SALT-HALIBUT FISHERY. 111 
more or less of these 50-fathom pieces, be made of any desired length, but, when not in use, six of 
these parts are usually kept fastened together, and are then called a tub or skate of trawl, 
according to the manner of keeping them. In fishing for cod and haddock, and formerly in the 
halibut fishery also, they were kept coiled up in tubs, whence the name “tub of trawl,” meaning 
300 fathoms of trawl. But now, in the latter industry, they are kept in what are called skates. 
A skate is a piece of canvas about a foot and a half square, having two pieces of rope, 6 feet 
or so in length, so fastened across it that an end projects from each corner. Upon this canvas the 
300 fathoms of trawl] are coiled and firmly secured by the ropes, tied together above. 
The phrases “tub of trawl” and “skate of trawl” are used interchangeably. Thus, on the 
Bunker Hill, though no tubs were used to keep the trawls in, it was quite common to hear the 
fishermen speak of setting two or more “tubs of trawl.” 
The buoys used on this trip were of two kinds, the “boat-buoys” and “‘keg-buoys.” The boat- 
buoys were blocks of wood, 3 feet long, cut in the shape of a round-bottomed row-boat, and coated 
with tar. The buoy-line is attached by means of a swivel to the under part of the buoy, just in 
front of the middle. Back of the middle is bored a hole from top to bottom, through which passes 
the flag-pole. This pole fits in loosely so that it turns freely and can be taken out for easy packing 
in the dory. In order that it may not slip too far through the hole, a piece of leather is nailed 
round the pole above the hole, and, to keep it upright, a weight is attached to its lower end. The 
flag is a piece of canvas painted black. These buoys are not, however, so serviceable as the keg- 
buoys, which are small water-tight kegs, holding a little over a quarter of a barrel. Through the 
keg runs the flag-pole, tightly wedged in to prevent leakage and strongly fastened by stout lines 
to prevent its coming out. To this is fastened the flag above and the buoy-line below. The great 
advantage of these last over the other kind of buoy is their greater buoyancy; for the boat-buoys 
were continually being carried under by the force of the tide, so much so that it was frequently 
necessary to use two of them in place of one. On the other hand, the keg-buoys were liable to 
burst, an accident rendering them fit only for the fire. Unfortunately only ten keg-buoys were 
brought on this trip; not enough for each dory to have one at each end of its trawl. The matter 
was settled by using one of these for the outer end of the trawl, while one or two of the boat-buoys 
were used at the inner end. 
The typical manner of setting a trawl is in a straight line, across the direction of the tide; 
for if the fish swim either with or against the current a greater number will cross the ground- 
line lying in this direction than in any other. Two men are necessary for the operation. One 
man sits in tbe bow of the boat, rowing slowly in the required direction, while the other, in the 
stern, sets the trawl, by first throwing out the inner buoy, with its attached buoy-line, to be 
followed by the inner anchor. This, in turn, is succeeded by the ground-line, outside anchor, 
buoy-line, and keg-buoy. The length of a trawl varies, according to circumstances, from one to 
four skates, that is, from 300 to 1,200 fathoms. 
As already stated, two men in a dory were necessary for setting a trawl, and as there were six 
dories, three for each side of the vessel, twelve of the crew were required for the fishing, while the 
captain and cook made the whole number fourteen. Hach dory had by lot a particular position 
assigned to it, and according to this was its relative place of setting the trawl. The vessel at 
anchor would naturally have her bow toward the tide, and thus the middle dory, on each side, by 
setting in a line at right angles to the length of the vessel, would set exactly across the tide, the 
most favorable direction. In order not to be too close together, the dories in front of the middle 
ones would set in lines running a little forward, while the stern dories would set in lines running 
