1 180
OFFICIAL DESCRIPTIVE AND ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE.
on dock, or sleeping on wet ropes and sails, as in theboats of a former period. There being no harbour atHastings to run into, the fish are landed by means offerry-boats, which are launched through a heavy surf toland the cargoes of fish, but not without sometimes cap-sizing and losing the whole. The trade of fishing hereseems to be lucrative; some boats after a voyage share40 1. a man, besides his provisions during that time—themaster of the boat occasionally receiving three times thatsum, as the boat generally belongs to him, and is suppliedby him with nets, &c.
The principal dimensions of one of the largest of theseboats are :—Length over all. 48 ft.; length of keel fortonnage, .‘18 ft. ; breadth, extreme, 15 ft.; depth of hold,0 ft. 3 ins.; burthen, in O. M., 45 tons; light draft ofwater, afore 3 ft., aft 4 ft. I! ins.; load draft, afore5 ft. 3 ins., aft 7 ft. 3 ins- ; displacement to light draft, orweight of hull, 17dr toils; displacement to load draft,48 tons; capacity for cargo, 30J tons ; weight of ballast,10 tons; number of crew, eight men and one boy ; rig ofboat, three lug-sails, topsail and jib; boat clench-builtand copper-fastened: cost of hull and spars, 250/.
Unquestionably the Hastings luggers are fine boats;but in some we have examined, although the bow isgood, tile quarters appear too full for speed and easymotion in pitching and scudding, as the full buttockgiven to them could not fail to cause a depression of thebow in running before a sea.
We may aptly conclude this brief notice by statingthat during the year ending the 5th day of January 1850,there were 95 fishing-boats, including large and small,employed at Hastings; and that they were manned by553 fishermen and boys, independent of those employed,at Rye, to the eastward, and Eastbourne , to the west-ward, of Hastings .—Communicated by Capt. Washington,R.N., F.R.S.]
3G0 Alkxaniikr Birnik, Peterhead, Scotland —Proprietor.
List of specimens of implements made use of in catch-ing fish at Peterhead, on the north-east coast of Scot-land :—
[The coast about Peterhead affords a great variety ofexcellent fish. The tide runs so strong, that only themost vigorous fish can live in it. The gross catch ofherrings during the last year at the stations in Scotland and the Isle of Man was 795,410 barrels. The chiefplaces at which the herrings were taken were Wick,Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Inverary, Banff , I.ylister, andthe Isle of Man . Of the quantity cured, 74,832 barrels,or oue-eigbth part, was sent to Ireland ; 182,059 barrels,or nearly one-third of the whole, was exported to the con-tinent of Europe, chielly to Stettin , llautzic, and Ham-burgh; leaving 401,217 barrels, or 00,000 tons, includingfresh fish, for local consumption and home markets. 'Flicprice of the cured fish is about 20s. a-barrel, and it ischiefiy consumed by the poor. In the cod and ling fisherythe produce amounted to 7,590 tons, the chief fishingplaces being the Shetland Isles, Stornoway , Inverary, andthe Orkneys . Of this quantity, 5,000 tons were curedfish, of which 500 tons were sent to Ireland , 350 tonsexported, and the remainder used for home consumption,'l’he number of boats occupied in the fisheries was 10,914,and the number of fishermen and boys employed in themwas 40,938.
From this general view we turn to the more minutedetails of the Peterhead fishery, including the severalimplements made use of in catching the fish, models ofall of which were exhibited by Alkx. Biunik, of Peter-
head.— Communicated by Captain Washington, R.N.,F.R.S.]
1. Herring net, complete, mounted with buoys, &c.,i size of length and depth of nets, but full size of mesh.
2. Eight long small lines.
3. Two long great lines.
4. Five hair hand-lines.
5. Six fiy-lines, used with rods.
0. Two dandy lines, for early herrings.
7. A rod and line, for ditto.
8. A hair hand-line, with fly for large pollock, cod, andoccasionally for mackarel.
9. Two hand-lines, for cod, complete.
10. A scull, J size, used with line, represented in baitas ready for casting.
11. A lantern buoy used with long lines.
12. Model of a Peterhead herring-fishing boat, com-plete ; scale 1 in. to a foot.
’File number of nets usually carried by each boat is 25,and each net 30 yards long when upon the ropes.
The length of small long lines and number of hookscarried by each boat’s crew (which, in summer, comprisesfour men), are, upon an average, 2,400 fathoms and 3,(.00hooks, being made up of 40 strings of 00 fathoms’ length ;each string contains 98 hooks, the number of lines andhooks carried varies according to spring or neap tides.
In winter a crew comprises six men, who carry 2,100fathoms of small long lines and 2,520 hooks, being madeup of 30 strings of 00 fathoms, each string containing 70hooks.
There are a variety of long small lines made use oflately here, and may be classed as medium lines, having 80hooks on each string of 00 fathoms, and the length carried2,520 fathoms and 3,300 hooks. Of small long linesthree are as used 8 m. south of Peterhead and madeat Whiuifold. They are classed as spring line for smallcod and haddock, summer line for whiting, and winterline for cod and haddock. Two others made at Boddom,3m. south; one is for cod, or winter line; the other forhaddock, or summer line. One from Burnhaveu, 1 m.south. Two from Buchanhaven, j m. north, a summerline baited, and a medium line. 'Flic other sorts used atBurnhaveu and Buchanhaven are like those of Boddom.
The eight long lines have a variety of hooks and makeof lines, the three used farthest south on soft ground aremore closely laid than the others, where the ground isrocky. The two great lines are as used at deep-sea andin-shore, in taking cod, ling, halibut, and skate. Thelength carried by a crew of 0 men is 2,100 fathoms and5,401 hooks. Two of the eight hand-lines are used forcod fishing during herring season and carried by theherring crews, and are 00 fathoms long, having only onehook, the bait used is herring.
One hair band-line used with fly for large pollock andcole, also for mackarel fishing. The other hand-lines areof hair, and used for catching cole, pollock, and red orware cod, so termed from their colour, which is producedby the ware among which they are found. The length ofthe hair hand-lines used is 20 fathoms. The six fly-linesare used with rods 10 feet long and line of hair 12 feetto the lead. The fish taken with these are pollock andcole; the same lines are used for mackarel fishing whenthey are near the surface. 'File time best adapted forthese fly-lines is during early and late part of summer.
Dandy lines for early herrings, one having 24 and theother 10 hooks; they are so placed and rigged that whenin the water they appear as a bunch of sand eels, the foodthe herring pursues. These lines are used during themonths of May and June.
Also a line used with a rod for herrings at the edge ofthe rocks in April and May.
Two buoys used as herring nets are made of sheepskins. The lantern buoy is made of same material, havinga spindle passing up from the stock, which has about 8 lbs.of lead in it. 'Flic spindle extends about a foot above, onwhich is attached the lantern and a flag-staff; with thelantern the lines are wrought at night, and the flag servesby day to show the end first laid out, allowing the lines