27 
than the Eastern ones, and carry fewer men, five or six constituting 
a crew. On arrival at the banks the schooner is hove-to, and all 
hands prepare for work. First the dories are launched and the 
buoy lines lowered. The buoy line is usually about 150 feet long, 
with an anchor attached to the end. The anchor is lowered to 
the bottom and then the trawl lines, usually three in number, are 
lowered over the side of the boat. The trawl lines are each about 
1,800 feet long, and are joined together so as to make one con- 
tinuous line. Side lines, about six feet long, are attached to the 
trawl lines and are placed about three or four feet apart. These 
lines have hooks and bait (usually herring) attached, and are so 
placed as to rest on the bottom. The trawl lines are lowered over 
the end of the dory, and great skill is needed in placing the trawl 
so as to cover as much ground as possible and yet not get the lines 
crossed or tangled. To lift the trawl the buoy line with the 
anchor attached is taken in first, and then the trawl. Some 
schooners are equipped with a windlass to do this work. The fish 
are thus hauled to the top of the water, hit on the head with a 
club, unhooked, and thrown into the dory. Many fish of other 
kinds are hooked on the side lines, but, with the exception of black 
cod, none of these are considered worth keeping. Large numbers 
of dog fish are caught in this way, and they are the bete noir of the 
fishermen, as they persist in usurping the places of more profitable 
quarry. When the dory’s load is complete her cargo is transferred 
to the schooner’s deck, where the fish are stacked up and the work 
of cleaning begins. This consists of removing the heads and 
entrails, a thorough sousing with sea water, and packing in the 
hold in alternate layers of ice and fish. Then the schooner makes 
all sail for her home port, where her cargo is packed in boxes and 
shipped in cold storage cars to the Eastern markets. 
Fishing From Steamers. 
There is little difference in the methods employed in fishing with 
steamers from that already described, except that the work is done 
on a much larger scale, and the catch is proportionately greater. 
A steamer generally makes a round trip in from six to eight days. 
Fishing from a dozen dories, over eighty miles of line is used. On 
arrival at the grounds, the dories are placed in position by the 
steamer, and the trawls set. Each dory carries from two to three 
trawls, each about three miles in length, from which short lines, 
with baited hooks, radiate. A full cargo is often caught in one day, 
and frequently consists of over 100,000 pounds of choice fish. 
