seine n also saine, scaine, seane [phonetics unavailable] OED ~ sb 1 (c950—esp 1602 quot Co), DAE (1634-) for sense 1; see also CAPLIN ~ , COD ~ , LANCE ~ . For combs. in sense 2: OED c ~ line (1794-), ~ man (1876-).
1 A large vertical net placed in position around a school of fish, the 'foots' drawn together to form a bag, and hauled at sea or in shallow water near the shore.
1612 Willoughby Papers 16a/9 For our fishing voiage [to the Newfoundland] one Seane 6 neats 7 dosen of Lynes. [1622] 1954 INNIS 58 2 saines, a greater and a less. [1663] 1963 YONGE 60 They catch caplin and squid] in nets or scaines. 1699 Act of Wm III, 10 & I I [It is forbidden to] Shoot his or their Sayn or Sayns within or upon the Sayn or Sayns of any other Person. [1775] 1895 PROWSE 342 We destroy a great quantity of small fish, which after being inclosed in the sean (and not worth the attention of the person who hauls them) are left to rot. [1778] 1792 CARTWRIGHT ii, 354 The seine was hauled to day by the stage, and took some small lance. [1863] 1954 INNIS 397 Large seines must be used in Bay Bulls, or none, in consequence of the depth of water in that locality. 1884 DEMING 90 The 'seine,' so called locally, is a net of great length and depth, so arranged as to 'purse' at the bottom by a drawn cord, and secure the fish in the same manner that menhaden are caught on our [U S] coasts. 1975 BUTLER 58 The bottom had to be smooth in order to use those seines since the seine had to be hauled over the bottom to catch the fish.
2 Comb seine ball: lead sinker attached to the foot of a seine to suspend it vertically in the water (M 68-7).
seine barrow: flat, rectangular wooden frame with handles at each end for two men to carry a cod-seine (1975 BUTLER 181); BARROW1.
seine gallows: wooden frame on which seine is placed to dry (C 75-130); GALLOWS.
1907 Nfld Qtly Dec, p. 2 The Canon thinks the name [Gallows Cove] is derived from a sort of erection which was. until recent years, to be seen in many settlements, and which was known as a 'SEINE GALLOWS.' It was a sort of 'horse' or trestle made of rough rails or starrigans, and was used for drying nets on. P 127-76 ~ A slanted flake-like construction used to dry newly barked nets.
seine lead: see seine ball; LEAD1.
1977 Evening Telegram 28 Apr, p. 42 Tenders are invited for the purchase ... of approximately 600 lbs. of seine leads, complete with footrope and [headrope].
seine line: type of stout rope to which the netting of a seine is fastened at top and bottom.
[1751-66] 1954 INNIS 182 Ropes for Sean Lines.
seine linnet: netting which forms a seine; LINNET.
1966 SCAMMELL 76 Ah, there it was, the baitskiff, just rounding the head. He could see the heap of
seine-linnet in the stern of the punt that was being towed behind.
seine man: one engaged in fishing with a seine, esp for bait to supply banking vessel.
1975 LEYTON 102 Before Confederation [the Nova Scotia vessels] weren't allowed to take any bait in Newfoundland themselves. They hired what they called a Bait Hauler. Now Mr Lake next door, he used to be a seine man, a Bait Hauler, had his own seine net; and I'd go with him, go haul bait.
seine master, master of the seine: man in charge of a boat and crew fishing with seines.
[1886] LLOYD 62 A seine-boat crew usually numbers from four to eight hands, including the 'master of the seine,' who is also the coxswain of the boat. 1895 GRENFELL 71 The seine master stands, fish-glass in hand, high on the bow of the seine skiff. 1960 FUDGE 19 It had been a herring famine for twenty years, but a Enos Davidge, a big seine master, happened to haul herring in St Keels, and about twenty sails rushed to the scene.
seine skiff: large open boat, propelled by oars, used to fish with seines.
1895 GRENFELL 71 [He stood] high on the bow of the seine skiff, as his stalwart crew, with eight huge pine oars, drive the boat along. T 100/2-64 Well, a seine skiff was something like the trap skiff, but she mightn't be hardly so big in width and length, she'd be a lighter built boat. 1975 BUTLER 68 The fishermen owned herring seines and seine skiffs which they rowed with long oars.
seine tar: kind of cutch used to tan fish-nets.
T 178-65 After we started usin' this patent bark we used to use two three gallons o' tar, of seine tar, used to call it. And that didn't use to bide in 'em then, sir, not like the spruce bark. T 141/67-652 But now seine tar, seine tar will mix with the hot water, perhaps right boiling.
