The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1900-02-16
a THRILLING SIGHT,
CATCHING AND KILLING THE NOM
STER TUNNY FISH.


Sia"hcd TO Dcat!, With Spears.
one of the NEST thrilling and Won
oet1u III sights In the world is that Of the
tuany fisheries OF the Mediterranean
sea. The pursuit OF these great and
SWIFT fishes is not Il mere tame operation
of netting. 1t is fight between man
ana sea creatures such as is duplicated
nowhere except In the whale fisheries
ihc funny is huge mackerel. He is q
DrrdaccouS fish, ana his course through
the seas Is that of Il destroyer without
parallel. So deadly is the funny to the
schools of herring and similar food
fishes that he is called the herring hog.
In our waters lie is known more gen
orally as the horse mackcrcl.
IhG funny fisheries are distinctly Eu-
ropcan. and they are the Oldest indus.
Try that is known in the Mediterranean
sea. 10 capture them men must band
themselves together in large bodies
for fishermen singly could do nothing
with these fishes, which grow to u length
OF ten feet and weigh over half a ton
sometimes. Therefore there Is q sys-
tom OF cooperation on the coasts that
are visited by the funny, Il system
which dates back to the Phunicians.
who were great funny catchers in their
time.
1Ne perfection of this system is due,
among other things, TO the fact that
the big fishes have absolutely regular
habits. In normal times they can be
relied on to make their appearance at
certain periods almost to the minute.
When they come, it is In huge schools
tHat can DC seen afar, for they Scour
TIC waters like ships OF war, and the
ieapirSs OF their prey and the leapings
OF their own bulky bodies beat the
deep into white foam and lathcr.
Since they are SO exact in their hab-
its, the fishermen prepare for them al
ways before they arrive At some dcs-
iSnatcd spot are spread enormous nets.
exceedingly deep aud made OF the
strongest OF ljEc. These arc not do
signed to catch the tunnics. They arc
spread out merely to force the fishes to
edge in and in until they are led to the
real prison net, which Is Il vast con-
trivancc set in an immense square and
powerful enough to defy anything that
sWimS.
AS soon as the last OF the school has
entered this bOXlike Enclosure the sides
ol the great net are raised at Il signal
AT hrSt the imprisoned fishes do not
SLOW any signs of alarm, but as the
net rises, inch by inch, from the water
depths cleaning. swordlkc backs np-
pear here and there above the surface,
darting With Incredible swiftnoss from
side to side Of the net. Each instant
HI t,i,,
above the surface.
Then the fishes begin to leap Here
one launches himself straight out Of the
watcr-5oO pounds of glorious llfe-to-
ward the sky, to crash back into the
SCH with y tiaillkr blow OF sides and
tail that makes the ocean echo An
other ANA another rises and falls back.
Soon the scene Is as II the abysscs of
the sea were spouting their inhabit-
ants, for hundreds OF immense silver
flashing fishes rise everywhere ut once
within the net.
But now new element enters.
Long. narrow fishing boats push into
the iacloSurc. III them stand brown
men with lHnces and spears and big
knives lashed to poles. Then begins q
fight that is terrible to see. The men
thi1st madly into the struggling mass
as or fishes. The fishes leap and roll and
dive ana l+ap again, hammering the
sea with tails that chUrn like the
screws OF steamships and whten tho
waves with foam. Before many min
ttes boats and men nrc dreuched with
bloody water. The surface of the
ocean is red. Out of the smoking
spray peer faces now and then that are
dnbblcd with blood till they look
scarcely human.
Now and then man slips and falls
among the harried fishes. Then there
are loud screams from his companions
and cries OF supplication from him as
lie calls to his patron saint. for it is no
joke TO fall among those mighty bodies
that arc dashlng around In their death
throCs.
So the fight continues till in that in
closed space Cf sea there is not n fish
alive. Every Boat is half full OF water
and loaded down with living silver,
whcr" the slim. p!ratlcal bodies Of the
beautiful fishes lie. The Inhabitants of
the towns near the scene Of this fishing
make frtr day Of the arrival Of the
ulany. Cor ii means food and employ
meTt for many hundreds OF men, WON.
on Gn1 children. The fish is favorite
article OF food. especially when salted.
ana the roe is q great dclicacy, which
brings fancy prices. The tunnies that
are caught Off the Italian coasts have
10 hc passe,! through The custom house
wien they are landed. like any other
merchandise, and the streets there pro-
sent Il strange appearance then. for on
all sides are whcrlbarrows full OF the
shapcly. monstrous crcatures.--New
York ircss.