The Fishing IndustryGibbs, William E. (William Edward)
History
The Fishing Industry
Gibbs, William E. (William Edward)
Fisheries; Fisheries -- Great Britain
Shrimps are caught with a fine-meshed trawl net, drawn by a boat or by
horse and cart, or with push nets or hose nets. One great objection to
shrimping is that the shallow, sandy areas on which it takes place are
much frequented by young fish—particularly dabs, plaice, soles, whiting
and codling. Owing to the small mesh of the shrimp trawl, these small
fish are captured in large numbers and are generally dead or dying when
discharged from the net. Generally, the shrimps are separated from the
small fish by riddling, and the smaller shrimps are then separated from
the larger ones by a second riddling process, and are returned to the
sea. The shrimps are thrown into boiling salt water, rapidly stirred
for a few seconds, and spread out on the deck to cool. From three to
four hauls are made per day, a good day’s fishing consisting of from 30
to 40 quarts of shrimps. Large numbers of shrimps are potted.
The other important group of shellfish is the mollusca. Molluscs, i.e.
“soft creatures,” are essentially soft, mobile animals, protected
by shells. They are classed as bi-valves, for example oyster and
mussel, and uni-valves, for example limpet and whelk. There is no real
difference between a bi-valve and a uni-valve, for what appear to be
the two shells of the bi-valve are really one shell divided into two
parts by a line of soft, uncalcified material which forms a hinge
between the two halves of the shell; this hinge tends to keep the shell
open, but the muscular action of the living animal inside keeps it
closed when required.
With the exception of the mussel, very few shellfish actually live
on the shore between the tide marks. Most of the seashore shells are
brought by the sea from animals that lived in from 10 to 20 fathoms of
water. The cockle lives buried in the sand, about an inch below the
surface. The oyster lives on stones and shells below low-water mark.
All molluscs are attached tightly to the shell at one or two points,
and cannot be removed from the shell alive. In the case of the
bi-valves the animal is attached to the two shells by a muscle which
draws the two valves of the bi-valve together. When this muscle is
relaxed, for example in normal circumstances, when feeding at the
bottom of the sea—the shell remains open. Some shellfish—notably the
scallop—actually swim by opening and shutting the two valves of their
shell.
The most important uni-valves are the periwinkle, the limpet and the
whelk. Uni-valves possess a well-marked head and neck, a pair of eyes
and a mouth. They are remarkable for the possession of a tongue, formed
like a ribbon rasp, furnished on its upper surface with a large number
of small teeth. The number and arrangement of these teeth differ in
different species. With this ribbon rasp the uni-valve, for example a
dog-whelk, can rasp a hole through the shell of an oyster and feed upon
the contents.
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