PILCHARD FISHERY. 27^ 



would enable them to see the course of the pilchards, 

 and direct the fishermen, by concerted signals_, how best 

 to surround them ; but this custom now only exists, as 

 Mr. Couch affirms, at St. Ives. 



(238.) The fishery is carried on in common fishing 

 boats, with four men and a boy, who commence their 

 operations a little before sunset ; and the nets are drawn 

 in about two hours, to be again shot, or laid, as morn- 

 ing approaches. The number of fish thus taken in a 

 night's fishing, by these drift boats, is, of course, uncer> 

 tain ; from 5000 to 10,000 is considered moderate, but 

 double this number are often captured; while 150,000 

 fish for one boat during the season is reckoned favour- 

 able. There is another method employed, called sein- 

 fishing, to prosecute which three boats are provided : 

 two of these are each provided with a sein, or net; while 

 the other is merely used for the purposes of enabling the 

 head fisherman (or master seiner) to be rowed about, 

 and make observations. These three boats proceed in 

 the afternoon to some sandy bay, where they cast anchor, 

 and watch for the fish. The presence of the pilchards 

 is discovered either by the peculiar rippling of the water, 

 the colour it assumes, or by the leaping of the fish 

 themselves a little above the surface. So soon as they 

 are discovered, the head fisherman proceeds to ascertain 

 the size of the shoal, and the direction it is taking : 

 this done, the greatest activity is immediately used to 

 throw the nets in a line across the course of the fish, — an 

 operation which, notwithstanding the size of these nets, 

 is generally performed, from long practice, in less than 

 five minutes : the crew of the two larger boats are then 

 employed in warping the ends together, while those in 

 the third boat, which is behind, by dashing and beating 

 the water, frighten the fish away from that part only 

 where they could turn round and escape. Whether the 

 shoal be large or small, the trouble is thus the same. The 

 net is then closed, and the ends laced together : if the 

 fish are numerous, and the sea or tide strong, the whole 

 is secured by grapnels ; and when the evening has closed 



VOL. I. T 



