THE SHRIMPING INDUSTRY IN ESSEX 235
Blackwater, Colne, Stour and Orwell, and from the Wallet to
the Cork Lightship and as far as Orfordness. It follows then
that landings at the ports Harwich, Brightlingsea, West Mersea,
Burnham-on-Crouch and Whitstable, will be mainly of pink
shrimps, while at Leigh, Southend and Rochester a mixture of
brown and pink.
Brown shrimps appear to be more numerous than pink in the
River Thames and its estuary, although this is by no means a
definite conclusion, as pink shrimps are generally found seaward
of brown shrimps, and fishermen will go to fishing grounds which
are not at great distance from their home ports. Another factor
which might explain the predominance in numbers of brown
over pink in commercial landings is that the brown shrimps can be
found in large or small numbers according to the circumstances
all the year round. The pink shrimp shows migrating habits and
it is more abundant during the late spring and summer months.
Therefore, whereas boats operating from Leigh, Southend and
Rochester can secure catches of brown shrimps throughout the
year, the Tollesbury, Brightlingsea and Harwich boats have to
divert their attention to other products of the sea during the
autumn and winter months. For instance, they change their
gear for the sprat fishery which begins in November.
Fishing
Shrimps, brown and pink, are fished in a similar manner. Each
skipper has his own particular favourite ground, although when
good concentrations of shrimps have been located by one boat,
the others will follow suit and fish over this ground. On arrival
over the ground the beam-trawl is shot overboard and towed
slowly, usually with the tide. Shrimps are trawled with the ebb
and the flood-tide and the towing speed is increased at spring
tides and a few hours after high water or low water. A small
accessory net is also used, soon after the trawl has been lowered.
This is called the "tell-tale", a rough twine bowl-shaped net a foot
deep, loosely lashed on to a stirrup-shaped iron mouth. It is easily
lowered and raised at intervals, usually after four or five minutes,
to ascertain the presence or absence of any shrimps. At the
same time it indicates the possible catch, the nature of the bottom,
and bottom organisms. In this way it saves hauling up and
lowering the heavy beam-trawl, while warning the skipper of
the propriety of keeping the trawl down for a short or longer
period. After an hour's towing, sometimes longer, sometimes less,
but less than two hours, the gear is hauled by the capstan which
is worked from the engine. In the sailing days the beam-trawl
was hauled up by hand. As soon as the catch is emptied on
deck, the net is shot overboard again for the next haul, if the
quantity of shrimps fished is not sufficient to cover the expenses
or the requirements of the market. Immediately after, the
various forms of marine life, algae, hydroids, crabs, molluscs, star-
fish, fish, or dead shells and stones are separated from the catch