xxiv BRITISH FISHERIES 



the "head " ; and the beam forms the upper margin 

 of the mouth of the trawl. The lower margin is 

 formed by the " foot-rope," which is fastened at 

 each end to the heads, and to which the lower 

 portion of the net is attached. The foot-rope is 

 not stretched tightly between the heads, but curves 

 back in a wide bight behind the beam. When fish- 

 ing the whole contrivance is dragged along the sea- 

 bottom by two ropes- — the " bridles," one attached 

 to either head, which meet at the " shackle." The 

 trawl-rope or " warp " is attached to the shackle ; 

 it may be 150 or even 200 fathoms in length ; it 

 is made fast on the deck of the vessel in various 

 ways, depending on the size of the latter and on the 

 size of the trawl. 



Only such fishes as live on the sea-bottom, or 

 swim about within a foot or two from there, 

 can be caught by the trawl, as the heads keep 

 the beam from two to four feet off the ground. 

 The lower edges of the heads and the foot-rope 

 drag along on the ground, and the scraping action 

 of the latter stirs up any fish resting there or 

 partially buried in the mud or sand, and they 

 are swept into the net by the onward motion 

 of the latter. Anything else lying on the sea- 

 bottom, sea-weed, invertebrate animals, stones and 

 loose debris, even old anchors, may be swept into 

 the net and find their way back to its apex. 

 When the net has been hauled for a variable 

 time — one to six hours — it is brought up on 



