Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-05-31
CODFISHING.
HOW AN IMPORTANT FooD
FISH IS CAUGHT.
Characteristics or the Cod Trn,yl
Fishing From Dories-Lines
5000 Feet Long-Cur-
ing tho Fish.

Tho cod along our shores differs a
little from tina. on tho Banks, being of
another species. 1t is not migratory
fish, like tho mackerel, but lives in great
colonies. having but limited range.
Although they may live in very near
waters, it Ia said that they do not inter-
minglc with those of nelghboring
colony. The fish OF each has character
istics which distinguish 1t from those of
another.
In general, it may be said, that the
cod is OF greenish brown, when fresh
from the water, and is spotted with red
dish yellow. The under part is silyery
opaque white, and the fins are of pale
green. 1t can be distinguished from the
haddock, with which it often feeds, by
its white lateral line. The limo on the
haddocE's side is always black In the
upper jaw there arc four rows of sharp
teeth, i'll the lower, one row. The scales
arc small and the eyes large. There arc
ten fines. three of which are upon the
back.
have seen goldfish that weighed
nearly one hundred pounds. and have
heard of one caught near By that weighed
one hundred and fifteen pounds aftc: its
entrails had been taken out. But one
of eighty pounds is considered q large
one even by fishermen, and an amateur
will 20 wild over ono of twenty. Those
caught upon the Banks seldom reach
eighty pounds, being of smaller
species.
The cod is deep-sea fish, as indi-
Gated by little appcndage, two inches
long, hanging from its lower Jaw. This
is called barbulc 1t finds its foods at
the bottom, upon sand banks and around
sunken lodges usually at some distance
from the shore, although, in cold
weather, 1t may sometimes be taken by
fishing from the rocks.
AS the season advances the cod re-
sorts to deeper water, for it is strictly u
cold water fish. Its food consists of
worms, sand-eels, crabs and other small
snellhsh, but is not over particular rs to
what 1T swallows. A great variety of
articles has been taken from the
stomachs of cod-straw. stones, rubber
balls, jacknives, snutT-boxcs, nutmegs,
old iron, glass and broken crockery.
The Indians caught fish with lines made
OF bark and hooks of bone.
Formerly all cod were caught by means
OF hand,lines, and some fish arc still
taken in this way, especially in the
autumn when they are abundant. The
most, however, are now taken by travis,
which were introduced here about 1850,
and were first used by the French.
n trawl consists of line about three
thousand feet i'll length, to which are at
tachcd short ones about thirty-s;x inches
long. on each of which is Il hook. The
short lines are placed about six feet
mart hat 1cl Il
hundred hooks. Attached to each end of
the line by rope is a buoy, sometimes
only an empty powder key or mackcrel
kit. In the head of the buoy is n moo.
three feet long unon which is n small
flag to attract the attention of the owner
when i'll search OF it. To each end of
the line also is fastened small anchor.
The hooks arc baited wish souid.
herring, or other small fish if they can
be secured. Each fish will bait four
hooks. If these cannot be obtained
CLAIMS are used. Saudi bait is CON
sidcrcd the best, and great quantities are
cargst in wcirs on Cape Cod, and many
vessels resort thither in summer to secure
a supply for their trips. To bait trawl
requires from an hour and half to two
hours.
When it is ready it is placed in tub
made of Il half-barrel. The long line is
coiled up in the centre, and the bait lies
next the sides of the tub. One man
uses from two to six travis, which are
often set in the afternoon and visited
very early the following morning, and
perhaps once or twice more in the course
of the day.
The process is somewhat as follows
w hon ht,au -, a..
the trawl to which it is attached Is drawn
up and then hook after hook is examined,
and the fish, which have been caught.
are taken off. By means of travis a
man may catch more fish in u single
night. than by weeks hard work with
hand lines.
OF course they are not all cod. This
is hake, that n haddocG, the next
dogish, and the next halibut. The I'M
expected is quite likely 10 come to the
surface upon one of the many hooks. 1t
mag be some h;deous fish, or some I'M
couth OBJ. &c. which has long been lying
in its oozy bed.
| have described trawl- fishing as con
Quoted by one or two men in dory at
from one to i've miles from the shore.
SchooEers of from ten to twenty tons
h"NC tlpS OIL SuOTe 10 Il distance OF
1ror1 twenty to a hundred miles. They
take supply of ice as well rs of bait,
and run into Boston or some other port
once or twice week and sell their fish
to dealers. who supply the trade al
over New England.
Larger schooners visit Georges Banks.
the Western or those of newfoundland.
and may be gone three or four weeks,
bringing their fish to market on ice,
or they may be gone from four to six
months dressing and sailing their fish
or board
The process of curing fish has not
changed for two hundred years. In
dressing them several men are engaged.
The cutter cuts the throat and rips
open the fish; the header breaks off the
head takes out the entrails, saving the
liver; the splitter splits the fish COM
p.etely open from throat to tail and
takes out the backbone; the salter salts
them, and piles them in bulk in the hold
OF the vessel. The amount of salt used
in Gloucester in single year amounts
to more than hundred thousand hogs
heads.
When schooner arrives at mort with.