Gillnetting

People use special nets to catch fish.

These nets hang straight down in the water. Floats on top keep the net up. Weights on the bottom keep it down.

A fish swims into the net. It tries to get through the holes. The net gets stuck behind the fish's cover. This stops the fish from swimming away. It is a very good way to fish.

Gillnetting is a way to catch fish using large nets.

These nets hang straight down in the water. Floats on the top line keep the net up. Weights on the bottom line keep it down.

Fish can get caught in a net in three ways. Some fish get stuck by their bodies in the mesh. Others get stuck when the net slips behind their gill covers. Some fish get caught by their teeth or spines.

Nets can be made of many things. Long ago, people used fibers from plants or wood. Today, many nets use nylon. Nylon is a strong plastic. It is hard to see in the water. This helps catch more fish.

Scientists study the size of the net holes. This is called selectivity. It helps make sure only the right fish are caught. This helps protect other animals like dolphins.

Governments make rules for gillnetting. They watch how many fish are caught. They also check the size and length of the nets.

{ "text": "Gillnetting is a specific way to catch fish using large, vertical panels of netting.

These nets hang in a straight line through the water. A line of floats, sometimes called corks, stays on the surface to hold the top up. A weighted line, often called a lead line, stays at the bottom to keep the net down. This setup allows the net to stay upright in the water column. By changing the amount of floats or weights, fishers can set the net to any depth.

\n\nFish can get caught in the mesh in three different ways. First, a fish might get wedged if its body is the right size for the mesh. Second, a fish can be gilled when the netting slips behind its gill covers, or opercula. This happens when the fish tries to swim through but cannot escape. Third, a fish might get tangled by its teeth, spines, or other parts.

Because the mesh size is uniform, small fish can often swim right through the holes. This makes gillnets very good at catching only certain sizes of fish.\n\nPeople have used gillnets for a very long time. Archaeological evidence shows they existed in ancient times in the Middle East. In North America, Native American fishers used nets made from natural fibers like cedar bark or nettles. They used stones for weights and wood for floats. In Japan, there is evidence of gillnetting going back to the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.

Many different cultures, from the Vikings in the Shetland Islands to fishermen in Sweden, have used these tools.\n\nTechnology has changed how gillnetting works over the years. In 1931, Laurie Jarelainen created the first powered drum. This circular device sits on the side of a boat to pull in nets much faster. During World War II, new tools like radar and depth-sounding became more common for sailors. In the 1960s, people began using synthetic fibers like nylon instead of natural ones. Nylon is strong and almost invisible in the water, which helps catch more fish.

\n\nToday, many rules exist to keep gillnetting safe for the ocean. Because nets can catch animals they are not supposed to, like dolphins or whales, agencies monitor their use closely. For example, in the Sri Lankan tuna fishery, one dolphin is caught for every 1.7 to 4.0 tonnes of tuna. To help, many rules regulate the mesh size, net length, and net depth. Some lost nets can cause \"ghost fishing,\" where lost gear keeps catching fish for a long time.

Scientists even use vertical gillnets to study where different fish live in the sea.", "media": [ "File:Gillnet illustration.PNG", "File:Drawing of a gill netter.png", "File:Gillnet selectivity.png", "File:Eilif Peterssen-Laksefiskeren (1889).jpg", "File:MENDING A GILLNET ON THE DOCK AT ST

{ "text": "Gillnetting is a specialized fishing method that uses vertical panels of netting to capture fish.

These nets hang in a straight line through the water column. A line of floats, often called corks, holds the top of the net at the surface. This is known as the cork line. Along the bottom, a weighted line called a lead line keeps the net submerged. By adjusting the ratio of floats to weights, fishers can control the buoyancy of the net. This allows the gear to be set at specific depths to target certain fish.

\n\nFish are caught through three distinct mechanical processes. The first