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Fishing techniques

Fishing techniques comprise the diverse mechanical, manual, and technological methods humans employ to capture fish and other aquatic organisms from bodies of water for subsistence, commercial, or recreational purposes. These methods rely on principles of attracting, herding, or directly ensnaring target species, leveraging environmental behaviors such as schooling or feeding instincts to maximize efficiency.^[1] Fundamental categories include angling with hooks and lines, netting via encircling or dragging, trapping with pots or weirs, and dredging or trawling across substrates, each calibrated to water depth, current, and prey mobility.^[2] Originating from prehistoric hand-capture and spearing, techniques have scaled to industrial levels with motorized vessels and sonar, enabling vast yields but also amplifying selective pressures on populations.^[1] Empirical assessments reveal that gear selectivity influences species composition and age structures in catches, with passive methods like longlines targeting larger individuals while active trawling often harvests juveniles indiscriminately.^[3] Commercial dominance by purse seines and trawls accounts for over 80% of global marine capture fisheries, sustaining billions in protein supply yet correlating with documented declines in biodiversity hotspots due to bycatch and habitat alteration.^[4] Controversies arise from ecologically disruptive practices, such as bottom trawling's seafloor scouring, which empirical studies link to reduced benthic biomass, spurring quotas and gear modifications in managed fisheries.^[3] Recreational variants, emphasizing catch-and-release, mitigate some impacts but still exert evolutionary pressures favoring bolder phenotypes.^[5]

Manual and Primitive Techniques

Hand-Gathering

Hand-gathering refers to the direct capture of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic organisms using only the hands, typically in shallow waters, intertidal zones, or accessible underwater cavities, without mechanical aids or tools. This method targets species such as clams, crabs, abalone, and bottom-dwelling fish like catfish, relying on physical reach and tactile sensation. It is among the most ancient fishing practices, predating tools and enabling early human subsistence in coastal and riverine environments.^[6]^[7] One common form is shoreline collection, where receding tides expose shellfish and crustaceans for manual picking or digging. For instance, clam diggers use hands to probe sand for buried bivalves like hard clams or steamers, sifting sediment to extract them while minimizing habitat disturbance. Regulations often require licenses; in Washington state, diggers over 12 must possess a shellfish license and adhere to daily limits, such as 40 pounds of razor clams per person during open seasons. Techniques involve identifying "shows"—protruding siphons or necks—and digging laterally to avoid damaging shells, with boiling water sometimes used post-harvest to purge sand.^[8]^[9]^[10] In freshwater systems, noodling targets spawning catfish by inserting hands into underwater holes or undercut banks, where the fish instinctively bite and grip the intruder's arm, allowing extraction through wrestling. Documented among Native American tribes as early as 1775 by trader James Adair, this practice spread via Scottish immigrants employing similar "tickling" for salmon. Primarily used for flathead, channel, or blue catfish, it occurs in warm months when fish seek cavities for spawning; noodlers scout shallows, probe gently to locate the fish's mouth or gills, and surface with the catch amid risks of bites, scratches, or submersion hazards. Legal in select U.S. states including Oklahoma and Texas, it remains a regulated alternative method with size and bag limits to prevent overharvest.^[11]^[12]^[13] Freediving hand-gathering, exemplified by Japan's ama divers, involves breath-hold descents to collect abalone, sea urchins, and seaweed from rocky seabeds. This tradition, practiced predominantly by women, entails dives up to two minutes at depths of 5-10 meters, using hands to pry shellfish from substrates and deposit them in floating baskets. Ama historically conducted two daily sessions of 30-40 minutes each, though numbers have declined due to aging practitioners and competition from mechanized fishing. Selective by nature, such methods allow targeted harvesting of legal-sized individuals, reducing bycatch compared to netting, but require skill to avoid decompression risks or marine hazards.^[14]^[15] Overall, hand-gathering offers low environmental impact through direct selectivity but demands physical endurance and local knowledge, with sustainability enhanced by regulations limiting take to replenishable stocks.^[16]

