Deep-sea fishing in the Philippines by Filipiniana Online

SH 307 P6 U4 1936

1288 EX lJBRIS

AYALAv CIA.

~NlLA !834

AYA L A FOUNDA T ION, INC .

FILI PIN AS HERITAGE LIBRARY

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES D BPART~IENT QP AGRlOULTURE AND COMMERCE MANILA

Popnlnr Bulletin 9

DEEP-SEA FISHING IN THE PHILIPPINES BY

AGUSTIN F. UMALI

\ . \

MANILA

BUREAU OF PRINTING 1936 181~

C:o.MAWN\l'&ALTU 0~ TU£ l'IIU, IPPINES Jl):l'/\l!TMflNT OP AGRIOUIJrUR& AND Co•nann:: JlfAN!J.A

Po r,nl n r J:JuH ollu O

DEEP- SEA FISHING IN THE PHILIPPIN ES SY

DONATED BY AYALA CORPORATION TO FlLIPINAS FOUNDATION, JNC. AGUSTIN F. UMA LI

MANILA llUREAU OF PR INT ING 1036 1817

1288 ÂŁ I, 3 C=t

p~ ll-4 /q3(:

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CONTENTS

Page..

ILLUSTRATIONS •.. ... ...... ......... ..... . ... ...........•........................ .................... °I NTRODUCTION

TR/l-WL LINES (KJTANG) AND TROLLING (S IBID-SIBID ) ... .............. .

DEEP-WATER FISH CORRAL GILL NET

(BA'l'ING)

( H ASANG MODERNO) .... ........ ................ .

10 11 15

............ ............. .

ROUND HA UL SEINE ( L AWAG) ...... . PURSE SEINE

(KUB- KUB)

JAnANESE TRAP NET (MURO-Mn ) .TAPA!'ESE BEAM TRAWL

(UTAS E)

ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE 1

A sapiao-an of a lawag outfit. 2. A lawag outfit returning to the home port after a night's fishing. 3. Two sapiao-an of a lawag outfit on the way to the fishing ground.

F'I&. 1.

PLATE 2

FIG. 1. Drying a nd mending the muro-ami. 2. A haul of cresios and surgeon fishes of a muro-ami. PLA'l'E 3

FIG. 1. Partial view of the lot in Azcarraga Street, Manila, maintained for general repair work in connection with the fishing outfit of the Japanese fu;hermen in Mattila Bay. 2. Another partial view of the lot in Azcarraga showing the way the trawl nets are dried. PLATE 4

Frq. 1. Portion of the beam-trawl fleet anchored off Cavit e. 2. A portion of the beam-trawl fleet anchored at Dagupan River, P angasinan. Âˇ 3. The motor sampan Nagaaki Maru, a typical :Japanese beam trawler. PLATE 5

FIG. 1. Tying the open edge of the bag by means poke line. 2. Fishermen mending the trawl net. 3. Shooting the trawl net.

ot the draw string or

PLATE 6

FIG 1. Hauling the after warp of the main bridle. weight.) ! Hauling the fore warp of the main bridle. weight.) Hauling the main towline.

12.

(Note the iron-chain (Note the Âˇ iron-chain

13. F IG. :1. Hauling the fore

PLATE 7 end of the beam. The man is untying this end of the beam from the foFe warp of the main bridle. 2. Heaving up the wings of the trawl net. 3. The catch of one haul on deck prior to sorting and icing. TEXT FIGURES

FIG. 1. Diagram of hasang moderno; a, apron; g, gate; l, leader; 1n1 mouth; w, wing ; el, elbow; Jc, fore-chamber; se, side entrance; si, semicircular inclosure; sp, seine platform ; sw, secondary wing; tc, t"iangular compartment; tp, t erminal pound. 5

ILLUSTRATIONS

FIG. 2. v. 4. 5.

8. 9.

