Boat Models, Mary Jeanne Krabbenkutter

A Little Trawl Net Information

Shrimp are fished from boats like the Mary Jeanne Krabbenkutter, from shallow to moderate depths ranging from 27 to 201 m. Those species generally found on muddy or sandy bottoms are fished with a bag-shaped net or trawl. The trawl net is conical, open at the mouth and tapering to an apex at the other end. As the net is towed along the bottom, shrimps are gathered into the mouth of the net, thus passing into the apex, or cod end.

In order to function effectively, the mouth of the net must remain open. A length of tubular aluminum (up to 12 m long) or, less frequently, a spruce pole, achieves this purpose on the beam trawl. In the otter trawl, like that on the Mary Jeanne Krabbenkutter, the upper edge of the net mouth is supported by glass or aluminum floats, and the sides (or wings) of the net are attached to two vaneshaped boards. When the gear is towed along the bottom, water resistance causes the boards to spread open the net mouth. Mesh size of shrimp nets ranges from 2.8 to 3.8 cm., depending on the net material.

The smaller, one-man shrimp beam trawlers (about 11 m long) are usually converted salmon gillnetters that use the net drum as a trawl winch. Shrimp beam trawls are towed slowly (about 1 1/2 nautical miles per hour). That low speed prevents too large a fish by-catch and gives a catch that is reasonably free of mud. The tow may last one or two hours, depending on the nature of the fishing ground and the availability of shrimps.

The trawl is hauled in slowly. When the net mouth reaches the surface, the beam is detached and allowed to float alongside the boat. After dousing the cod end to clear the catch of any mud, the fisherman pulls the net aboard.

Larger shrimp boats like the Mary Jeanne Krabbenkutter (12 to 25 m long) use the otter trawl - a gear normally handled by two or three people. Shrimp otter trawls are towed at 2 to 2 1/2 nautical miles per hour so they catch more fish - cod, pollock, and dogfish - than do the beam trawls. When the gear is hauled in, the otter boards and net are taken aboard, the latter being wound on a drum until the cod end is reached. This heavy load is then lifted by means of an overhead boom.

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