The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1891-09-12
DEEP-SEA FISHING.
How Halibut Haddock, God and
Herring Are Caught.
Large Vessels That Travel Hundreds Of
Miles I'm Order to Catch the Scaly
Creatures-The Food II the Coll
Onists-A Great Industry.

For halibut haddock and the toothsome
cod, the banks. hundreds of miles out TO sea,
are sought by the vessels of from ninety to
twice that many tons burden, which spend
there as many months as are necessary TO
secure load or flare, as it Is technically
called The system of angling pursued by
these apot- hunters would scarcely obtain
the approval of lovers OF sport, says the
Chicago NeiCs Lines mile or so In length,
with hooks attached at six feet intervals are
anchored in the shadows over the banks,
with buoys of wood or cork to mark them.
These ''trawls''-for so they are deslg
nated-are set at night, and in the morning.
every hook freshly baited with scrap of
fish, and twice in twenty-four hours they
are hauled up, hand over hand, by men in
dories, who detach such victims as are
caught and renew the free lunch offered TO
the scaly FOUNDERS Of the ocean. AS fast as
they are taken, the cod or halibut are dried
in the sun and salted down In the vessels
holds, whence the former are shoveled out
many weeks later, in the leather like condi-
ton one buys them in the corner grocery.
The fresh halibut and cod one buys IN the
market are caught near the shore by
smacks, which make two trips a week
way are taken nearly all the haddock, which
are sold unsalted for the most part, owing
to the comparatively small number found.
Halibut is by far the most profitable game
for the fisherman A fair-sized one at 5
cents pound Is worth several dollars, and
II is not unusual to find them weighing three
hundred weight piece Such big fellows,
at $40 or ! Is each, soon make up satisfacto
ry cargo. But, as has been said, the rig
for catching them Is more expensive Lines
as big as your little finger are required to
hold them, and other tackle of proportionate
strength and size. A simple cod rig costs
S25 per man for each of the dozen or so of
stout sailor boys who make up the crew OF
aflrst-class sea-going fishing boat The ar
rangement usually made is, that the skip
per who employs the men pays all the ex
penses of Ia VOYAGE from the sum he receives
for his cargo. One-fifth of what remains
"gocs TO the boat or, in other words, is
the captains share The balance is divided
equally among the crew, each of whom is
thus made partner in the venture-an
arrangement well calculated TO stimulate
activityin the pursuit of edibles that swim
And this is where the swiftness of the yes
sci is useful, n chasing the schools and in
making trips out and home again as short as
may be. A great pest of the deep-sea fish
ermen Is the ground-shark but now and
then one is caught as big as a dory-say,
twelve feet long-and its liver will fll
twelve buckets, at 81. 50 bucket. for oil
Even the checks and tongues of the cod.
which in old times we're thrown away, are
now turned into money. Many people hike
to eat them fried, and one dealer told the
writer that he himself had sold $4,000
worth of them in the last eight years The
cntrails of all the fish are disposed of for
feriilizing purposes
The harvesting of the scaly crop each
year is an industry of gigantic proportions.
employing the services of many thousand
able seamen and a multitude of vessels,
both big and small. These vessels are the
finest of their kind to be found anywhere.
not few Of them veng in the expensive
ness of their construction and the elaborate
ness of their equipment with first-class
yachts. Speed, next to safety, Is the chief
disideratum in the modern fishing boat, and
even Mr.. Burgess, the celebrated designer
of pleasure craft that beat the world, has
not disdained to build sloops and schooners
which contend with frantic emulation from
season to season for the proud distinction
of = high-line of the fleet.n
The ishing-grounds off the New England
shores are the most valuable known. To
the interest felt by rival nations in secur-
ing possession of them history manly at
tributes the colonization of North America.
The reports of early explorers touching the
wealth of the Western seas-coming at
period when Roman Catholic Europe con-
sumed an incalculablc amount OF nsh IN
times of religious fasting-gave rise 10 the
most intense excitement and set on 1901
business speculations which were destined
in the course of years, TO conjure up the
specter of grim-visaged war. For two cent
ures the French and English fought over
the profitable waters, which even at the
present day are subject Of international
dispute. The early colonists earned their
bread and butter chiefly with hook and line'
and in those days the salary of the minis
ter, the debt due the merchant, and in fact
most pecuniary obligations, We're paid In
the staple commodity, fish. And in TINS
present year of grace, 1883, tho populauon
along the North Atlantic shore suosist 10
fyreat evtant on n fish diet, and Is supported