Structure of the sapiao la wag ; diagrammatic. The operation of the lawag; rliagrarnmatic. The purse seine; diagrammat ic. Tihe muro-ami in operation ; ai, motor boat ; b, banca ; c, bamboo buoy; d, anchor; e, 25-pound disklike stone weight ; f, float line below water level ; g, lead line touching sea bottom; h, water level; i, bag net; e to e, wing. Perspective view of the gear, showing important parts; b, beam; bl, belly; br, brail; bt, bating; c, cod end, or bag; d, draw string, or poke •line; /, funnellike affair; fr, foot rope; gf, glass floats; h,r, head r.ope; iw, iron-chain weights; rnb: main bridle; rw, rock weight; s, squa,1·e ; sw, stone weights ; w , wing; wb, wing bridle. A typical trawl net; diagrammatic views of upper, s ide, and lower surfaces; bl, belly; bt, bating; c, cod end, or bag; / , funnellike affair; s, square; w, wing. The shooting operations; diagramma·t ic. The hauling process; diagrammatic.

DEEP-SEA FISHING IN THE PHILIPPINES By

AGUSTIN

F . UMALI

Of t he Fish and Ganne Ad-ministration, Bureau of S cience, Mani la

INTRODUCTION During the early days fishing was confined to the shallower waters, where traps and nets were operated. Even to this day in the Philippines we find men using their bare hands in the capture of fish. We still have the fish corrals (baklad, punot, bunuan, sangkad), bamboo fish traps or baskets (hobo), shore seines ( chinchorros, pu'ket) , cast nets ( dala, laya, sabocol, tabokol, atarraya) and sakag that are very popular among srnallsGale native fishermen, necessitating the investment of Very little ca:pital. With fishing gradually falling into the hands of the capitalists, native fishermen are beginning to use long lines (trawl lines or M'twng and trolling), to construct deep-water fish corrals, and to e:iÂľploy nets that are operated some distance from the shore. Although the age-old dugouts that cannot venture out in a rough se,a and can stay only one day at most without returning to shore are still used, this change required the employment of niere men and the investment of a greater amount of capital. Foremost among the nets are the purse seihe (kub-kub) , the i;o\.md haul seine (lawag), and the gill net (bating). nder the influence of the Japanese fishermen, fishing in the P !ippines made another step forward with the introduction of ore scientific and more effective gear and the use of spacious, m~ :tor-propelled craft that can stay at sea for some time without returning to land. Common among these are the Japanese beam trawl for bottom or "ground" species in offshore waters, and the, muro-ami for coral-reef fishes along rocky shores. As the:re are no truly deep-sea fishing appliances in the Islands, the present discussion will deal wjth the above-mention!\() gear with regard to their use in deep-sea fishing. TRAWL LINES (KITANG) AND TROLLING (SIBID-SIBID)

Trawl lines are long set lines, floating or submerged, with short hooked lines attached at regular intervals. The kitang is 7

DEEP-SEA FISHING

the Philippine trawl line. This gear consists of a strong ground · line 100 to 150 fathoms long, to which are attached, about three feet apart, many short lines or snoods, each carrying a hook. The hooks ai;e baited and the ground line is anchored near the ·bottom and a buoy attached to mark its location. This gear is appropriate for catching habitual bottom dwellers; such as, groupers (lapu-lapu), gobies (bia), goatfishes (saramullete), and eels (palos). Trolling is a method of pelagic or smrface fishing employing a troll line. .A troll line is a line with bait or an artificial lure (spoon· oi· chicken :fieath'ers~ . drawn through the water behind a moving ~oat. The sibid-sioid! 0f the Cavite fishermen is a Philippine e;,cample, consisting of a stout line provided with a hook at one end which is baited with fresh sardines, squids, or white chicken feathers tied around a small bamboo ring. Fishing is done in a fast sailing banca and as the line is dragged along the water the feathers revolve continuously. The turning feathers are supposed to attract the fish. In commercial fishing abroad several lines, each with an artificial barb-hooked bone or other lures, are drawn at the same time through the water astern of a b0at. Poles, ca!lled outriggers, extend from each side of the boat, each with a line at its tip, and often with another near t he middle. Leaders attached to each line, which cannot be reached from the boat, -~nable the. fishermen to reach individual lines. Trolling is very effective for the capture of large pelagic ga,me fishes such as the Spanish mackerel (tanigui) , barracuda (asogon) , tuna (tulingan), swordfish (malasugui ) , sailfish (paha vela), and other swift-swimming predatory species of commercial importance. 0

