Fishing with Lamps.

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 17 August 1888, Page 28

Fishing with Lamps.

The red mullet id probably one of the most I beautiful fishes in . existence, an I is found principally along the shores of- the Mediterranean. It is about 14in in length and is of a delicate rose colour, which after death soon changes to a pallid yellowish tint." It is highly esteemed for its excellent eating, and -many thousands are weekly disposed of in the French and Englibh markets. The -ancient Romans were very fond of this fish, and Martial records a fish of six pounds' weight being sold for a sum

equal to, £48, and states that as much as £240 was paid for an extraordinarily large fish at a feast of greater magnificence than usual. Pliny claims that the term raullett 13 derived from the colour of the fish being identical with that of the mulli, a shoe that was first worn by the Alban kings and subsequently by. the Roman emperor?, but as the fish existed long before the shoes, degenerate moderns think it possible that the shoes may have been named after the fish. ' ■ • •' - Juvenal tells us how mullet were placed in crystal vases on thejbanquet tables of the wealthy Romans so that the guests. might watch its beautiful colours fade and change as it died before them. This is authenticated by Cuvier. In Italy and in the South of France a condi. ment is manufactured from the roe of the red mullet and sold in large quantities under the name of " botarcka." It is an extremely TIMID AND WABV. PISH, and when driven close in shore by encircling nets has frequently been known to escape by leaping over the net, one fish following another until the whole shoal have gone. , Deep water appears to have no attraction for this fish, and it is usually found ,'near the coast line in the shallows. Boys catch them in the Mediterranean with pole, line and hook, baiting with paste, previously baiting the ground with maccaroni stewed in milk, but like our own boys, the catch is not fturge and seldom 5 fulfils the angler's expectations. Some years ago, the great bulk of red mullet sent to the markets came from Spain, and were caught in a somewhat curious. manner. In the month of July, when the sea in the various small bays found along the coast was as smooth as a lake, with scarcely a ripple to mar its mirror-like surface, and the fish, after the burning heat of the sun, glided about in a lazy, half-somnolent state, with only the clear blue sky studded with millions of stars above them. At nightfall five or six boats, each containing two or three mcD, leave the shore, towing behind them A LARGE HOBDLE , i . made of thin twigs so closely netted together tnat no fish of any Bize can slip through the meshes. These hurdles* are about 30ft square, and float quite flat upon the water, as a large raft would; all around the edges are fitted small wooden pegs about 2ft apart, and on these are placed a kind of lamp formed by hollowing out a small gourd ; these are illuminated by means of a rude wick made of cotton, and fed by grease rolled into a ball with scraps of paper. The best depth for fishing is about 6ft or Bft, and having towed the hurdle to a suitable place it is anchored by means of a stone fastened to a cord and allowed to drag along the bottom. The lamps are then lit, and while the dark water all around has its deep colour intensified by the soft mellow glow of the lamps, the floating hurdle is thrown out in a lighter shade, owing to the shallowness of the water that barely covers its surface. The boats now commence to circlo round the hurdle at a distance of 100 ft or so, one man in each boat rowing and the remainder beating the surface of the water with long, limber poles, beating it until it is all churned into a heaving, foamy mass, when the fishermen cease beating and two of the boats row in, one on each side of the hurdle. By the time they reach their places the waters will]have subsided somewhat, and the mullet, scared out of their repose and confused by the commotion on all sides, throng to the common centre made by the hurdle, attracted by the lights and seeming calmness of the water inclosed by them. Determined to escape if possible, they leap on to the hurdle on every side. The two boats at the side have a man in each, armed with a long, light pole, to the end of which is affixed a small net, and with great quickness and dexterity he gathers the fish up in a second of time and transfers them to the bottom of the boat before they have had time to regain the water. When the day has been very hot, and at night a soft mist hangs just above the water, THOUSANDS OF THESE HURDLES may be seen all along the coast studding the water in all directions, producing a scenic effect that is worthy of fairyland. The numbsr of fish in these waters is incalculable, and 801b weight was considered a fair night's work. Spain has for centuries caught her mullet with lamps in the manner described, and looks upon it as a national custom, but in truth it is only an adaptation of the principle of the Chinaman's white- washed board, which he has used for all time. At one time the fisheries of Spain were a considerable industry, employing more than 1,000,000 of her peopie, but now, though fish is as plentiful as ever, there is but little demand for ifc, and it is Bold along the coast at a mere trifle' the waggon load. Capital and industry are both conspicuous by their absence. — Will P. Pond, in American Angler.