AN IMPROVED, METHOD OF CAPTURING FISH
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, the
Director-General of the Imperial Company of Fishermen, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED, METHOD OF CAPTURING
FISH," to be as follows:-
1
Before constructing my nets for any fishery I ascertain from my servants,
first, the class of fish to be captured, secondly, whether the class of fish in
question swin in shoals, and if so, whether near the surface or at what depth
from the surface, then ascertain if they are to be fished for inshore or in
deep water. If the nets are to be fished inshore I ascertain the nature of
the ground near the shore whether rocky, muddy, gravelly, or shingly, and
if rocky, I get the average height of the rocks, and in all instances where
fishing inshore I ascertain the gradient in which the water deepens.
struct my nets with a platform of network of a triangular or semicircular
shape, which platform when fishing I cause to be sunk beneath the surface
of the water by the means herein-after described. To the mouth or broadest'
portion of this sunken platform I attach a weighted line or chain, and I also
run a lightly leaded line or chain through the centre of the sunken platform

page_text: "
93
of network, thereby overcoming any floating properties that may exist in the
network. Where the nets are used for shoal fishing, and there is consequently
a probability of a strain upon the nets, I intersect the platform at interval
of every two yards with strong cod lines or light roping, which I attach to the
platform in transverse lines by lacing. To the sides of the sunken platform 1
attach also by lacing a weighted line or chain, and to this "sole rope," so to
speak, or weighted line, I-attach by means of lacing a "walling" or "leader" of
-network-of-a-depth required, which walling or leader runs round the whole
of the sides of the sunken platform, with the exception of the mouth or broad-
est portion of the net which is left open for the entrance of fish. This "walling
or "leader" hangs straight down in the water, being supported at the surface of
the water by means of corks or other buoys which are attached to their "back
rope or surface ropes, and being weighted or sunk at the lower end by the
chains, lead lines, or other weights attached to the platform of network which
they support.in-the-water. This walling or leader-supports-the-whole-weight
of the sunken platform and regulates the depth to which the sunken platform
shall be permitted to go beneath the surface of the water. By lessening or
increasing the depth of the walling, either by adding net to it or taking from
it, or by reefing or unreefing it as herein-after described, any suitable depth
may be attained.
When fishing for shoal fish such as herrings or mackerel,
the net will be made of from fifty to one hundred feet in depth, according to the
power of the vessels employed in the fishery, and of about seven hundred yards
in width at the mouth; smaller nets may be used but not with such pecuniary
advantage. When" shoal fishing" is followed the followed the nets, used should
"bag" at the extreme end of the net walling, that is to say, double the quantity,
of network in depth and length should be laced to the "sole" and "back"-ropes.
as in the other portion of the nets, that is to say, double the quantity of meshes
should be laced to the back and sole ropes; this will give the desired bag or,
purse. These short nets are fished in the following manner: Two boats or
vessels are used, whether rowing, sailing, or steamers is immaterial, but.
steamers are certainly to be preferred. One or these vessels is attached to each
side of the net by means of the ordinary draught net tackling, the net is then
slowly towed by them in the direction of the approaching shoal care being.
taken to keep the platform well sunken and evenly stretched between the
boats. Should the sole rope of the platform show any tendency to rise to the
surface the vessels should close, in or come closer together, when. the vessel
will at once resume its proper position. The vessels are to keep when fishing
a net of seven hundred yards in breadth a distance of say six hundred and
fifty yards from each other so as not to run any risk of bringing the platform
.
"'"
:

