Evening journal., 1897-12-15
GREAT EASTERN SHORE INDUSTRY.
HOW PURSE NETS ARE OPER
ATED AND A BIG CATCH
LANDED.


Chestertown, Md, Dec. 15.-The |
purse-net fishing season of the Chesa-
peake has practically closed, and the |
great "catch-em-alive" traps have been |
stored away. The season usually ex-
tends through the fair warm days OF |
March up to early November.
Rock HAL, the prosperous Kent coun. |
ty village Of two thousand souls, com |
posed almost exclusively of oystermen |
and fishermen, has become the centre
from which the purse-net fishermen of
the upper Chesapeake operate. Ex-
cepting possibly the pound nets OF the
great lakes, this is, perhaps, the most
elaborate apparatus ever devised for
catching fish in great bodies of water.
IL derives its name from its resem-
blance in operation to the old drawing
string purse or reticule. The great net
of indefinite length is operated on the
lower edge by this drawing rope ar
rangement and forms complete bag
or purse. 1t may be one hundred and
fifty fathoms dong, or it may be more.
1t may be fifty feet deep or 1t may Jbe
one hundred. This great expanse OF
tarred net is operated or laid out" by
two crews of men in two boats, each
working from the middle in opposite
directions, and coming together after
completing a circle around the school
of fish An immense sinker or tone"
carries the lead line" to the bottom.
The old-time but complicated pound
net caught only such fish as come to
their hedges and tunnels, but the ex-
perienced eye of the purse-net fisher
men locates the school of fish, and as
Al. 10
spot in an incredibly short time they
are being massed together in the net.
Sometimes they are located by the agi-
tation of the water. From three to five
hundred dollars worth Of fish have
been taken in on a single tide. In purs-
ing the net a windlass is necessary and
from seven to ten good men. SLACK
water" is the only time to operate
these nets with any degree of satisfac-
| tion, for when strong tide sweeps
down against this enormous expanse OF
meshes 1t becomes almost unmanaga-
BILE.
To "rig" these nets is an art which
| the upper bay captain of a fishing crew
/ usually goes down the bay to become
| proficient in. The proper adjustment
is the one necessary thing to insure
tail and swim away from the hedges
leading to the pound net they would be
safe, but not so with this late device.
Tarring one purse net is as disagree
able task as even a fisherman is ever
called upon to perform. A great ket-
tie large enough sometimes to hold a
barrel of tar is hung over a fire. When
the tar looks like mass Of black mo-
lasses the net is dipped and thoroughly
saturated; then it is wrung by an imple-
ment exactly like the clothes-wringer
On these fishing expeditions, which
last from one to two weeks, a large
boat-schooner or pungy-is used to &c
to the fishing grounds, and carries
from six, ten or twenty-five tons of ice
on which the fish are placed until {
load is secured or they may be gotter
to market.
The landing of big catch is a de
light to the fishermen When the ne
is being drawn in, the fish, unless it II
great haul" are so far below tn
water that they cannot be seen, but a
the net Is drawn in they begin to churl
the water into foam and a deafeninl
noise is made by the fluttering OF tn
innumerable tails and fms. Great
sleek-sided rock of from three to sev
enty-five pounds, sturgeon or smalle
FRY" are found in the great mass o
, spluttering life. Finally they ar
crowded closer and closer together un
til there is no longer room for them t
I swim, and they lie packed together in
wriggling mass, twisting, squirminl
Topping and splashing water in
shower Nothing could be more inter
esting or exciting than the drawing i
: Of well-flled purse net Of two hun
dred fathoms when there is a bi
catch, and it is equally tame wor
when it is only a water haul"