Because of this, the opening of the Michelet trawl has been consider- 

 ably reduced by comparison to other trawls. 



This net, which constitutes the trawl proper, is a great funnel of net- 

 ting in the form of a flattened cone, sixty meters long. The narrowest part, 

 a terminal cylinder about 2 meters in diameter, the cod-end, has triple 

 meshes and is protected on its underside by leather to reduce the wear from 

 dragging. This cod- end of the net can be cut off about 3 meters from its ex- 

 tremity by the action of a steel cable which runs through a series of buckles 

 around the cod- end and is prolonged by a manila line to the forward part of 

 the net, from which this manoeuver (splitting) can be managed. 



The mouth of the net opens between its two upper and lower faces, the 

 square, and the belly which is in contact with the bottom of the sea. These 

 two surfaces are united with the cod-end by an intermediary piece, the 

 lengthening piece, of double mesh. The forward edges of the square and 

 belly between which opens the mouth of the net are attached to ropes, the head- 

 rope and the footrope. The footrope is of much heavier material than the 

 headrope. Also it is wound with old sail cloth from one end to the other to 

 reduce wear on the sea bottom. 



Actually this footrope to which the belly is directly attached is a kind of 

 "false" footrope duplicated, for direct attack on the bottom, by another true 

 footrope, a steel cable connecting directly with the cables from the doors 

 and carrying, in its middle section, the rollers. 



The rollers are heavy wooden disks, 25 to 30 centimeters thick and with 

 a diameter of 50 to 60 centimeters. About ten of these are threaded on the 

 steel footrope for a distance of ten meters and connected to the false foot- 

 rope by 11 interspaced chains 40 centimeters long. The footrope with rollers 

 having passed over an obstacle, the false footrope follows without damage. 



The footrope of a trawl is always much longer than the headrope. It 

 thus assumes a very acute concavity, when dragged by the trawl cables, 

 which is favorable for its attack on the bottom. 



The opening of the trawl should be as great as possible in height, for 

 the cod does not always stay directly on the bottom but near the bottom. For 

 this purpose, the headrope is provided with 120 glass floats for a distance of 

 10-1/2 meters along its middle part and to each of its extremities with 10 

 steel floats or 40 glass floats. In fishing action, the headrope forms, in the 



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