[47] THE SCHOONER GRAMPUS. 483 



eggs can be obtained. Those that are ripe are spawned, and then they 

 are put into the live cars with the others, since the cod develops only a 

 portion of its eggs at once. 



m 

 33. FOR LIVE HALIBUT. 



Trawl-lines are the only form of apparatus used to catch halibut for 

 the purpose of taking them to the hatcheries alive. These are set 

 "flying," while the vessel remains under sail. The operation is similar 

 to that already described, with the exception that the depth of water in 

 which the lines are placed is often from 100 to 300 fathoms. When 

 practicable, the trawls are hauled on board of the vessel, which is ma- 

 neuvered to facilitate the work. In the latter case the halibut are 

 carefully lifted over the side, unhooked, and put into the well. 



34. MACKEREL. 

 a. Toll bait and hand-lines. 



In the course of the investigations made by the Grampus to ascertain 

 the movements of mackerel during their migrations, and their where- 

 abouts in other localities where they have been sought, the system of 

 tolling them, for capture with hand-lines, has been frequently adopted. 

 By this method the vessel is hove to on the starboard tack, with the 

 headsails hauled down, the mainsail guyed out, the fore-sheet eased off 

 so that the sail will uot stand full, and the helm put hard down. In 

 this way the vessel makes a square drift tu leeward. Ground bait or 

 " stosh " of menhaden, herring, or mackerel is then thrown out system- 

 atically, as was formerly the custom puisued by the hook-and-liue 

 mackerel fishermen. This is generally continued from forty-five min- 

 utes to an hour, then if the mackerel do not "rise" it is assumed that 

 they are not in the locality or are disinclined to take bait. The vessel 

 is therefore got under way again, and proceeds to a new locality. 

 The hand-lines used are the ordinary mackerel lines and jigs commonly 

 employed in the hook-and-line mackerel fishery when that method was 

 in vogue for commercial fishing. While the vessel is drifting these 

 are thrown out on the weather side, so that in case any mackerel are 

 tolled up they are liable to take the bait on the jigs. 



b. Gill-netting. 



In order to trace the movements of migratory species such as the 

 mackerel, menhaden, alewife, etc., gill-nets are frequently set at night 

 when the vessel is cruising at sea in the regions crossed by the pelagic 

 fishes. When nets are to be set the vessel is hove to, according to the 

 force of the wind, either under her mainsail alone or under her mainsail 

 and foresail as she would lay to for catching mackerel. The nets are 

 then payed out on the weather side, and the nearest one to the vessel 

 is usually 40 to 60 fathoms distant, being attached to the end of a 



