The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-03-01
SIcILY'S FUNNY FISHERY.
How the Big Fish Are Caught and
Kept Captive Till the Cam
mers Are Ready.

shore; the one to the west, consisting
of 'coda" or tail, is formed of a
net which, starting from the shore
in a northerly direction for about
1850 meters, joins the so-called ''tun-
ny island" where the actual capture
of the fish takes place. From the is
land onward it is called the coda
alta" or upper tail, and stretches
parallel to and almost as a prolonga-
the east for about 1000 meters, al
ways in a northerly direction, and ter
minating in three sides of a square
called ''campile." The second wall
or arm, called a "costa," is also a
net which starts from the shore, but
further to the east than the coda"
and stretches in a northeasterly di-
rection; this arm is about 2,700 meters
in length and ends, like the coda
alta" in the ''campile," it's object be-
ing to prolong the natural coast line.
These two arms circumscribe the eX-
panse of water in which the funny
are moving before entering the tun-
merry, and serve to indicate the direc-
ton they are to follow, says the Lon
don Standard.
The nets are from 80 to 40 meters
high, according to the depth of the
water, and they are held in position
by a special system of mooring lines.
A large hawser, called a ''sommo,"
kept afoat by bundles of cork, is
maintained in position by anchors
placed at stated intervals; to this
hawser the net is attached by means
of vertical lines, called "modellari,"
and the whole kept in a vertical posi-
ton by another hawser at the bot
tom, called the ''plombo," which is
weighted with large pieces of stone.
Thus the wall of the net can be
trained in any required position. offer
ing an obstruction to the passage of
the fish, which do not seek to pierce
it, but follow the lines traced out by
the obstacle.
The funny coming from the west
meet the so-called "coda alta" or
''costa," and are guided by these nets
until they strike against the "coda,"
skirting which they enter into the
tunnery proper, which is divided into
several chambers, both on the east
and west sides, each having q special
K, name; these chambers are closed or
opened by raising or lowering net COW
erings to apertures in their sides.
Boats are constantly on the watch to
! give prompt notice of the entrance of
/ any funny, and when these are pass
ing the watchmen open the apertures
of the various chambers one by one
and thus inclose the fish in the inner
chambers, and in like manner finally
| oblige them to enter the last, the
chamber of death, or ''coppo," as it is
called at Favignana. This latter, I'M
| like the other compartments, which
are formed of wide and relatively
fragile netting, and only extend round
| the sides, is made of close and heavy
hemp netting, lighter toward the east
and closer and stronger toward the
west, the bottom also being part of
| the same net which is held in position
by strong hawsers and large bundles
| of cork, known as "cagnazzi."
The fish often enter the preliminary
chambers at night unknown to the
watchers by simply going through the
meshes of the netting. as they are at
tarcted by the others already inside,
and once together they rarely come
out again, as May and June is their
breeding season, and they willingly
| remain inclosed within narrow limits.
Once the fish are gathered in the
penultimate chamber, everything is
| got ready for the ''mattanza," or haul,
pontoon or barge the length of the
western side of the "coppo' is brought
over and closes that side of the death
| chamber by drawing the top of the
| net over the gunwale, and the sides
are also similarly closed by a num-
| Der of smaller boats, thus forming
rectangle; when this is done the fish
are allowed to pass into the final
chamber, and another pontoon takes
| up position on the eastern side,
parallel to and opposite the former
one; in this latter pontoon are all the
men who haul up the net, thus oblig-
ing the fish to go toward the western
or thicker and stronger part of the
net, which is allowed to pass over the
| pontoon as it is hauled along. and
| finally falls back to it's original posi-
| tion astern of the eastern barge.
AS the rectangle of boats gradually
becomes more and more restricted the
fish are brought to the surface by the
rising net, and their portentous leaps
and struggles cover and hide the spec
tator with spray and foam, which
| changes quickly from white to Grim
son as the iron hooks on the end of
short poles are thrust into the fish
when they come within reach of the
men stationed On the western barge.
Generally SIX men, armed with long
and short poles, are employed in haul
ing each funny aboard. Occasionally.
when the fish is of exceptional dimen-
sions, say, weighing $50 kilos, it is no
easy matter to haul the creature on
| board. When the catch is complete
the boats loaded with the fish are
towed to the factory, where the tun-
ny are drawn up an inclined plane to
the sheds by being hooked through
the eye and are then ranged alongside
one another, their heads severed from
their bodies and the intestines, roe
and milt removed and immediately
placed in brine. Each headless fish
is then hung up by the tail for about
eight hours, when they are cut up and
hAfl I'D fy,a