Abstract
THE third edition of “An Account of the Fishing Gear of England and Wales” (H.M. Stationery Office. 6s. net), has recently been issued, since the first publication in 1923, a fact which bears full witness to its value. The subject is a vast one, for Mr. Davis's account ranges from the single hook hand-line to the modern otter trawl, from the whelk-pot to the fish weir nearly a quarter of a mile long. The most important modern fishing gearsotter trawl and drift netare dealt with in detail, and the methods of shooting, fishing and hauling clearly explained. In this connexion it may be mentioned that many east coast drifters now shoot mackerel-nets forward, rather than over the stern. There is a section on the Danish plaice seine, and Mr. C. F. Hickling has rewritten the account of the Vigneron-Dahl trawl. Many of the instruments of the inshore fisherman described are now disused, or obsolescent, so that parts of the account are chiefly of historic interest. It is interesting to see how similar types of net have been evolved by fishermen on different parts of the coast, and how one type of net grades into another. The author points out that the Saltash tuck-seine is practically a trawl, and the Beer ‘fly-backed otter trawl’ a seine. The braiding and setting of nets and their preservation is dealt with. Indeed, the use of Mr. Davis's paper would make clear any reference to the methods of fishing around the British coasts, or the description of the shape and con struction of any net.
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Fishing Gear. Nature 139, 1049–1050 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1038/1391049d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1391049d0