364 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



lower margin of the mouth of the net, that which rests on 

 the ground, is laced on to a stout rope — the " foot rope,*' 

 which is much longer than the beam and accordingly 

 drags behind the latter in a wide bight. From either iron 

 a strong rope proceeds — the " bridles," the free ends of 

 which are fastened together by the " shackle." To the 

 shackle the trawl warp, either of rope or of steel strands, is 

 fastened. When fishing the whole contrivance is dragged 

 on the sea bottom, and after a variable time the net is 

 hauled on board the vessel, and the apex of the cone, the 

 " cod end," is untied, and the contents are allowed to 

 drop out on deck. 



The dimensions of the trawl vary. In Lancashire 

 territorial waters (within 3 miles from low- water mark), 

 when the length of the beam does not exceed 18 feet, there 

 must not be less than 50 rectangular meshes in the cir- 

 cumference of the net, when it exceeds 18 and is less than 

 25 feet there must not be less than 60 meshes, and when 

 the beam exceeds 25 feet the net must contain not less 

 than 80 meshes. The mesh of the trawl net must measure 

 (with a certain excejition) 7 inches at its periphery. 

 Within the territorial waters only sailing vessels may 

 trawl. Outside on the high seas there are of course no 

 regulations, and the trawl may have any form and dimen- 

 sions desired. When employed by steam fishing vessels 

 the trawl beam may be as long as 50 feet, but the beam 

 trawl seldom exceeds those limits. 



Since about 1896 the beam trawl has been largely 

 superseded in deep sea trawling vessels by the " otter " 

 trawl. In this apparatus the general form of the beam 

 trawl is retained, but the beam is discarded, and its place 

 is taken by a strong rope, the k * head line," to which the 

 upper margin of the mouth of the net is laced. The foot 

 rope is the same as in the beam trawl but the head line 



