Middletown transcript., 1904-10-15
HOW TO CATCH swoRDrIsH.
Watch for Their Waving Dorsal
Fin, Then Spear Them.


This is the swordfish season. says The
Hartford Courant. In all that blue an |
dancing water Of the open ocean be:ws, n
Montauk Point, on the east end OF LIN
Island and Block Island, No Mans Laai
and Martha's Vineyard, the swordfish IL
at home In the summer months. That Is,
the grown-up swordfish Is: nobody ever
saw really little one there. They show
up as visitors to this country when they
reach, say seventy-flve pounds in weight.
1t is said that the young are found only
in the Mediterranean. How the matur,
)nes learned the attractions of summer
at the New England coast resorts is to be
guessed by those who have active imagi-
nations, and how the fish find their way
yer here year after year is equally puz-
zling
They come and fe, d on the squid. young
nackeral and other objects of inte est
that they encounter. The fatteniiS d 1T
moves them along to a weight of soma
times as much as 500 pounds With Their
swords and their amazing powers of ! CO.
motion they have no gear of anything.
and they lie on the top CT the ocean as
serene as If there was nothing else n
creation. The big black dursal fn WAYS
gracefully to and fro in the air as the
fish lies there. and often the tail sticks
out almost as conspicuously. That is what
gives them away. 1t seer almo.t in
credible that on the great expanse Of
the ocean SO slight an object shouli be
noticeable, but 1t is by discovering the
waving fms that the fish are fund he
boats searching for them has a Lookout
who scans the surface o. the sea and finds
what he is looking for too. 1t indicates
, hat there must be lot of the fish about
After swordlish is sighted the naxt
thing to do is to keep him in sight until
me vessel can be brought around brhi d
him. casually she is moving SO 4as- a. 10
-un past at first Sometimes the fish
her and quickly sinks hipself out OF ph !,
but usually he stands by ard the NY
rick Is to keep the eye on him. The VS.
sci comes up behind to avoid disturbing
hlm' and when the bow is directly over
his idle and impassive majesty a skilled
hand takes up lance and drives II do n
INTO his back. The arrow-shaTei dart Mt
The end dislodges itself from the sha
when comes back to the vessel and Of
goes the swordfsh with the dart sticking
o him like poor relation. He no
longer a sleepy AMI loafing idler, but a
magnificent fish exerting all his cnormoIs
lowers to escape.
A cask IS tied to the rope which fas
he dart at its other end, and wh the
ish is struck the cask is thro n over
board. Then away It sails m mes
nut of sight and at other times skimm NJ
he water and making the foam iy as il
iashts along. In the course of time me
tsh tires himself SO that a sailor Eu:s Gu:
n dory and picks up tha ca H. Then lie
lauls slowly On the rope and gently
,rings his catch to the top. II the fish Is
igly, there is opportunity for LIT Of
rouble. But il he comes in pa e ui.y
lie soons G cut in the throat f ON
harp knife and goes out of bus.ne sum-
narily. Then the weighty body is istel
board and the prize is secured. New
or: has no fancy for swordfsh s., ak,
hich is mighty gcod eating but Bostcn
: ready buyer and the whole ale price
Tn"es from to to Is to 20 cents a
ound according to the supply.