page_text: to the surface. The vessels are to: move in the same direction, and when the
shoal has entered the net or a sufficient quantity of fish are thought to be upon
the platform, the vessels are to separate for a short distance until they have
the mouth of the platform stretched between them and at the surface of the
water. or near to the surface; the fishermen are then to gather in as speedily'
as possible the sole rope at the mouth of the platform into their respective
vessels, and at the same time they should' gather a portion of the walling:
at the ends of the sides of the net. As they gather in the sole rope and net at
the mouth of the platform they are gradually to close in with their boats
towards each other, so that when all the sole rope. is gathered into the vessels:
the vessels will be close to each other. When the whole of the sole rope at the '
mouth of the nets is gathered into the vessels, together with the ends of the
wallings or leaders, the fish are enclosed and' cannot escape; the whole net can
then be taken into the boats and the fish extracted at the, same time, or the
net can be left in the water for another haul and 'the fish can be extracted by
means of a tuckseine. When fishing fór salmon or other fish inshore, in the
place of the "bag" at the end of the net I make an opening in the walling of,
say, "twelve yards in breadth and of the same depth as the walling, but I leave
the tack rope.of the walling standing as also the sole rope; to the sides of this
opening I join on by lacing to the wallings" and to the sunken platform,
and to the tack rope left standing, a smaller.triangular platform of network of
similar construction as to ".wallings" or "leaders" to the principal platform, i
but being of one-fourth the width at the mouth or entrance, that is to say, "
supposing the platform mouth were only 48 yards' in breadth the mouth, of
this smaller platform would be only 12 yards in breath, the length of the
platform would be of ai length equal in extent to the width of the mouth of:
the first or original platform, that is to say, supposing the extreme breadth
were only 48 yards in the first platform the length of this smaller platform
would be the same, that is to say 48 yards. At the entrance to this smaller!
sunken: platform. I place or fit two pockets similar to those used in bram:
trawls, with the exception that they are uncovered with network at the surface.
of the water, but have in place thereof two small back ropes well buoyed with.
corks, which keep and maintain their upper portion level with the surface of
the water. These pockets are formed by facing upwards from the sunken
platforin to the buoy ropes or lack ropes of the "pockets," 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" or extreme end
of the net, and escape being impossible at the "cod" end many of the fish"
.

page_text: swim in a sort of back water into the pockets, until they are stopped by the.
narrow closed extremities. At the "cod" end or extreme end of the net I-
place for the last four yards a covering of network at the surface of the water;
this covering I buoy well with corks, and connect it by lacing with the wallings
of the smaller triangular sunken platform, the fish are thereby prevented
from leaping over the buoy line at the extreme end. of the net which they
-might-otherwise_attempt_to_do. This net is fished by two boats in a similar
manner to the first-mentioned net, the net is however constructed so that the
wing which may be inshore shall be reefed or decreased in depth with the
shoaling of the water, that is to say, that the wing that is inshore is of less
depth than the outer portion of the net which is in deeper water. One of the
boats keeps as near the shore as possible with the shore end of the net, so as to
prevent if possible any fish passing between the shore and the net; this net is
to be fished always (when fishing for salmon) against the tide. I am sup-
posing now that is to be used for sea fishing, the troll will keep the nets, purse,
or inner platform well open, provided the boats keep in slow motion; where
the wind is against the tide, the motion of the boats will have to be quicker,
or a tailing stone must be affixed to. the end of the net to keep the purse or
inner platform stretched. The fish can be taken from the net either by
hauling the net on board the boats or by hauling it ashore, or by sending a
small boat to the end of the net and lifting that portion of the net into the
boat and then extracting the fish by unlacing the net. My nets may be used
for salmon and other inshore fishing without the second platform and pockets
or purse as last described. Where the pockets and second platform are
dispensed with the net must be fished in the same manner as the shoal nets
are fished. When the fishermen see the salmon jump in the water, or have
other signs of their presence let them row their boats smartly in the direction
of the fish, and when they imagine the fish is in the net or over the platform
let them pull up the rope at the entrance or mouth of the sunken platform as
speedily and smartly as possible, gathering in at the same time the ends of the
walling into the beats, and as I should only use a net of, say, 200 yards in
length when fishing in this manner for salmon, or even a smaller net might
advantageously be used, the whole net had better be gathered into the boats
when making a haul. I attach to all my nets, whether "shoal" nets or "inshore"
nets, at intervals of one yard or less, according to the magnitude of the net,
stong lines or small ropes from the back ropes to the sole ropes and running
the whole length of the nets; to these ropes or lines I attach at intervals of one
yard ordinary reefing points similar to those used in reefing sails. With these
reefing points lessen or increase the depth of the nets at pleasure by the

page_text: ordinary process of reefing, but I do not roll the reefed portion of the net
round the back rope or sole rope but merely gather it up to the back rope or
down to the sole rope, and tie it and the rope with the reefing points. I prefer
to reef the nets to the sole rope as there is then less to attract the attention
of the fish. I prefer to use nets which have been steeped in boiled linseed
oil, as they are more durable and are not so visible to the fish as unprepared
nets.