Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-01-12
HOW sWoRDFIsH ARE TAKEN
The Fishermen Watch for Their Wav-
ing Dorsal Fin, Then Throw
Their Spears.


In all that blue and dancing water .
the oNn ocean between Montauk Point
on the east end OF Long island ane
! Block island. No Mans Land and Mar
tha's Vineyard, the sworddsh Is a.
home In the summer months. That Is
the grown-up swordish Is; nobody
aver saw a really little one there, says
the Hartford Courant. They show uI
as visitors to this country when they
reach say Is pounds in weight II Is
said that the young are found only -
the Mediterranean How the mature
ones learned the attractions Of a SUM
mer at the New England coast resorts
is to be guessed BY those who have
active imaginations, and how the FISH
find their way over here year after
year is equally pulling.
They come and feed on the sQuid.
young mackerel and other objects Of
interest that they encounter This fat
tsning diet moves them along TO
weight Of sometimes as much as 500
pounds. With their swords and their
amazing powers Of locomotiOn they
have no fear Of anything, and thoy lie
on top Of the ocean as serene as II
there was nothing else IN creation. The
big black dorsal fin waves gracefully
to and fro In the air as the fish lies
there, and often the tail sticks out al
most as conspicuously. That is what
gives them away. II seems almost in
credible that on the great expanse Of
the ocean so slight an object should be
but Il is discovering the
waving fms that the fish are found
The boats searching for them has
lookout who scans the surface Of the
sea and finds what he Is looking for
too. It indicates that there must be
a lot Of fish about.
After a sworidsh has been sighted
The next thing 10 do is TO keep him IN
sight until the vessel can be brought
around behind him. Usually she is
moving so fast as to run past at first
Sometimes the fish sees her and
quickly sinks himself out OF sight. bur
Usually he stands by and the only trick
S to keep the eve on him. The vessel
'omes up behind to avoid disturbing
lin, and when the bow Is directly over
us idle and impasslve majesty a skilled !
land takes up a lance and drives ii
own into his back The arrow-shaped
art at the end dislodges itself from
he shaft, which comes back to the !
essel, and of goes the swordash. with |
he dart sticking to him like a poor re-
alton. He Is no longer sleepy and /
1afng idler, but a magnificent fish ex-
rting all his enormous powers to es-
ape
A eask Is tied to the rope. which has
he dart at its other end. and when the
sh is struck the cask Is thrown over
GARD Then away II sails. sometimes
Ut Of sight and at other times skim
ling the water and making the foam
as II dashes along. In the course OF
me the fish tires himself so that A
iilor puts out in dory and picks up
ne cask Then he hauls slowly on the
'pe and gently brings his catch to the
p, II the fish is ugly, there is oppor-
nifty for lot Of trouble. But If he
'mes In peacably he soon gets cut
the throat from a sharp knife and
les out Of business summarily Then
e weighty body is hoisted aboard and
.e prize Is secured New York has
fancy for swordfsh steak. which Is
lghty good eating, but Boston Is a
ady buyer, and the wholesale prices
nge from six to eight 10 is or 81
nts a pound, according 10 the SUP
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