The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-08-05
to swim about without humping his neigh.



THE TRAP CLOSED.
And now the great seine contracts; the
nurse.Iines are 1rawn tighter aud tighter (;
| The mackerel are 10 the bag, and the bag v
closing under them, over them, ana all
| around Them. The most frantic efforts are
| frujtless now, and their doom Is sealed.
| Not yet with absolute certainty, however.
Where there Is a school Of mackerel there
| Is usually a shark--almost invariably. Inc
shark Is a lawless freebooter, and cares Tor
uothing-.s cares for nobody no, not hc."
RI he has been enclosed with the hapisss
mackerel I'm tho seine he will first MI DIS
nav with the struggling victims OF tue
common enemy, and then he will inconti-
nently turn tail and 90 through the seine
like thuuderbolt, leaving broad gateway
OF exit for the mackerel, which they VIII
profjt by as the seine contracts. Occasional-
| iy Il is not q shark, but great lazy putilng-
| pig. which Is found enclosed with the fish (;
popderous, slow.moyng porpoise, VINO
| will FOUNDER about good-nafuredly IN The
net. making no breaks, but causing Infinite
c0mmotion.
Scmetimes the seine has become entan-
cled, or not sk ally placed, and the fish all
/ leave beneath its folds by sudden dive.
| But IL successful at all the fishermen have
made a remunerative haul, which has taken
perhaps hours In concentrating. Thus a
seine has drawn about 125 barrels at one
haul, off Plymouth, few days since, and
thus haus have been made nearly every day
since the msckerel "struck in"
QUALITY OF THE FISH.
The mackerel which have been taken du-
ring this time have rarely been better than
No. 3's. and as they are only about % bar
rel at.the best, viii not pay fol barrels, SAT-,
packing, and shipping, all OF which VIII
cost as much as the prices realized. Later
in the season the fish will be different, and
so will the fishing. The flesh OF a mackerel
softens RAPIDLY after the fish Is taken from
the water, and loses its flavor az 1t changes.
so that TO realize its full value II must be
eaten as soon az possible after being caught.
Being sailed, however. the peculiar flavor
is retained, and a properly.prepared salt
mackerel is fisl, not at all TO be despi>ed,
as has been said above. SO rapidly,
in fact, do these fish deteriorate while
fresh, that il is the custom in English towns
10 allow them 10 be cried and hawked about
the streets on Sundays since their flavor
would spoil by keeping over. At least this
was the practice as late as 1876. aud the
writer has no knowledge that u mas ever
been discontinued. No such practice has
ever prevailed in United States towns. but
instead ice is used freely, the gills are early
removed, and various devices are employed
to retain the appearance Of freshness. These
NAV be successful-until dinner-time.
Mackerel were schooling about the bay
on Sunday last, but it is reported that they
have already began TO disappear, As their
deadly enemy, the bluefsh. is now an occu-
pant Of the bay, and will inevitably rule or
ruin. so far as the mackerel are concerned.
The latter will probably leave soon, II they
have not already done SO. But later they
will return, at intervals. in fact, during the
remainder Of the season, and rs they viii
then have become fat and desirable, the
feet Of larger fishing.yessels will give their
chief attention, and, whether by hook or
seine, many of them will find their way into
the nav OF other than sea.sharks.