The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third VoyageKing, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third Voyage
King, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
The other sort is of a smaller kind, weighing only from eight to sixteen
pounds; they are known by the general name of the red fish, and begin to
collect in the bays, and at the mouths of the rivers, the beginning of
June; from which time, till the end of September, they are caught in
great quantities both upon the eastern and western coast, where any
fresh water falls into the sea, and likewise all along the course of the
rivers, to their very source. The manner in which they draw their nets
within the bay of Awatska, is as follows: they tie one end of the net to
a large stone at the water’s edge, they then push off in a canoe about
twenty yards in a right line, dropping their net as they advance, after
which they turn and run out the remainder of the net in a line parallel
to the shore; in this position they wait, concealing themselves very
carefully in the boat, and keeping a sharp look-out for the fish, which
always direct their course close in with the shore, and whose approach
is announced by a rippling in the water, till they find that the shoal
has advanced beyond the boat, when they shoot the canoe to shore in a
direct line, and never fail of enclosing their prey. Seldom more than
two men are employed to a net, who hawl with facility, in this manner,
seines larger than ours, to which we appoint a dozen. We at first met
with very poor success in our own method of hawling; but after the
Kamtschadales had very kindly put us in the way, we were not less
successful than themselves. In the rivers, they shoot one net across,
and hawl another down the stream to it.
The lakes that have a communication with the sea, which was the case of
all those that I saw, abound with fish, that have very much the
resemblance of small salmon, and are from four to six pounds’ weight. I
could not understand that the inhabitants thought it worth their while
to fish for them. As these lakes are not deep, they become an easy prey
to the bears and dogs during the summer; and if I might judge from the
quantity of bones to be seen upon the banks, they devour vast numbers of
them.
The inhabitants, for the most part, dry their salmon, and salt very
little of it. Each fish is cut into three pieces, the belly-piece being
first taken off, and afterward a slice along each side the back-bone.
The former of these are dried and smoked, and esteemed the finest part
of the fish, and sold, when we were at Saint Peter’s and Saint Paul’s,
at the rate of one hundred for a rouble. The latter are dried in the
air, and either eaten whole as bread, or reduced to powder, of which
they make paste and cakes, that are not unpleasant to the taste. The
head, tail, and bones, are hung up and dried for winter provision for
the dogs.
_List of the Animals found in Kamtschatka, communicated by Mr._
PENNANT.[57]
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