The Grenada gazette., 1888-01-14
cArc'4 HING coNcea eeLs.
sSA 1het Have Sharp Teeth and Struggle
Like Young Whales.

| ~s''N0 SSN06u c6I0s
Fish fhst Have Sharp Teeth and struggle
Like Young Whales.
Jus previous to leaving Ireland
for America l lived near the fisher vii.
lage Of Cliddagh. on the bay Of Gal.
way. The village contained about
two thousand inhabitants, and they
live entirely by themselves aud speak
an idiom very difficult to understand.
They live in little thatched huts with
but one window, and they subsist on
products Of the sea-pollock, hake,
ling, Goldfish. herring and conger eels.
The cells are fished for about one mile
from shore on the reefs or rocky bot
toms. Occasionally the eels are
caught in nets, but not often, as
they are SO powerful and are
armed with such sharp teeth that
they can easily cut their way
through the meshes of net, oven we're
It made Of bed-cord. They are caught
from August to January. About
Christmas-time the conger eel is con.
sidcred excellent eating The fishing
boatssare called pookavns. They carry
curious sail. it being jib and main
sail made into one sheet. The boats
have keels and carry about five tons
They are excellent sea boats The
bait used is cut from the body Of a
species Of mackerel called ''curro-
wine' by the fishermen. This fish is
highly priced as bait. The lines are
Of twisted flax made by the fishermen,
and are each three hundred feet in
length. They are very strong and
about as thick as a lead pencil.
The sinker is usually a piecc OF
triangular lead two pounds in weight.
The hooks are thicker than telegraph
wire. six inches long. and about two
and one-half inches from barb to wire.
The fishing is done in about one hun.
dred feet of water As the tides are
very strong very heavy anchor is
required for the beat. Those fisher-
men who are too poor to buy an iron
anchor of the regular pattern make
curious wooden contrivance. which
somewhat resembles big clothes.pin.
Between the legs of the clothes-pin,
and secured in position by a rope. is
placed large stone. The wood pre-.
vents the stone from becoming fast
ened to the bottom. Each man fishes
with two lines, one on each side of the
boat. The sinkers are placed about
six feet from the hook. When the
fisherman has dropped his line over.
board and feels his two-pound sinker
touch the bottom he lifts the sinker up
about six feet so that the bait is kept |
gently swinging back and forth. For
4 distance Of about two feet above the
hook wire is wound around the line
10 protect it from the teeth Of the Gel.
The fisherman usually has not to
wait for q bite. He feels sensation
IS though his line had been seized
He stands up erect in the
boat and begins to haul in as rapidly
IS the weight and the fierceness Of the
truggle to escape will permit. The
longer eel Is a very greedy fish. and
le succeeds in hooking himself very
thoroughly. He comes up toward the
urface in the shape Of a spiral. When
le is still sixty feet from the boat he
an be seen iii The phosphoresceht sea
n dark night like monstrous gold
n spiral fastened to golden cord.
he ordinary-sized eels caught will
'eigh anywhere from twelve to thirty
ounds. 1t will readily be seen that it
quite an undertaking to pull one of
neso eels into boat. The cells head,
8 rule, is thrown over the thwart,
nd short stout club is used to quiet
i'm before he is taken out of the
ater. Thirty cells is good nights
Ork.
THE smaller eels are split open, the
Kin left upon them. and they are
ung upon the sides of houses and
pom the stone walls to dry in the sun,
tier being salted for short time. 1t
a very curious sight to see the
one walls ornamented with the
.rcasses of these cells. After being
oroughly dried the eels are smoked .
I'd the flesh becomes as hard as
'drd. It takes very sharp knife to
it the flesh of dried and smoked I
niger eel nine months after his capt
e. When prepared for the table the
'sh is cut down to the skin in chunks
I'd IL boiled for five or six hours.
hen it Is fried in lard. IN y Evsn.