THE GILL-NET COD FISHERY. Zoo 
and, as fast as the fish are removed, allowing them to pass over the other side into the water, the 
anchors, which remain firmly fixed in the bottom, holding them in position until the work is accom- 
plished. When the end of the gang is reached it is thrown off theedory, and the nets remain setting 
as before, needing no further attention until the next day. When underrunning, they may be 
taken across either the forward or after part of the dory, as circumstances may require. 
The time occupied in underrunning depends somewhat on the smoothness of the sea, but more 
particularly on the amount of fish taken. When the catch docs not exceed more than 4,000 to 
5,000 pounds to the vessel, it is done in about two hours, but when 15,000 to 18,000 pounds are 
caught, about four hours are required. 
The success which has resulted from the use of nets in Ipswich Bay has been quite remarkable, 
the catch being much more than that of the trawlers fishing on the same ground. The amount 
taken for the first three trials, which were made in Massachusetts Bay, in unfavorable weather 
and with inferior nets, was 4,000, 6,000, and 7,000 pounds, respectively. 
On a trip ending January 11, 1881, 35,000 pounds of cod were taken by the Northern Eagle, 
8,000 pounds of which were caught in a single morning. Two other vessels, which were absent the 
same length of time, fishing at the same place with trawls, got only 4,000 and 8,000 pounds, respect- 
ively. After that time she made another trip, taking the same amount, 35,000 pounds, in four days 
fishing, 18,000 pounds of which were caught in one day. On this day the schooner Christie Camp- 
bell, of Portsmouth, set ten trawls (each trawl having 1,000 hooks) close to the nets. The 10,000 
hooks caught about 2,000 pounds of fish to the 18,000 taken in the nets. 
The Northern Eagle began fishing with the nets November 27, 1880, and as early as the 20th of 
January, 1881, had caught 111,000 pounds of cod. None of the trawlers took more than one-third 
of that amount, though they were fishing at the same place. The netted fish are larger than those 
caught on trawls, averaging, during the first six weeks’ fishing, 23 pounds each. Among these were 
individuals which weighed 75 and 80 pounds apiece, but no small fish, such as are frequently taken 
on trawls, and can be sold only at a reduced price. This has been the invariable rule whenever 
gill-nets have been used. No immature fish, such as are called “trash” by the fishermen, have 
been taken. In addition to the advantages already mentioned, no bait is, of course, required for 
net fishing, and not only is the expense for this article saved, but the loss of time and trouble inci- 
dent to securing. it and also to baiting trawls is dispensed with. In consideration of these facts it 
is not strange that a lively interest was manifested in the fishing communities because of this inno- 
vation, and it is not surprising that many vessels have been supplied with this kind of apparatus 
for the winter cod fishery. The advantages that may be secured by our fishermen from the use of 
these nets can hardly be overestimated. It is possible that they may be profitably employed on 
some of the larger fishing grounds. There is no good reason to doubt the practicability of under- 
running nets on the Banks, especially on the shoaler parts. They surely may be set and hauled on 
any part where cod are now taken. The use of these, if good catches can be obtained in them 
on the off-shore grounds, would obviate the necessity of leaving the Bank before a trip had been 
secured, as must now be done by trawlers, in order to obtain a supply of bait. It is the general 
custom of the trawl fishermen to use fresh bait, and since this will not keep longer than two to three 
weeks, it is easy to see that much time, must be lost in seeking for it. Indeed, the supply is at all 
times so uncertain that some vessels are not actually engaged in fishing more than one-half of the 
time, and it may be safely said that Bank fishermen do not spend much more than two-thirds of 
their time on the fishing ground, the remainder being occupied in the search for bait. Again, a large 
sum of money is paid for bait, and, all things considered, it is quite apparent that even if the daily 
catch should be smaller than when trawls are used, the profits of the trip would be much greater. 
