400 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
trawl. To the end of each wing is attached a towing span, a double 
rope, distended in the middle with a wooden spreader or cross-bar, one 
bight of which is secured to the extremity of the wing and the other 
bight having an eye for the towing rope to bend into. These nets are 
used in different depths, sometimes in as much as 100 fathoms. The 
towing warps are about 300 fathoms long. When the boats are tow- 
ing the “ parella ” they keep at a distance of 400 to 500 fathoms from 
each other, so that the arms of the apparatus will be well extended 
that they may sweep a wide area of sea bottom. 
The following are the dimensions of the “ parella” as given by Cap- 
tain Commerma: Total length, about 30 fathoms; length of arms, each, 
7 fathoms; width of arms, about 3J fathoms, or 130 meshes; size of mesh 
in arms, 2 inches ; size of mesh in body of net, 1 inch and f of an inch. 
The lead sinkers weigh about 1 pound each, and are placed 18 inches 
apart on the ground rope. 
The u parella” is used from October 20 to Easter Monday, during 
which season the various species of fish that occur near the bottom in 
the Mediterranean are captured. 
Captain Commerma is authority for saying that the “ bou net” is 
used by steamers on the north coast of Spain, two steamers towing the 
net. Trawling in this manner is, however, carried on only to a limited 
extent in the north of Spain, but very largely in sail boats in the Medi- 
terranean. 
111.— ATTEMPTS TO USE THE BEAM-TRAWL IN THE FISHERIES OF THE 
UNITED STATES. 
Several attempts have been made to use beam-trawls in the fish- 
eries of the United States, as detailed in the following statements, and 
it is quite possible that similar trials have been made by other parties 
which I have no knowledge of. It will be noticed that the attempts 
alluded to here resulted in failure. The trial made oft* Cape Cod 
could scarcely be called a fair test of the apparatus, while Mr. Booth 
holds the opinion that a longer practical test in the lakes, by a compe- 
tent expert, might lead to far different results from those which he 
obtained in his experiment. 
The following are the facts relative to the trials which have been 
made : 
Capt. Sylvester Walen, of Boston, Mass., states that about 1864 
Capt. Bichard Leonard, a native of Ireland, but then fishing from Bos- 
ton, had the schooner Sylph built on purpose for trying the experiment 
of fishing with a beam-trawl off the Hew England coast. Captain 
Leonard visited Ireland and brought back with him sufficient apparatus 
for making the experiment. The trawl was tried off Cape Cod, but with 
no success ; therefore that method of fishing had to be abandoned. 
“The captain and crew of the Sylph,” says Captain Walen, “antici- 
pating excellent results from this innovation in American fisheries, kept 