Spearfishing

Spearfishing entails the use of a spear, harpoon, or speargun to impale fish, primarily underwater via breath-hold diving or scuba apparatus, distinguishing it from surface-based methods by requiring direct submersion for targeting.^[17] This selective harvesting method yields low bycatch compared to netting, as practitioners aim precisely at visible targets, though it demands proficiency in underwater navigation and species identification to mitigate refraction-induced aiming errors.^[18] Archaeological records indicate its origins in the Upper Paleolithic era, with barbed spears employed for catfish capture in Central Africa and harpoon depictions in Indian and French sites dating to approximately 16,000 years ago.^[19]^[20] Early implementations relied on sharpened wooden, bone, or stone poles thrust manually in shallow waters or rivers, as evidenced by Paleolithic cave art in sites like Cosquer Cave, France, portraying barbed harpoons for aquatic pursuit.^[21] Ancient Egyptian Nile fisheries around 3000 BCE integrated spearfishing as a staple protein source, while Indigenous North American tribes, including the Hupa and Ojibwe, adapted multi-pronged spears for riverine and ice-based spearing over 2,000 years ago, sustaining communities through seasonal migrations.^[22]^[23] Coastal groups like the Tlingit and Haida refined techniques with underwater traps alongside spears, emphasizing stealth to ambush prey in kelp forests or currents.^[22] Hawaiian traditions similarly featured shore and submerged spearing, integral to cultural narratives of sustenance and skill.^[24] Modern advancements include elastic-powered spearguns, pioneered by the French "Tarzan" model in 1947 by Georges Beuchat, enabling deeper pursuits beyond manual reach, though pneumatic variants using compressed air emerged later for reduced recoil.^[25] Essential equipment comprises low-volume masks for unobstructed vision, long fins for propulsion, neoprene wetsuits for thermal protection and buoyancy, and dive knives for entanglement release, with weapons varying from lightweight pole spears for close-range throws to band-powered guns for distances up to 5 meters.^[26] Techniques encompass stalking via silent glides to mimic predators, strumming speargun bands to lure curious fish, or ambushing in holes and reefs, predominantly via freediving to depths of 10-30 meters, as scuba-assisted spearfishing faces bans in regions like Australia and parts of Europe to curb overexploitation of trophy species.^[27]^[28]^[29] Safety protocols emphasize the buddy system to counter risks like shallow water blackout from hyperventilation-induced hypoxia, which claims numerous freedivers annually, alongside boat propeller strikes and marine hazards such as lionfish spines or shark encounters post-kill.^[18]^[30] Regulations vary globally, often prohibiting spearfishing in marine protected areas, during spawning seasons, or with artificial lights to preserve stocks; for instance, U.S. states mandate licenses and species quotas, while many jurisdictions restrict scuba use to promote sustainable, skill-dependent harvest over mechanical efficiency.^[31]^[29] Practitioners must verify local statutes, as violations contribute to ecological strain despite spearfishing's inherent selectivity.^[32]

Angling and Line Fishing

Hook and Line Basics

Hook and line fishing constitutes a primary angling technique wherein a baited or lure-equipped hook, affixed to a flexible line, is deployed into aquatic environments to attract and capture fish through oral engagement.^[33] The method relies on the hook's pointed shank and barbed tip to penetrate the fish's mouth upon biting, enabling secure retention during retrieval without structural failure under load.^[33] Archaeological evidence indicates origins tracing to Paleolithic eras, with shell and bone hooks recovered from sites suggesting use at least 16,000 years ago, predating more complex gear.^[34] Early implementations featured rudimentary materials, such as linen lines and bronze hooks employed by ancient Egyptians along the Nile River circa 2000 BCE for targeting species like perch and catfish.^[35] Contemporary hooks predominantly utilize high-carbon steel for tensile strength in freshwater applications or corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloys in marine settings, with designs varying by jaw shape—such as J-hooks for versatile bait presentation or circle hooks that rotate to self-set in the corner of the mouth, reducing gut hooking incidence.^[36]^[37] Fishing lines function as the tensile conduit between hook and angler, historically evolving from natural fibers like silk or horsehair to synthetic variants including monofilament nylon, which provides inherent stretch for shock absorption and knot retention, and braided polyethylene for minimal stretch and high abrasion resistance.^[38]^[35] Basic rigging entails securing the hook via knots such as the improved clinch—wrapping the line's tag end five to seven times through the hook eye before cinching—or the Palomar for enhanced strength retention up to 95% of line test.^[39] Deployment principles emphasize positioning the bait at targeted depths using split-shot sinkers (typically 1/16 to 1/4 ounce lead or tungsten weights) to counter buoyancy and currents, often paired with bobbers for bite detection via visual cues.^[40] Upon sensing resistance, the angler applies a swift upward rod motion to drive the hook point home, followed by steady reeling to land the fish while minimizing line slack that could enable escape.^[41] This setup's simplicity facilitates still-water fishing from shores or boats, with efficacy dependent on factors like bait freshness, water clarity, and species-specific behaviors, such as bottom-feeders requiring weighted rigs versus surface strikers suited to unweighted presentations.^[42]