DEEP-WATER FISH CORRAL (HASANG MODERNO) *

Of the many and varied types of fish corrals in use in the Philippines, the hasang moderno, a deep-water fish trap, is the most effe ctive. Text fig. 1 shows the gr0und plan of this type of fish c~rral. It has a heart-shaped terminal pound, tp, superimposed upon ·the small triangular comJ!)artment ts, and the larger semicircular pasture and a spacious triangular fore• Philip. Journ. Sci. 48 (1.982) 465-466.

DEEP-WATER FISH CORRAL

chamber, fc. Ther e a,re three gates, t he middle one being formed by the open narrow end of the V-shaped antechamber and the other two by the diverging front walls of the adjacent inclosure. 1U

el 8/tl

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PIG. 1. Diagram of hasang moderno; a , apron ; g, gate; l, leader; m, moutl;l; w, wing ; el, elbow ; fc, forechamber; sc, side entrance; si, semicircular inclosure ; BP, seine platform; sw, secondary wing: tc, triangular compartment; tp, terminal pound.

Wherever possible, cotton net and banata siguin are used in gathering the catch.

DEEP-SEA FISHING

A hasang moderno set in water about 15 meters deep would cost no Jess than 3,000 pesos. The items that usually enter into t he expense account are the following : Pesos.

Materials and equipment: 100 Anahaw poles 1,600 Bamboo poles 16,000 Rattan or balaba 10,000 Hagnaya lB~m 1 Cotton seine 1,a,bor: Contvact il'or preparing all materials ; t ha t is, splitting and smoothing of bamboo an d r attan and weaving of sections Wages for setting corral Miscellaneous: Provisions, drinks, cigarettes, etc. Total

1,000 900 200 100 MO 300

300 300 100 3,450

The catch, just like that of other fish corrals, ranges from the smaill anchovies (dilis) to the large sha,rks ~pating). GILL NET ~BATING)

'!'he bati,n g is a giiJI net made ef No. 40Âˇ* cotton twine webbed with a mesh of 1 inch stretched and is usually about 400 fathoms Jong a,nd about 20 fathoms deep. The cork and lead lia:ies a,re each selvaged with 20 meshes of No. 10 twine webbed with a mesh of 1.5 inches stretched. The banca, which is provided with a strong bamboo pole for a watch tower, is usually towed by a motorboat to the fishing ground. If the weather is clear, a school of herring is easilll' located at a distance by the up-and-down movement of the fishes. The banca is let loose of the motorboat. By rewing the banca. and gradua,lly paying out the net in the form of a circle, the fishermen surround the school, and then drive the fish into the meshes by bea,ting jjhe wa,te1; with special wooden plungers. The net is then hauled in, and the gilled fishes a-r e picked, one by one, from its meshes. A complete outfit would represent an investment of from 3,000 to 4,000 pesos, including a large banca. From 20 to 30 â&#x20AC;˘ The numbers of the twines and nettings are those of L. 'R. Aguinaldo, which are arbitrary numbers adopted for Philippine use only.

ROUND HAUL SEINE

men are required for its operation. into the investment:

The following items enter PE::ISOS.

