264 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES, 
while the captain stands up with the steering-oar in his hand, looking for the school. Soon he 
espies the fish, or the man on the mast-head sees them, and tells the men in the boat which way 
to go. When the captain sees them he sings out: ‘I see them, boys! Pull away! Pull hard, the 
mackerel are going fast.’ When the boat isin the right position the captain shouts, ‘Give ’em 
twine,’ and away goes the seine, three men heaving it out as fast as they can. When they are 
nearly around the school they sing out: ‘Give them twine.’ Sometimes they make a good circle so 
that the seine-boat and dory will meet, but it is difficult to do this in the night. When the seine 
comes together they haul in on the purse-line, and when the net is pursed up and they see the 
mackerel, signs are made for the vessel, which comes alongside. The lines are hove from the boat 
and the mackerel are ‘bailed in’ on deck and dressed.” 
SETTING A SEINE AROUND A VESSEL.—The following description of the manner of setting the 
seine round the vessel is quoted from the Cape Ann Bulletin: 
“Tt is a well known fact that at times, for days and sometimes weeks, no mackerel are to be 
seen ‘schooling’ at the surface of the water, although that they are present on the fishing ground 
can be easily proven by heaving a vessel to and ‘throwing bait’ for a short time, when the fish 
will rise from the depths and remain alongside of the vessel as long as the operation of feeding is 
continued. Again, when making their passage, in coming North or in returning to their winter 
haunts, the fish are sometimes very difficult to catch, even though swimming near the surface of 
the sea, for the reason that they generally travel at a rapid rate; but by scattering bait across 
their line of travel and heaving the vessel to they can be stopped, though sometimes but for a few 
moments. At such times seiners take care to keep the seine-boat in readiness on the port side of 
the vessel (the leeward side when hove to), hauled up snug to the vessel, that no delay may be 
had if mackerel rise in sufficient quantities to warrant the setting of the seine. It requires but a 
word from the master, if they do rise, when away go the men into the boat, followed by the skipper 
a spare hand or the cook taking the place at the bait-box, and continuing to throw the ‘food for 
the fishes” The boat is in the meanwhile dropped around on the starboard quarter, and when 
about 20 fathoms off overboard goes the end of the seine, with buoy attached, which is picked up 
and held by two men in the seine-dory, and the boat is pulled to leeward, at right angles with the 
vessel, as fast as the seine can be got out, as much depends on getting to leeward as far as possible, 
as the vessel is constantly changing her position, driven by wind and wave. When the middle of 
the seine is reached (usually marked by a donble canvas-covered cork), the boat is turned short 
around and all possible speed made up to and across the vessel’s bow, and, with another sharp 
turn, straight to the dory. As soon as the operation of ‘pursing,’ or drawing the bottom of the 
seine together, is commenced, the man in charge of the vessel quickly scatters several buckets of 
bait into the water, in order to keep the unsuspecting victims of man’s wants busy; then springs 
to the fore sheet and hauls it in; up goes the jib; the wheel, which has been hard down, is righted ; 
the vessel pays off, and, gathering headway, is soon speeding over the cork-ropes out of the center 
of the seine, the ropes and seine sinking and going beneath the vessel at right angles to the keel, 
leaving the mackerel behind. If the operation of getting headway on the vessel is not skillfully 
done, and she be allowed to drift broadside to the ropes, there is danger of catching the seine, and 
then good-by to the fish, for that time at least, with a prospect of mending to be done to repair 
damages. When once outside of the seine the man in charge of the vessel has only to keep clear 
of the boat and sail at his own sweet will and pleasure until the fish are ‘dried up’ (all the slack 
twine being in the boat and the fish in close quarters in the bunt), which fact is learned by observ- 
ing an oar upheld by some one on board of the boat. Perhaps at the last moment, before the com- 
plete closing of the seine, the fish have escaped; with sore hands and tired body, we, remembering 
