194 THE SEA FISHERIES 



When the net is hauled on board the tail or " cod " end is opened 

 and the catch shot out on deck. Mingled with the shrimps are 

 numbers of immature fish, including, as a rule, several kinds of 

 fiat -fish, such as dabs, plaice and soles ; together with young 

 whiting and codling. All the round fish are dead or dying, but most 

 of the flat-fish will survive if speedily thrown overboard. 



The debris in the net varies. Crabs of bizarre appearance generally 

 abound ; near the Liverpool Bar coal is sufficiently plentiful to 

 keep the stove on board going ; and at the deposit buoy the mis- 

 cellanea suggest the wreckage of a marine store. While the second 

 haul is in progress the crew are busy sorting , the catch. Usually 

 a rough riddling process is first resorted to, and this results in the 

 separation of the shrimps from the debris and small fish. The 

 separation is assisted, by a rapid picking, out of the larger shrimps 

 remaining in the riddle. Some caution has to be exercised in the 

 handling of the catch owing to the presence of a, number of" stingers," 

 a small fish {Trachinus viper a) with poisonous spines in the dorsal fin. 

 The presence of these poisonous fishes, is one reason why shrimping 

 is not carried on in the dark. A second riddling over the side results 

 in the smaller shrimps falling back to their watery home, the larger 

 ones only being retained for the market. The mesh of the riddle 

 varies considerably ; at Hoylake what is known as a threepence- 

 halfpenny fiddle is employed, i.e. one through the meshes of which 

 three pennies and a halfpenny will just pass edgeways ; at Liver- 

 pool a " tuppence-halfpenny " or threepenny riddle, and at South- 

 port a riddle resemblinig a sieve are used. Immediately the shrimps 

 are sorted out preparations are made for boiling them. A bucket 

 of sea water to which salt has been added is boiled over a dutch 

 pot or stove on deck, the. shrimps are poured into the boiling water 

 and rapidly stirred for a few seconds and then spread out on the deck 

 to cool. Connoisseurs say tliat tlie quicker the. boHing the better 

 the resulting flavour. . The average number- of hauls or drags per 

 day is three or four y, and from. thirty to forty quarts of shrimps 

 would be considered a good day's fishing. 



The measure'of shrimps ior trade purposes, is a quart, and the 

 price obtained by the fishermen fluctuates considerably, as a few 

 days bad weather will put up the price over loo per cent. A fair 

 average price for rough unpicked shrimps is fourpence per quart 

 although the price may be more than doubled m a few hours^ 

 OwSg to the various preservative methods now employed for picked 

 shrimps (some of which are not free from the suspicion of excess o 

 boracfc acid) there is a tendency for the prices to remam te^^ 

 than was formerly the case. In addition to the h^d-^^^^^^^^^^ 

 men who are more or less engaged m shnmpmg, the preparation 



