The Shrimps are dipped vp in shallow water by the shore side, with little round nets, fastned to a staffe, not much unlike that which is used for daring of Larkes.
The Ostyers (besides gathering by hand, at a great ebb) haue a peculiar dredge, which is a thick strong net, fastned to three spils of yron, and drawne at the boates sterne, gathering whatsoeuer it meeteth, lying in the bottome of the water, out of which, when it is taken vp, they cull the Oysters, and cast away the residue, which they terme gard, and serueth as a bed for the Oysters to breed in. It is held, that there are of them male, and female. The female, about May, and Iune, haue in them a certaine kind of milke, which they then shead, and whereof the Oyster is engendered. The little ones, at first, cleaue in great numbers, to their mothers shell, from whence, waxing bigger, they weane themselues, and towards Michaelmas, fall away. The Countrie people long retained a conceit, that in Summer time they weare out of kind (as indeed the milkie are) but some Gentlemen making experiment of the contrarie, began to eate them at all seasons, wherethrough, by spending them oftner and in greater quantitie, by spoyling the little ones, and by casting away the vnseasonable, there ensued a scarcitie, which scarcitie brought a dearth, the dearth bred a sparing, and the sparing restored a plenty againe. They haue a propertie, though taken out of the water, to open against the flood time, and to close vpon the ebbe, or before, if they bee touched, the which, not long sithence occasioned a ridiculous chaunce, while one of them through his sodaine Shutting, caught in his owne defence, three yong Mice by the heads, that of malice prepensed, had conspired to deuoure him, and so trebled the valour of the cleft block, which griped Milo by the hands.
Nature hath strowed the shore with such plenty of these shel-fishes, as thereby shee warranteth the poore from dread of staruing: for euery day they may gather sufficient to preserue their life, though not to please their appetite, which, ordinarie with vs, was miraculous to the Rochellers in their siedge 1572.
After Shel-fish succeedeth the free-fish, so termed, because he wanteth this shelly bulwarke.
Amongst these, the Flowk, Sole and Playce follows the tyde up into the fresh riuers, where, at low water, the Countri people find them by treading, as they wade to seeke them, and so take them vp with their hands. They vse also to poche them with an instrument somewhat like the Sammon-speare.
Of Eeles there are two sorts: the one Valsen, of best taste, coming from the fresh riuers, when the great raine floods after September doe breake their beds, and carry them into the sea: the other, bred in the salt water, & called a Conger Eele, which afterwards, as his bignes increaseth, ventreth out into the maine Ocean, & is enfranchised a Burgesse of that vast common wealth: but in harbor they are taken mostly by Spillers made of a cord, [32] many fathoms in length, to which diuers lesser and shorter are tyed at a little distance, and to each of these a hooke is fastened with bayt: this Spiller they sincke in the sea where those Fishes haue their accustomed haunt, and the next morning take it vp againe with the beguiled fish.
For catching of Whiting and Basse, they vse a thred, so named, because it consisteth of a long smal lyne with a hooke at the end, which the Fisherman letteth slip out of his hand by the Boat side to the bottom of the water, and feeling the fish caught by the sturring of the lyne, draweth it vp againe with his purchase. The Porposes are shaped very bigge and blacke. These chase the smaller schoels of fish from the mayne sea into the hauens, leaping vp and downe in the water, tayle after top, and one after another, puffing like a fat lubber out of breath, and following the fish with the flood, so long as any depth will serue to bear them; by which means they are sometimes intercepted: for the Borderers watching vntill they be past farre vp into some narrow creeke, get belowe them with their Boats, and cast a strong corded net athwart the streame, with which, and their lowd and continuall showting and noyse making, they fray and stop them from retyring, vntill the ebbe haue abandoned them to the hunters mercy, who make short worke with them, and (by an olde custome) share them amongst all the assistants with such indifferencie, as if a woman with child bee present, the babe in her wombe is gratified with a portion: a poynt also obserued by the Speare-hunters in taking of Sammons.