The first ships to return from the fishery almost always made a significant profit on the sale of their catch. The lower the supply of fish, and the higher the quality, the greater the profit. Therefore, it was in the interest of both the shipowner and the crew that the ship return with its load as soon as possible. Ship captains tried to prolong the work as late into the evening as possible. Near the end of the season, many called for four shifts, which were supervised by the pilot, the second mate, the carpenter and the header. If there was a fifth shift, it was supervised by one of the best sailors. On night shifts, the fishermen worked four and a half hours because when the fish were biting they had to take advantage of it. ⁸⁵

When it was foggy, lanterns were not visible from a distance. The man who kept watch stood at the front of the ship with a speaking-trumpet (megaphone) and rang a bell to alert ships that were on the windward side. This was common practice on all ships to avoid collisions. ⁸⁶