Tray for longlines storage

In the fishing collection of the Pomeranian Ethnography Department of the National Museum in Szczecin you will find a wooden tray in the shape of a shallow basin. The tray, which dates back to the first half of the 20th century, was used by one of Novowarp's fishermen to store longlines. Longlines were popular in Pomerania for inland and offshore fishing. In line with their name, they were made up of a main line and shorter lines attached to it with hooks on the other ends. The short lines were placed at different depths and different sized hooks were used, depending on the species of fish that were being caught. The featured tray is fitted with a wire mounted transversely at one end, which was used to attach hooks. Similar trays, resembling shovels bounded on three sides by low walls, were used to transport the stacked lines, often with the bait already attached, to the fishing spot. In the course of their catch, the fisherman in the boat would gradually throw the lines directly from the tray into the water. Before World War II, line trays were in common use among Pomeranian fishermen. Agnieszka Słowińska