APPAEATUS USED IN CAPTURING FISH. 



257 



fish, floats, and stone, passing inboard over the roller. The stones and floats are 

 removed and piled in racks and trays, the fish taken out aud thrown into the box, and 

 the nets doubled into bundles. Picking out sticks and leaves, rinsing the nets and 

 drying them on stakes set in a long row for the purpose, complete the work up to 

 tying on floats and stones again. 



The cork and lead nets are dried on a large reel. At intervals of a few weeks the 

 nets are boiled iu soap-suds or lye, to rid them of fish-slime, and conferva?, as otherwise 

 the twine rots rapidly. 



From two to four gangs are left in the lake at once, taking up each gang in from two 

 to four days from the time it was set. 



In the southern half of Lake Michigan the fishermen use a large boat, with five and 

 six gangs to the boat, each gang having from twenty-five to thirty-six nets, and em- 

 ploying five men to the boat. 



In the northern half of the lake light Mackinaw boats are used, two or three men to 

 the boat, and from two to four gangs of nets, with eight to twenty nets to the gang. 



When anchored, gill-nets are not nnfreqnently brought into a curve, 

 one end being bent so as to form an acute and very narrow V ; and the 

 fish striking against the longer limb of the V and moving into the angle, 

 gradually become entangled and are meshed. At other times both ends 

 are brought around and fastened, so as to form a shape somewhat simi- 

 lar to that of the heart of a regular pound. 



The fishery-acts of Canada, respecting the capture of salmon in their 

 passage up the rivers at the spawning-season, provide that no net or 

 other device shall be so used as to entirely obstruct the passage of fish, 

 and that the main channel or course of any stream shall not be ob- 

 structed. While prohibiting the use of bag-nets, trap-nets, and fish- 

 pounds, in the capture of salmon, it allows the use of a gill-net, (Fig- 

 ure 2,) known as the " stake-net," which is a net fence hung on stakes set- 



Fig. 2. 



GilllNet. -used for catching Salmon, on. the St. X.awrence. 

 Dr. Pierre "Fortist. 



about seven yards apart, in a line at right angles with the shore. This 

 portion of the net is termed the "bar-net." At from ten to fifteen yards 

 S. Mis. 61 17 