Net (4 pieces, each 100 fathoms by 20 fathoms, and of No. 40 twine) Banca with oars Accessories Total

1,200 2,000 100 3,300

The bating is a gill net most commonly used in the capture of herring (tunsoy and lapad) in Manila Bay. ROUND HAUL SEINE (LAWAG)

A lawag outfit is. composed of a motorboat of about 9 tons gross equipped with a 25-horse-power crude-oil engine, 2 s~ piaoan, 3 law agan, and 1 sapiao. It is operated by a crew of !from 32 to 35 men. The motorboat acts as a mother ship, towing the baroto (dug1outs) to and from the fishing ground. The sapiaoan are ordi/nary dugouts of not more than 3 tons gross, each provided with one outrigger so that they can come close to each other in the !actual fishing operation. These are the fishing boats proper :and are at the same time used for loading the catch. Often an -ema sapiaoan, the convoy, is towed for loading voluminous catches. The lawagan are small dugouts provided with two outrig:gers and a stand, the latter employed to hold one or two grals. These grals or keros_e ne lamps, which are used to attract the anchovies, have an intensity of from 1,200 to 1,600 candle power. I The sapiao or the net proper is a round haul seine of cotton pvine, which in actual operation is converted into a huge dip net by the hauling in of the bottom line. It is a somewhat rec~angular net with a width of from 100 to 300 feet and a depth of from 150 to 400 feet. The sides are selvaged with 3 meshes of No. 18 twine towards the :inside and 4 meshes of No. 21 or No. 22 towards the outer edge. -The float line is provided with about 60 0ne-bamb00-joint floats attached at intervals of 5 feet. To the bottom line are attached 16 pull ropes, called palihan, which are Âž-inch abaca ropes, each about 250 feet long, used for hauling in the bottom line. Eight ropes are held by eight men from each of the two sapiaoan. Of the eight ropes in each of the two sapiaoan, four carry 2.2-pound stone weights-the first two ropes towards the bow with three weights, the third

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70 '-

- - -- - - 90 ' - -

- - - - - - -- - ; - - --

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300 meslles Na 5 web

300 mesnes Na.5 or 4 w eb

mes/Jes Na 5 web

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No. 5 web

, · 300 meshes Na 5 web

3/XI mes/Jes No. 5 or 4 WPb

•

Structure ot the s opiao lnwa2 ; diagrammatic.

'€"st rip 1-j "o Na 2/ or22 · selva~e

ROUND HAUL SEINE

with two, and the fourth with one. The structure of the entire net is shown in texi; fig. 2. The motorboat tows one or two outfits (four to twelve barotos) to the fishing ground which they r each exactly at dusk. The fishermen in the lawagan are then given their supply of oil and matches, whereupon they station themselves at different points where fish are supposed to be abundant (fig. 3, a). The grals are lighted, and in the meantime the tvw sapiaoan, with the net equally shared in each of them, drop anchou- and lie in wait. When large schools have been attracted by a lawagan, the timon l (steersman) of the latter blows his conch-shell horn, whereupon the two sapiaoan approach to a distance of about 300 feet. Then the net is paid out from the two sapiaoan, the bunt first and then the wings (fig. 3, b). The entire net is completely stretched out in the form of a semicircle by the spreading apart of the two sapiaoan which have lain side by side; simul taneou ly the fishermen let loose the pull ropes so that the entire net hang ,ertically from the surface of the water in the form of a curtain. As the net i always set against the current, it bulges a t the center forming a bag. Âˇ The lawagan then enters the inclosed area leading or escorting the school of anchovies (fig. 3, c). The two sapiaoan are then , rowed towards each other, while simultaneous ly the eigh t men in each gradually haul in the pull ropes (fig. 3, d). The school completely inclosed and the bottom line hauled in, the net is gradually reduced in size by hauling in the wings and concentrating the catch at the bunt or center of the net; the lawagan is then rowed towards the outside-the timonel of the lawagan supporting the floatline of the bunt. The two sapiaoan are rowed towards each other until they lie si de by side (fig. 3, e) and are secured to each other by a rope, transforming the gear into a bag, from which the anchovies, the bulk of the catch, are brailed out into the boats by dip nets. Text fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the fishing operation . The cost of an outfit is as follows: P-.

