Floats (3) glass enclosed by knotted rope, 2 dark coloured glass, 1 clear glass. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, glass float, fishing float, fishing industry, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

Norway, around 1840, was the first country to produce and use glass fishing floats. Many of them can still be found in local boathouses. Christopher Faye, a Norwegian merchant from Bergen, is credited with their invention. The earliest floats, including most Japanese glass fishing floats, were handmade by a glassblower. Recycled glass, especially old sake bottles in Japan, was typically used and air bubbles/imperfections in the glass are a result of the rapid recycling process. Glass floats have since been replaced by aluminum, plastic, or Styrofoam. Today most of the glass floats remaining in the ocean are stuck in a circular pattern of ocean currents in the North Pacific.By the 1940s, glass had replaced wood or cork throughout much of Europe, Russia, North America, and Japan. Japan started using the glass floats as early as 1910. Now they are still highly sought after as decoration.A glass float with intact knotted rope net attachedfishing, floats, glass floats

Glass floats are used in the fishing trade as a marker, such as for location of fishing nets.Float, (collection of 46) hollow, blown glass ball in knotted rope holder. Some are clear glass and some are coloured glass.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, float, glass float, fishing industry

Fisher Folk of Fishermans Bend by Allan Meiers was published by PMHPS in 2006. The book was launched by CoPP Mayor, Janet BOLITHO on 24 Oct 2006 at Port Melbourne Town Hall with an exhibition to accompany the launch that ran until Monday 14 November 2006. Ann SMALLPAGE took photos of the launch (Cat No 2205.01 - .29) and David THOMPSON took photos of the Exhibition (Cat No 5157.01 - .33). Colour digital photograph of fishing objects - a basket, an anchor, cork floats and fishing nets - on display at the Fisher Folk of Fishermans Bend Exhibition at Port Melbourne Town Hall, Oct-Nov 2006.fisher folk of fishermans bend, pmhps, port melbourne historical & preservation society, celebrations fetes and exhibitions, david thompson, fishermans bend

Fisher Folk of Fishermans Bend by Allan MEIERS was published by PMHPS in 2006. The book was launched by CoPP Mayor, Janet BOLITHO on 24 Oct 2006 at Port Melbourne Town Hall with an exhibition to accompany the launch that ran until Monday 14 November 2006. Ann SMALLPAGE took photos of the launch (Cat No 2205.01 - .29) and David THOMPSON took photos of the Exhibition (Cat No 5157.01 - .33). Colour digital photograph of fishing objects - a basket, fishing line, a fishing net and orange floats - on display at the Fisher Folk of Fishermans Bend Exhibition at Port Melbourne Town Hall, Oct-Nov 2006.fisher folk of fishermans bend, pmhps, port melbourne historical & preservation society, celebrations fetes and exhibitions, david thompson, fishermans bend

These net floats are handmade from lightweight cork wood and are used for suspending fishing nets in the water. Newspaper articles dated from 1848 to 1916 mention net fishing in Warrnambool's Hopkins and Merri rivers and Lady Bay. The Melbourne Argus dated January 11, 1848, published a quote from Captain Theobald of the vessels ELLEN and ELIZABETH, made on his first visit to Warrnambool "“…Fish are very plentiful here; on Christmas day a net was thrown into the Hopkins, and, after two or three draws, a boat load of beautiful fish was obtained…” The Argus, Melbourne, Sat. 29 May 1858, forwarded from The Examiner newspaper; "Extraordinary Fish. We have been presented with a very singular fish, caught by Mr. Meek in the Hopkins [Hopkins River, Warrnambool] last week. It is about three inches long, with a slate-coloured body, and a beautiful wing on each side. It was caught with other fish at night, in a net, and its eyes shone as bright as diamonds." A method for making cork net floats mentioned, in a 15th-century book, advised cutting the corks and then burning a hole through the centre of each one with a hot iron. The prepared corks were then joined together with a horsehair line. The cork's size and the line's thickness depended on the net's weight.The net floats are an example of fishing equipment used for many centuries and still in use today. In Warrnambool net fishing was a common practice from 1848 and became a livelihood for many fishermen.Cork net floats; a set of two cylindrical blocks of varying sizes threaded onto strings.warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, net floats, cork net floats, fishing, fisheries, fishing equipment, handmade, net fishing, fisheries act, andrew ferrier, william flett, warrnambool breakwater, merri river, hopkins river, captain theobald, ellen, elizabeth

These net floats are handmade from lightweight cork wood and are used for suspending fishing nets in the water. Newspaper articles dated from 1848 to 1916 mention net fishing in Warrnambool's Hopkins and Merri rivers and Lady Bay. The Melbourne Argus dated January 11, 1848, published a quote from Captain Theobald of the vessels ELLEN and ELIZABETH, made on his first visit to Warrnambool "“…Fish are very plentiful here; on Christmas day a net was thrown into the Hopkins, and, after two or three draws, a boat load of beautiful fish was obtained…” The Argus, Melbourne, Sat. 29 May 1858, forwarded from The Examiner newspaper; "Extraordinary Fish. We have been presented with a very singular fish, caught by Mr. Meek in the Hopkins [Hopkins River, Warrnambool] last week. It is about three inches long, with a slate-coloured body, and a beautiful wing on each side. It was caught with other fish at night, in a net, and its eyes shone as bright as diamonds." A method for making cork net floats mentioned in a 15th-century book advised cutting the corks and then burning a hole through the centre of each one with a hot iron. The prepared corks were then joined together with a horsehair line. The cork's size and the line's thickness depended on the net's weight.The net floats are an example of fishing equipment used for many centuries and still in use today. In Warrnambool net fishing was a common practice from 1848 and became a livelihood for many fishermen.Net floats: cylindrical blocks of 10 corks threaded onto string.warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, net floats, cork net floats, fishing, fisheries, fishing equipment, handmade, net fishing, fisheries act, andrew ferrier, william flett, warrnambool breakwater, merri river, hopkins river, captain theobald, ellen, elizabeth