated in the sea, 
parallel with the shore. The fish as they advance push 
their heads through the meshes of this net, and are held 
captive by the strands slipping behind the gill covers. 
In autumn eel-baskets are placed across the river to 
intercept the passage of these fish on their migration 
to the sea. The trawl on the other hand, sweeps up 
everything from the bottom, mature and immature, use- 
ful and useless fish alike. Though the trawl is the most 
ready method of procuring fish, it is at the same time 
the most harmful to our sea fishes. 
A brief description of the various methods of fishing 
in the sea may be of interest to the reader. 