Motorboat Three sapiaoan Three Iawagan Three gralt! Net (lawagJ Total

6,000 900 90 270 900

8,160

DEEP-SEA FISHING

MotoP boat

Two sapiao-an

Lawagall Lawagan d

Two sapiao-an e

Fw. ~. Thi! OJ>erntion o( the lawai;; dingrnmmut ic.

PURSE SEINE

PURSE SEINE (KUB-KUB)

Another deep-water fish net used in deep-water pelagic fishing is the purse seine (fig. 4) , locally known as kub-kub. The net is about 200 fathoms in length and from 20 to 25 fathoms in depth when hung. The purse seine is built like a shallow curtain without any bag in the middle. Its upper portion is buoyed

FIG. 4.

The purse seine; diagrammatic.

with numerous wooden floats strung 1 foot apart on a strong rope, the float line, to keep the seine floating on the surface of the water. The lower edge is weighted with 340-gram leads strung along a light rope at 1-foot intervals. The lead line must be 10 per cent snorter than the float line. This allows the net to be pursed quickly and thus permits the bottom strips of the seine to bag. Uniformly distributed along the entire length of

DEEP-SEA FISHING

the lead line and attached by short ropes are a great number of brass rings about 2 inches inside diameter. Thr0ugh these ring,s runs the purse rope, an a,baca rope about 2 inches i,n circumference. By means of the pursing rope t he bottom Âˇ of the net is closed. The main body of the net is 0f No. 14 (herring) and No. il0 (mackerel) cotton netting. The bunt or landing piece is of No. 8 (herring) and No. 23 (maekerel) web. Bot h the float and .lead lines are selvaged with 20 inches of N0. 23 (herring) and No. 30 (mackerel) w:eb. The net is taiken out i,n 31, fishing banca and when a sh0al of fish is seen iit is sl!l1T0uml:ed o;v the net, the latter at once pursed, the vessel then br0ught a,longsiile a,nd the fish brai,led out by di,p nets. In modern fishing in the lJnited States the net is ca,rried on a rev0lvi,n g table at the stem (t urlil.-taiole ) of a smaill steam vessel or m0torb0at, and the surrounding of the shoa,l t0gether with the pursing of ilhe net is alll d0ne (ijuickly and effaiiently hy m0tor power. The approximate cost of an outfit in the Philippines is as follows: Pesos.

Net Banca

900 2,000 100

Accessories

Total'

3,000

Tbe catch consists largely of herring (tamban and tunsoy) and mackerel (hasa-hasa and ailumahan). JAPANESE TRAP NET (MURO-AMI) *

This is a trap net introduced into the Isla,nds by the Ja,panese fohermen for use in the catching of the various coral-reef species, fovem0st among which are the cresios and the surgeon fishes. In fact, t he name is derived from muro, meani,ng "cresi0," and ami, meaning "net." An outfit consists of a motorboat, three or four flat-b01lt0med fishing bancas, a net, and various accessories, such as water telescopes, water g0ggles, a,nd wei.ghted sca:re l,ines. 'Fhe m0t0rboat, which is from 9 to 52 tons g11oss and provided with a crude-oil engine of from 20 to 120 horse-p0wer, ae:ts as t he m0t her ship tha,t transpo11ts the fishing gea,r and the c1:ew t0 and born â&#x20AC;˘ Philip. Jou:vn. Sci. 42 (l930) 466-471.

