180 TRANSACTIONS OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
THE MACKEEEL FISHEEY. 
BY B. RIDGE. 
(Read 10th January, 1889.) 
It will be remembered that in a paper I read before this Institution 
on " The Western Fisheries " I referred to the mackerel fishery as 
being one of considerable importance in this locality, and from 
very early times. The common mackerel is the sort with which 
we are most familiar on this coast. It frequents the British seas 
at different times of the year, and constitutes a well-defined family 
form. Of the various kinds of food-fishes caught around our 
coast, probably none are more interesting to the naturalist, and 
very few of more importance for food. 
The mackerel being a wandering tribe, considerable uncertainty 
has always been experienced in their visits to our shores, and no 
two seasons are ever alike. It is generally considered that the 
greater portion come from the Atlantic, which probably explains 
why the West of England has been favoured with a larger 
quantity of these dainties than other parts of the British coast. 
As they are a surface fish, they are caught by the seine net and 
the drift net, and a few by hook and line. By far the greater 
quantity, however, are caught by the drift net, and this means was 
well known to fishermen in very early times. 
The construction of the mackerel seine only differs from the 
herring and pilchard seines as regards the size of the mesh and 
depth of the net, the material being the same. Sixty years ago 
the wives and daughters of the fishermen used to make the twine 
for net-making, which was of hemp \ and I can well remember 
that at various Cornish villages interested in the fishery the whole 
of the mackerel nets were made by hand in the homes of the 
fishermen by their own families. This important part of fisher life 
has almost died out, owing to the introduction of net-making 
machinery, and at present the repairing only is done, chiefly by 
the female relatives. 
