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might be said then that during the Iasi 30 years the number of men 
engaged in fishing at Chaster has been reduced. 
Herring Fishing is prosecuted from mid-June to mid- September, 
line fishing from end of September to end of February. A few 
boats used to fish with the line all the year round. All are now 
restricted by the circumstances of the fishing to that period or a 
part of it. 
Crab and lobster fishing used to come in between the line and 
herring fishing ; there was a local manorial law which prevented 
fishing outside that period, that is to say the months of March, 
April, and May, but that law becoming inoperative about 30 years 
ago, crab and lobster fishing is now prosecuted all the year, and to 
an increasing extent every year. The bait for the pots used to be 
caught by the lines. Now it has to be bought during the spring 
crabbing season. 
Turbot Fishing is prosecuted during July, August, and 
September, seldom in October, with nets known as hrat nets — brat 
being the local name for turbot. The turbot were got on the 
herring spawning ground, about three to four miles out. The nets 
are 2-10 yards long, and are made with very wide meshes, each mesh 
measuring 7 ins. along the side of the square ; they are seven 
meshes deep. Sinkers (small stones) are tied to the lower edge at 
intervals of nine meshes, and small corks keep the upper edge up in 
the water. They are shot at the “ slack ” of the tide usually, the 
nets being placed in the water in a straight line and the fish simply 
entangle themselves in the meshes. This fishing used to yield 
good results, but like most of the other forms of fishing it is now 
considerably reduced. Over 30 years ago, with five nets fishing 
together as one fleet, some 45 turbot could be got. Now, as was 
remarked, 5 turbot and 45 nets would be more like the result. 
Haddocks. — That the haddock fishing has decreased is shown 
from the following statement of one fisherman with the assent of 
the rest. Last Friday one boat got none with three lines of 1,800 
hooks each. Another boat obtained two haddocks on one line of 
1,800 hooks. With the same number of hooks 20 years ago, 20 
stones and upwards could be obtained. The ground is changed ; 
they used to be fished on the smooth, they are now principally got 
on the hard ground. The best ground was from five to six miles 
and further out; now it is from three miles inwards. This agrees 
with the report from Berwick. 
