Quote:A brief account of the operation of ring-netting will be necessary if the more technical elements are to be grasped. Those readers who desire a deeper understanding of the method, I would direct to my The Ring-Net Fishermen. Ring-netting was essentially a two-boat operation, so skippers would pair off and take a neighbour, or "neebor". Some partnerships endured for decades, others for mere months. The crew that located a shoal, or "spot", of herring would set, or "shot", its net. The end of the net would then be picked up by the neighbouring crew and towed around to meet the net-boat. A circle, or "ring", was thus formed, hence the description ring-netting. The boats would then meet to close the ring, and the neighbouring crew would transfer aboard the net-boat to help haul in the net; and while the net was being hauled, the other boat would keep a strain on the net-boat, by means of a connecting rope, to prevent that boat from being pulled over the net and to preserve the shape of the net. Once the bottom, or "sole", of the net had been closed, the herring were trapped. When the net-hauling had been completed, only the bag, or "top sling", would remain, containing the catch, which would then be "dried up" alongside. The towing-boat would then cast off and come round to "square" the boats by also lashing on to the bag on its opposite side. With the net secure between the two boats, the removal of the catch from the net could begin, using a winch-operated bag-net called the "brailer".