IMPROVED TRAWL NETS SUITABLE FOR THE CAPTURE OF SALMON AND OTHER FRESHWATER FISH IN THE FRESHWATER PORTION OF RIVERS AND OTHER RUNNING WATERS
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Shakelton Edward Hallett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th May
1867.
I, SHAKELTON EDWARD HALLETT, of The Honorable Society of Lincoln's Inn,
London, and 31, Bedford Place, W.C., Esquire, Barrister-at-Law, Director-
General of the Imperial Company of Fishermen, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVED TRAWL NETS SUITABLE FOR THE CAPTURE OF
SALMON AND OTHER FRESHWATER FISH IN THE FRESHWATER PORTION OF RIVERS AND
OTHER RUNNING WATERS," to be as follows:-
Before constructing my salmon trawl net for any river I in the first place
ascertain the average width and depth of the river or water; secondly, I
ascertain the nature of the bottom of the river or water. These nets as
herein described can only be used to advantage where the bottom of the
river is of a sandy, muddy, gravelly, or pebbly nature, and free from rocks
and other natural or artificial obstructions.
I construct my nets of two shapes or forms; the first to be described I
use where the water is shallow, the second I use where the water is deeper.
First, then, as to the trawl to be used in shallow water. I make this trawl
generally with a length of seventy feet and a breadth of about forty feet at the
mouth, and gradually diminishing to four or five feet at the commencement of

page_text: "
the "cod" cr smaller end of the net. The upper portion of the mouth of the
net, called, I believe, by fishermen, "the square of the net," is attached to a
back rope, which is well buoyed with corks or other buoys by which it is
supported at the surface of the water. The under part of the net corresponds
to the "back or upper portion, except at the mouth, where, instead of being
square with the back rope, it is made with a deeply curved margin, which is
bordered by the ground rope or chain. This rope is heavily weighted with
leads, or an iron chain is used well tarred and covered with oakum or hemp,
or galvanized; to this ground rope the front edge of the under part of the net
is attached by means of lacing, and this. ground rope extends with a long
sweep from one side of the mouth of the net to the other. I fit this trawl
with two pockets, one on each side. These are made by lacing together
the upper and under parts, beginning at the outer edge and gradually working
towards the middle and small end of the net; the mouths of the pockets,
that is, where the lacing stops, therefore face any fish that may have' passed
between them into the cod, and escape being impossible at the cod end, many
of the fish swim in a sort of backwater into the pockets until they are stopped
at the narrow closed extremities. The mesh I use is the smallest legal mesh
allowed. I attach to the sides of the mouth of the net "leaders" of network
with sole ropes, and back ropes, the sole ropes being leaded and the back
ropes well corked; these leaders should be of the depth of the river, and
should just-touch-or graze the bottom with their sole ropes when in motion.
The length of these leades will vary with the breadth of the river and the size
of the boats, but twenty-five yards of leader net to each side of the mouth of
the trawl will be found most manageable under ordinary circumstances. In
the end of each of these leaders I attach the ordinary draught net tackling in
use among salmon fishermen, and thereby connect the net with the fishing
boats when desired. To the bottom or under part of the net, that is to say,
the purse of the net, I attach light chains or lines lightly leaded, and at the
back or upper portion of the purse-I place at intervals-of-two-feet corks or
other buoys, the object being to keep the purse open; at the "cod" or extreme
end of the net I attach by means of a knot a line or rope having a stone or
cannon ball of weight as required, that is to say; according to the strength of
the current or steam, attached to one of its ends, and a powerful buoy of cork
or blown glass at the other extremity. This tailings stone or buoy line is
attached to the end of the purse at the centre of the line of the river, is only
from six to seven feet in depth, so that the cod or end of the net is kept from
touching the bottom and thereby injuring any fish that may be in the net, and
where the river is deeper the line must be so adjusted as to effect its object.

page_text: The net must be made of such a size that the ground rope will touch with its
whole length to the bottom of the river; while at the same time the upper
portion of the mouth is kept at the surface of the water by means of the back
rope.
:
The method of fisliing this net is as follows:-It is only intended for fishing
with the stream of any river; and not against the stream. Two boats are
used, one of which is stationed at the extremity of each leader. The two
boats are rowed at a moderate pace down the stream or river, keeping the net
even between them, the leaders being slightly in advance of the mouth of the
net; the weight or tailing stone. at the end of the purse keeps the purse
distended and prevents it being swept in on the remainder of the net by the
force of the current. The amount of speed at which the net is towed should
not be great: When a sufficient number of fish are supposed to be in the-net
it can be hauled up and the fish. extracted by untying the "cod" end. The
cod end must then be closed again by a ligature and the net again lowered
into the water: The weight to be used in the tailing stone will depend
entirely on the strength of the current. The stone must always be of sufficient
weight to check the too rapid motion of the net.
For fishing in deep water the trawl in ordinary use with deep sea trawls inay
be used, with the substitution however of lighter irons and a lighter trawl
beam; this latter I should prefer to be formed of bickory or ash. The trawls
used in deep rivers should not be of the same size as those used in the deep
sea; smaller would answer the purpose equally well. I prefer the back of
the deep water salmon trawl to be at least four feet from the ground at its
mouth; the trawl irons will have to be heightened accordingly. This deep
water trawl can either be towed between two boats, as before described of the
first trawl, or one powerful boat only may be used. The mesh will of course
be different to the deep sea trawl mesh. The "back" of this deep water
trawl should also be buoyed with cork, and a tailing stone and buoy rope
should also be attached to the "cod" end of the purse, as before described of
the shallow water trawl.
I use for small boats a lighter description of trawl to the one last
mentioned, and I form beams and irons in one semicircular or square
piece; the bag of this trawl is also supplied with a light tailing stone at its
end.
All the trawls mentioned and described in this Invention are intended to be
used and fished only with the current or stream of any river or inland water,
Without the assistance of this Invention an ordinary trawl could not with any
advantage be fished with the stream of a river, as the current would wash the

page_text: bag in upon the mouth of the net, and the whole net would be thrown out of
gear. This difficulty is overcome by the appliance of a tailing stone to the end
of the purse of the trawl, as herein described, and the use of the other devices
also herein described.
I claim the use of all engines: in the nature of a trawl as herein described,
and which may be used for the purpose of capturing salmon or other fish by
fishing in the freshwater portion of any river or-inland water with the stream
or current of such freshwater stream or water..
In all my river trawls, whether fishing in deep or shallow water, the "back"
of the trawl or the upper part of the bag must be lightly corked and the under
part "lightly weighted by transverse or longitudinal leaded lines or chains
in addition to the heavy ground rope at the mouth.
Where the current is very strong, or where circumstances render it desirable,
I distend the bag or purse of my trawls by means of hoops or láths of ash or
hickory, or of whalebone, or of iron or other metallic substance, or I form the
purse altogether or in part of metallic wire netting on an iron framework or
on a wooden framework.
Where the ground is rough I sometimes use: for the lower portion of the
trawl network of iron or other metallic chain work..