JAPANESE '!)RAP NET

-17

the fi.shi,n g grounds and the catch to Mani1)a or to the nearest ma•r kets. The net proper is made u,p of a landing bag and the wings. The bag, which is of No. 19 cotton twine webbed with a mesh 0f ] .25 inches stretched, measures about 188 feet in ciorcumference at the mouuh; on la,nd, its depth from the rim of the mouth to the closed end measures nearly 180 feet. One-fourth of the 0peni,n g serves as the cork line that is provided with wooden floats set very close togetheJ1 at the middle a,nd up to 4 inches apa11t on the oute1· }!l@rtion. The bottom line, which is a little heavier than the cork li,n e, 0ccupies nearly, ha:1f the m0uth-ci,rcumference; it is a 1-ionch rope lilrovided at ea0h end with a 25-pound stone weight with n0 interveniong weights. The wings consist of seve-rall l')ieces of recta,ngular net. Each p,iece is 56 feet long a,nd 35 feet deep, 0f No. 21 cott0n twine webbed with a mesa: 0f 3.25 i,nches stret<thed. !Ropes of the same size as those 0£ t he ,bag are used as coJ1k and lead lines fior the wings. 'FJ'le fl0a1is, 0.5 inch thick and almost 5 inches square, a11e Irregularly set at from 6 to 12 inches intervals. The leads or weights are 2-pound stone weights strung at interals o:fi 6 feet. l [ Upon arrival at the fisliing gJ1ound, ,the motorboat is ma:j!eu:vered in 0rder to locate rich fishing areas where the gear Jan be operated. Parties a,re sent 0ut ·in fishing ba,ncas. With 1jhe aid of water telescones they determine the abundance of the streng,th 0f the tida:l current, the nature of the bottom,

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7-0nce a site is selected Ol' l0cated, the net is set in reefs and shoals where the water is from 3 to 10 fathoms deep. The bag i~ s.et out first wijjh the opening facing t he current. The 25p~und stone weights are tied to the bottom line at each end. '!Dre f:ree ends of the bottom line are held ' by means of two stout lillles in two bancas, each of which is aincho11ed on each side of thk openi,nl!.' of the bal!.'. Oftentimes anchors or large stone weights a11e emnk,yed to keep the closed end of the bag distended, as is the case when tlie net is set in the direction of the current oi, when thelle is no current at aill. The wings are then paid out at a distance of from 300 to 600 feet between their free ends, the latter ma,rked by a ,bamboo float on the surface and anchored at the bottom by a stone weight. Once the net is all set, the fishermen ,-in two ba,ncas set out for the 0pening between the tw0 wings. !Each fisherman with 1817-2

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The muro=:ami i n ,opcrotion ; a., motor boat; b, banca; c, bamboo buoy; d, anchor ; 1.1 , 25 - pound d hi klikc s ton e we ight.; {, nont line be]ow w a ter lcvel1; U, lend line t ou ching acn bottom; h, water. Jevel1; i, be.g ,net; o to e, wing.

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JAPANESE BEAM TRAWL

a water goggle and a weighted scare line (a line with a buoy at one end and a stone weight at the other with buri or cocopalm leaves strung between) jumps into the water, forming a semicircle and thus encircling the school. The whole gang of fishermen then advance toward the bag, simultaneously making much commotion with the scare line that each of them carries. Sometimes, they dive to make sure that no fish break back and thus escape. When the fishermen are about 30 feet from the bag, from four to six of them board the two bancas which lie anchored near the opening, and lift the bottom line; at the same time the others continue to advance until the whole affair is transformed into a bag containing the catch. More men help to haul in the net, which is worked out between the two bancas. The catch is then brailed out by means of large dip nets into another fishing banca wllich, in turn, takes it to the mother ship for deposit and icing in the latter's hold. Text fig. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of the fishing operation. The following are the items that enter into the investment: P esos.

Vesse1 (sampan type of 35 Âˇ tons gross) Engine (80 H.P. of Japanese make) Net and accessories Four flat-b ottomed fishing boats Total

5,000 5,600 2,200 800 13,600

, The catch is mostly dalagang buki d and labahita.

