No. 55. 
No. 56. 
No. 57. 
No. 58. 
No. 59. 
— 9 = 
Mackerel Hand Line Fishing. 
The man at the bow has succeeded in hooking a fish which he is 
lifting in; the one at the middle of the boat has let down his 
line and is alternately raising and lowering it ; another is baiting 
his hook; and the man at the stern tries to keep the boat against 
the tide by working at the oar. 
Hooks for Mackerel. 
A collection of hooks used for mackerel in various parts of Japan. 
They are made of iron or brass, and are barbed and tempered. 
Mackerel Torch-light Net. 3%. 
This is used near the coast of the southern parts of Japan. The 
whole is a rectangular net 60 feet by 210 feet; the central portion 
being made to hang down slack and form a sort of bag. Its 
meshes vary in different parts from half an inch to about six 
inches. Four ropes made of straw are tied to the short sides of the 
net and five to the long sides. At the junction of the net and the 
rope a stone (of 8-10 lbs.) is attached. | 
The net is first of all kept spread flat by four boats holding the 
ropes tied to the sides. Two boats with dragons then row on to the 
middle of the net. A large number of mackerel attracted by the 
lights follow them. Then the men in the four boats begin to work 
in the ropes, and the boats with dragons extinguish them and row 
out of the net. 
This mode of attracting large numbers of the mackerel with 
torch-lights has been in use in Japan for four hundred years. 
Mackerel Torch-light Net Fishing. 
PREPARATIONS OF MACKEREL. 
There are three ways of preserving the mackerel, viz., drying, 
canning, and salting. Of these salting is carried on on an extensive 
scale in every part of Japan. In recent years various improvements, 
such as the use of specially selected salt, have been introduced, 
and fine salt mackerel is now not a rare article in the market. If 
there should be any demand for exportation in future, this mode 
of curing would doubtless attain a still higher degree of perfection. 
Salt Mackerel. 
The smaller cask contains eight or nine mackerel of 1-1} feet 
weighing altogether about ten pounds; and the larger, fourteen 
