Trawler
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A trawler is a fishing vessel designed for the purpose of operating a trawl, a type of fishing net that is dragged along the bottom of the sea (or sometimes above the bottom at a specified depth).
A trawler can also refer to a cruising trawler which is a recreational boat so named because it resembles a fishing trawler.
Modern "rock hopper" nets have heavy rubber wheels that let the net crawl over rough ocean bottoms without tearing on rocks.
Sailing trawlers were limited to trawling at depths of 55-75 metres, but modern trawlers often trawl to 900 metres, with experiments having gone even deeper. Sizes of modern trawlers vary, but range up to 2,500 to 3,000 tons.
Refrigeration machinery aboard lets trawlers stay out for several weeks filling the hold.
In the Middle Ages, Brixham was the largest fishing port in the South-West, and at one time it was the greatest in England. Brixham is also famous for being the town where the fishing trawler was invented.These elegant wooden boats were invented in Brixham in the 19th century, and copied all over the world, influencing fishing fleets everywhere. Their distinctive sails even inspired the song 'Red Sails in the Sunset' which was written aboard a Brixham sailing trawler called the 'Torbay Lass'. Known as the "Mother of Deep-Sea Fisheries", its boats sailed all round the coats and helped to establish the fishing industries of Hull, Grimsby and Lowestoft. In the 1890s there were about 300 trawling vessels here, each owned by one man who was often the skipper of his own boat
One of the biggest ports in England for trawlers was the city of Kingston upon Hull (or simply 'Hull') in Yorkshire on England's north-east coast.
The largest fishing port in Europe from the 1970's onwards has been Peterhead in the North-East corner of Scotland. In its prime in the 1980's Peterhead had over 500 trawlers staying at sea for a week each trip. Peterhead has seen a significant decline in the number of vessels and the value of fish landed has been reduced due to several decades of overfishing which in turn has reduced quotas.
During World War I and World War II, many trawlers were used as minesweepers, the activities being similar, and both the crew and the equipment aboard already suited to the task.
During the Cold War, some countries often used trawlers outfitted with additional electronic gear to monitor the activities of their enemies: see spy ship.
[edit] See also
- Ships by country List of ships in various country
- Ship
