FISHING APPLIANCES.

In most large fisheries for certain species numerous changes occur at
intervals in the apparatus used, owing to changed conditions, etc.,
but in the lobster industry changes have been few, and at an early
period the fishermen fixed upon a uniform apparatus, which has been in
use ever since with but slight modifications, and these generally only
temporary.

The earliest form of apparatus used to any considerable extent was the
hoop net. This consisted generally of a hoop or ring of about 1/2-inch
round iron, or a wooden hogshead hoop, from 2-1/2 to 3 feet or more in
diameter. To this hoop was attached a net bag with a depth of 18 to 24
inches as a bottom, while two wooden half hoops were bent above it,
crossing at right angles in the center about 12 or 15 inches above the
plane of the hoop. Sometimes these half hoops were replaced by short
cords. The bait was suspended from the point of crossing of the two
wooden hoops and the line for raising and lowering the pots was
attached at the same place. As there was no way of closing the
mouth of the pot after a lobster had entered, these nets had to
be constantly watched, the lobster being in the habit of retiring
after he had finished his repast. In using these the fisherman would
generally go out in the evening and at short intervals he would haul
in his nets and remove whatever lobsters they might contain. The
constant attention necessary in attending to these hoop nets led the
fishermen to devise an apparatus which would hold the lobsters after
once entering and would require only occasional visits, and "lath