A man reaches under this pocket, releases a special knot and the fish 

 pour out into a special pen to receive them and prevent them from sliding 

 about the deck. The cod-end, immediately closed, is put back into the water 

 with the lengthening piece and all the fish it still contains. The lengthening 

 piece is raised, filling the cod- end which is again cut off by the splitting 

 strap, and the operation is repeated. This is continued until the trawl is emp- 

 ty- 



For an acceptable yield in Newfoundland waters, the catch should have 

 to be split at least three times. Below this limit, the trawler seeks else- 

 where for greater concentrations of cod. A good average catch requires six 

 splittings. But the amount of fish may be much greater than this. Twenty- 

 four splits of a catch are not exceptional. There is then 40 tons of fish in 

 the trawl, a volume exceeding 80 cubic meters caught in one haul! At the 

 mercy, at the end of the trawl lines, of the sharp rollings of the vessel, un- 

 dergoing, moreover, the enormous strain of hauling by the winch, the trawl 

 then is in great peril, and its preservation demands a consummate science 

 on the part of the captain. The weight and volume of fish to be landed on the 

 deck poses another problem involving the security and manoeuverability of 

 the vessel, the solution of which admits no error. 



In Greenland waters, toward the middle of October, at the time of de- 

 parting concentrations of cod before the cold waters in the depths, the den- 

 sity of fish becomes such that the trawlers which have the opportunity go 

 there in order to profit from such quantities of fish after 15 minutes of tow- 

 ing! Then, suddenly, the rear-guard of the cod goes away and not a single 

 cod remains. 



When the trawl has been emptied, part of the crew culls the fish. The 

 cod are thrown in pens together with other fish to be saved for freezing. All 

 the rest, comprising a quantity of excellent food fish, but not usable by a 

 great fishing trawler, are thrown back in the sea. It is rare when a ton of 

 fish caught by the trawl supplies 250 kilograms of cod. 



While the culling is going on, the trawl is quickly examined by a repair 

 specialist, the net mender. If the diagnosis is favorable, it is immediately 

 put over for a new haul. If not and some damage has been suffered, the crew 

 of net menders goes to work. 



The chief net mender is an important person aboard ship, for it is upon 

 him and his good judgment that the fishing equipment stays in good condition. 



105 



