Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-03-31
A THRILLING SIGHT.
CATCHING AND KILLING THE MON-
STER FUNNY FISH.
They Arr First Driven eInto Enor-
nous MS In the MedIterranean
Sea and Are Then Stabbed and
sIashed 40 Death With Spears.

Sea and Are Then Stabbed and
sIashed 40 Death with spear..
One OF the most thrilling and won
derful sights in the world is that of the
funny fisheries Of the Mediterranean
sea. The pursuit OF these great and
swift fishes is not a mere tame operation
Of netting II is d fight between man
and sea creatures such as is duplicated
nowhere except In the whale fisheries.
The funny is a huge mackereL He Is q
predaceous fish, and his course through
the seas is that OF destroyer without
parallel. So deadly Is the funny to the
schools or herring and similar food
fishes that he is called the herring hog.
In our waters he Is known more gen.
orally as the horse mackereL
The funny fisheries are distinctly Eu-
rOpean, and they are the oldest indus
try that is known In the Mediterranean
sea. To capture them men must band
themselves together In large bodies,
for fishermen singly could do nothing
with these fishes, which grow to length
OF ten feet and weigh over half a ton
sometimes. Therefore there is n sys-
tenn OF cooperation on the COASTS that
are visited by the funny. IA system
which dates back to the Ph9nicians.
who were great funny catchers In their
time.
The 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 lie
relied on to make their appearance at
certain periods almost to the minute
TIav, /.
that can DC seen afar. for they scour
the waters like ships OF war. ara the
leapings OF their prey and the leapInSs
of their own bulky bodies beat tue
deep into white foam and lather.
Since they are so exact In their hab-
its. the fishermen prepare for them al
ways before they arrive. At some dcs-
ignatcd spot are spread enormous nets.
exceedingly deep and made OF the
strongest of line. These are not dc.
signed TO catch the tunnbs. They are
spread out merely To force the fishes TO
edge In and ia until they are led TO the
real prison net, which is II vast con-
trivancc set In au Immense square and
powerful enough to defy anything that
swims.
As sOor as the last OF the school las
entered this boxlikc Enclosure the sides
OF the great net nre raised at a signal.
At first the imprisoned fishes do not
show any siSns OF alarm. but us the
net rises. inch 10y inch, from the water
depths cleaning, swordlike backs APP
pear here and there above the surface,
darting with Incredible swiftEess from
side to side or the net. Each. instant
more of these living blades appear
above the surface.
Then the fishes begin to leap. Here
one launches himself straight out OF the
waterloo pounds of glorious life-to-
ward the sky. TO crash back into the
sea with fiaillike blow OF sides and
tail that makes the ocean echo An
other and another rises and falls back. |
Soon the scene Is as IL the ulysses OF
the sea were spoutlng their inhabit- |
ants. for hundreds Of immense Silver |
flashing fishes rise everywhere at once !
within the pet.
But now new element enters. |
Long. narrow fishing boats push into |
the Enclosure. In them stand brown |
men with lances and spears and big |
knives dashed to poles. Then begins a |
fight that Is terrible to see. The men |
thrust madly into the struggling mass
as OF fishes. The fishes leap and roll and |
dive and leap again, hammering the |
sea with tails that churn like the |
screws OF steamships and whiten the |
waves with foam. Before many min |
utcs boats and men are dreuched with |
bloody water. The surface of the |
ocean Is red. out Of the smoking |
spray peer faces now aud then that are |
dabhled with blood till they .ook |
scarcely human.
Now and then n man slips and falls |
among the harricd fishes. Then there |
are loCd screams from his companions |
and cries OF supplication from him as |
he calls to his patron saint. for IL Is no |
Joke To fall among those mighty bodies |
that are dashinS around in their death |
throes.
So the fight continues Till in that in |
closed space OF sea there is not n fish |
alive. Every boat is bali full OF water |
and loaded down with living silver. !
where the slim. piratical bodies Of the !
lie: utiful fishes lie. The Inhabitants OF !
the towns near the scene Of This fishing |
make fete day of the arrival Of the |
funny. for II means food and employ /
ment for many hundreds OF men. wom-
ea and children. The fish is n favorite
article OF food. especially when salted. /
and the roe Is 4 great delicacy. which |
brings fancy prices. The tunnies that
are caught of the italian coasts have
10 he passed through the custom house F,
when they are landed. like any other