Bakoko, may0riT1,aya, lapu-lapu, malaking mat([;, ilak, sanruurai, barracuda, 1 ampano, saramuUete, moimoi, i~dang foro, and maming are also

caught in varying quantities. I

JAPANESE BEAM TRAWL (UTASE)

A Japanese beam trawler is generally manned by four or five men. The captain is in command of navigating the vessel and also directs and controls the entire fishing operation. The mechanic is another member of the crew, whose business it is to run the engine during navigation and to help in the shooting and hauling in of the trawl. The other two or three members of the crew are fishermen who shoulder the greater burden of the entire fishing operation. Âˇ A typical trawler is a 2-masted wooden sampan which measures from 40 to 60 feet in length with a beam of from 8 to 13 feet and a depth of from 2 to 5 feet, and is equipped with a crude-oil engine of from 20 to 70 horse-power and an auxiliary

DEEP-SEA FISHING

sail which is useful in the fishing operation. Such a boat r,anges in size from 8 to 21 gross tons. The deck is clear from the foremost aft to the engine ro0m. The motor-driven winch, which is provided with iron rollers, ii:; mounted above the engine room. Behind the engine room are the wheelhouse and a low cabin which runs aft in the center of vessel, leaving a clear passage on both sides and enough space 0f clear deck at the stern to permit work and coiling of the ÂˇÂˇ trawl warps. The Japanese b:eam t11awl is in the form of a conical bag provided wi-th two long wings of equal length. The wings are separated from each other by a long wooden beam and are held upright by a brail attached to the ends of each. The under portion of the whole arrangement d1:ags on the bottom as the net is towed.

Fm . 6. Perspective v iew of t he gear, showing importan t parts ; b, beam ; bl, belly ; br, brnil ; bt, bating; c. cod e nd, or bag ; d, draw string, or poke line; f, fonn ellike affair; f r, f oot rope; of, glass floa ts; hr , head rope ; iw, iron. chain w eights; mb, main bridle; rw, rock weight; a, square; sw, stone weig hts ; 10, win g; 10b, w ing bridle.

The parts of a typical beam t rawl could be grouped under four main divisions; namely, the t rawl warps and bridles, the beam, the b11ail, and the trawl net. 'Fext figs. 6 and 7 show the parts of the trawl net and the dimensions of the various parts together with the data of the cotton twine and the widths of the meshes. The fishing operation proper, which consists in shooting and hauling the trawl, may be done on either side of the vessel, depending on which side the beam of the trawl is carried. .As in most of the trawlers the beam is carried on the port side, the following description will deal with the technic of shooting and hauling the net on that side. Upon arrival at the fishing ground, the speed of the boat is reduced. The vessel is hove to (fig, 8, a and b), that is, placed almost perpendicular to the direction 0f the wind, with its port side on the windward side. The engi,ne is stopped. The bag,

JAPANESE BEAM TRAWL

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Lower surface

.,. FIG. 7.

A typ ical trawl net ; diag rammatic v iewS of upper, side, and lowe r surfaces; bl, belly; bt, bating ; c, cod end, or. bag; /, funnellike affair ; s, square ; w . wing.

t)ie open end of whlch has previously been closed by means of ti'he draw string, is paid out first, followed by the other parts of the net-the bating and the belly; t he square provided with a quarter rope (a rope tied to the center of the front rim of the square, with its free end secured to t he beam, which is especially useful in hauling in the heavy bag that contains the catch), and, finally the two wings. The shooting is then halted, "'ith the ends of the two wings still on deck (fig. 8, b), to make sÂľre that the direction of the drift of the net is such that while i6 is paid out, the vessel drifts to the leeward away from it. The forward end of the beam (the end towards the bow), together with the disklike 25-pound stone weight and from one to three sets of iron chain weights, is attached to the fore warp cf the main bridle before it is lowered (fig. 8, c) . A rope, the canting line, is tied to the after end of the beam (the end towards the stern) ; the rope is allowed to slacken until this end of the beam is nearly level with the rail of the boat, but is not let loose of it (canting line) until the forward end of the beam swings off from the vessel's side at an angle of 45 degrees, being slacked away gradually by the fore warp of the main bridle.

