THE SEA FISHERIES
273
over the side; a ush deck; a powerful Winch capable
—
of carrying many hundred fathoms of heavy wire rope for
hauling the hugenets ; a well protected propeller, and a
capacious hold for storing ice and sh.
The vessels are
built of iron and are capable of speeds up to ten knots.
The most
trawlers are tted with electric light,
and wireless, and a few even with refrigerating apparatus.
The net used is known as a “
trawl,” of which there are
-
two
kinds, the ,“ beam—trawl
”
and
the
“
otter—trawl,”
the former now being only used by sailing vessels.
The
net is of a attened conical‘ shape.
The top edge of its
mouth is straight in the case of the beam—trawl; while
its lower edge is in the form of a holloW curve and has
running along it a heavy
"‘
foot—rope
”
;
this sweeps the
groundas the net _is' shing and Stirs up the sh which,
_
rising upwards, are _swept into the mouth of the .net. The
net itselftapers away behind, narrowing down until the
last ten feet of the net are reached ; in this portion, known
as the “ cod—end,” or “
purse,” the sides are parallel,
‘
and laced through the extremity is a rope, the cod—line, .
by means of which the purse may be closed by drawing
tight (Plate 99).
It is in this portion of. the
net that the
_
'
sh collect, and on the arrival Of the net on board, the
contents can be emptied. out by merely untying the cod—
,
_
line.
The sh, once having reached the cod—end, a're
prevented from swimming forward in the net again, and
possibly escaping out at its mouth, by valve devices known
as
“
appers
”
and “
pockets.” ”The lower surface vof the
cod—end, that portion of the net which ' receives greatest
_
wear by dragging over the sea bottom, is proteCted by stout
‘
pieces
old _netting known as the “rubber
”
or "‘
false
.
belly,” the under surface of - the whole
net itself being
.
called the “- belly.”
In these main essentials .the
used for either beam- or.otter—trawls are much the same,
.