DEEP-SEA FISHING

The after end of the beam is then a,ttached to the after wa,rp of the main bridle with the corresponding weights and is lowered by pushing the bea,m down in such a way a s to allow it to sink

F1p, 8.

The shooting operations ; dinn-rnmmntic.

JAPANESE BEAM TRAWL

and at the same time square the trawl. The entire length of the main bridle is then paid out, followed by the main towline, the length of the latter be_ing dependent upon the depth of the fishing ground as registered on the weighted line, which serves the pur-1 pose of a sounding apparatus, while the vessel is steered to its original position and the engine run at only a fraction of its speed. Text fig. 8 is a diagrammatic representation of the enti,re shooting operation. The trawl is towed for from four to five hours, depending upon the abundance of fish and the nature of the sea bottom. It is then hove up or hauled in. Preparatory to the hauling of the t rawl, the portion of the main towli,n e left coiled on deck at the stern of the boat is slipped through the roller towards

Fro. !J.

The hauling process : diagrammatic.

DEEP-SEA FISHiNG

the bow and then passed through the roller of the winch on the port side of the vessel. The pin that secures the main towline to the towing tackle is then removed and the main towline hauled in by one man with the aid of the winch. The warp that is hauled in is piled in the stern of the boat by another man. While the towline is Toeing hauled up in the above manner, the boat gradually turns around and heads in the direction opposite to that held when the net was towed, which brings the port side somewhat to windwa111d (fig. 9, b). The engine is then stopped. When the ma,in bridle reaches the rol'ler of the winch, its fore warp is pulled 0y two men iJhrrough the roller near the bow of the beat, while tl\e aft warp is lifited Up and attached fa a small derrick or a short boom provided at the free end with a snatch block from whence it is pulled by 0ne man with the _a,id of Âˇthe winch (fig. 9, c and d). Thus, t he a,fter end of the beam wi,th the weights is hauled firnt, because the puU on the aft warp of the main bridle is faster than the pull on the foFe warp. The after end of the beam having been 1ifted ab0ve the surface @f the water, a rope is tied t o it, and it is loosened from ;the main bridle. The bridle and the brail of the after wing are then hove up, and the a,fter end of the wing is secured 0n deck, whiile the after end of the beam JS gradually drawn toward the stem where it is made to slide on a wooden ba,r. The fore warp of the main bridle is then hat1led faster by ccmnecting it to the roller of the v1rinch and the fore end of the beam wi,t h the weights h0ve up (fig. 9, d). The two wings are then hauled by four men, two on each wing, while the captain pulls the quarter line with the aid o'li the winch, which line is attached to the front rim of the squa-re, thus relieving some of the strai,ns on the wings. The square, the bati,ng, and the belly ai:e then hove up, un_til finwlly the mouth of the bag is raised above the water, where it is held in place by three qien, while the rest brail out the catch with a dip net. The net is then lifted and the remainder of the catch allow:ed to fall on deck. Text fig. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of the entire hauling operation.

JAPANESE BEAM TRAWL

The approximate cost of a fishing outfit is as follows: Pesoo.

Vessel (sampan) Engine (40 H. P. of Japanese make) Three nets at 250 pesos Winch Boat equipments Dynamo Reserve sail and canvas accessories Other accessories

3,500 2,800 750 200 300 300 100 50 8,000

Total

Sapsap, salay-saJ,a,y, bisugo, saramullete, kalaso , alakaak, mamkapas, and hipon comprise the bulk of the catch of the trawl, all so-called "ground fishes" which keep at or near smooth sea bottoms.

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