Rod and Reel Angling

Rod and reel angling involves using a flexible rod to cast a baited hook or lure attached to a line wound on a reel, enabling anglers to present bait at varying distances and depths while providing mechanical advantage in retrieving and fighting fish. This method evolved from ancient hook-and-line practices, with evidence of rods dating to ancient Greek, Roman, and Macedonian civilizations around 800 BC, where simple wooden poles extended reach from boats or shores.^[43] The reel, likely invented in China around AD 300-400 for silk reeling and adapted for fishing, remained rare in Western use until the 17th century, appearing primarily in artwork before practical adoption.^[44] Modern rod and reel systems emerged in the 19th century, with bamboo rods commercialized in the 1800s and geared reels—allowing multiple spool revolutions per handle turn—attached beneath rods by the mid-1800s, improving line control and casting distance.^[45] By the early 20th century, innovations like multiplying gears and anti-reverse mechanisms standardized the setup, transitioning from hand-line methods to powered retrieval for larger species.^[46] Contemporary materials, such as graphite composites for rods and aluminum alloys for reels, reduce weight while enhancing sensitivity and strength, with rods typically 6-12 feet long and rated by action (fast for tip-bending, slow for full-curve) and power (ultralight to heavy).^[47] Reels fall into categories including spincast (enclosed, beginner-friendly with fixed spool), spinning (open-faced, versatile for light lines via bail mechanism), baitcasting (low-profile, precise for heavy lures with thumb-controlled spool), and conventional/trolling (level-wind for offshore, high drag for big game).^[48] Matching rod to reel—such as spinning rods with front guides for smooth line flow—optimizes performance, with line strengths from 2- to 80-pound test accommodating species from panfish to marlin.^[49] Casting techniques rely on the rod's parabolic bend storing kinetic energy during the backcast and forward motion, propelling the lure up to 100-150 feet in skilled hands, while reels manage drag to prevent line breaks during strikes.^[50] Fighting fish involves maintaining rod angle at 45 degrees, reeling steadily against tension to tire the catch without snapping tackle, a process empirically reducing escape rates compared to hand-lining.^[51] Rod and reel methods yield low bycatch, as non-target species can be released alive, supporting sustainable harvests with catch rates often exceeding 1 fish per hour in targeted freshwater angling.^[52]

Specialized Angling Methods

Fly fishing employs a specialized rod, reel, and weighted line to cast lightweight artificial flies that imitate insects or small fish, targeting species such as trout and salmon in rivers and streams. The technique relies on precise casting to present the fly delicately on the water surface or subsurface, minimizing disturbance to wary fish. Developed extensively in 19th-century Britain for game fish, it demands skill in line control and mending to achieve natural drifts.^[53]^[54] Trolling involves towing lures, rigs, or baited lines behind a moving boat at various depths to cover expansive water bodies and provoke strikes from pelagic predators like tuna, marlin, or bluefish. Anglers adjust speed—typically 2-8 knots—and use downriggers or planers to position offerings precisely, often in saltwater environments. This method's efficiency stems from simulating fleeing prey over large areas, with commercial adaptations dating to the early 20th century but recreational use surging post-World War II with outboard motors.^[53]^[55] Jigging uses a heavy-headed lure, or jig, vertically manipulated via rod lifts and drops to mimic injured baitfish, effective for bottom-dwelling or mid-water species including walleye, cod, and snapper from boats, piers, or ice. The motion—ranging from subtle twitches to aggressive "slabbing"—triggers reaction strikes, with jig weights from 1/8 to several ounces selected based on depth and current; endurance is key, as sessions can last hours. Originating in subsistence fishing but refined in modern sport angling since the mid-20th century, it excels in vertical structure like drop-offs.^[56]^[55]^[57] Baitcasting deploys a revolving-spool reel mounted atop the rod for accurate, long-distance casts of heavier lures like crankbaits or jigs, favored for bass and muskie in freshwater due to control in heavy cover. It requires thumbing the spool to prevent overruns, a skill honed to avoid "bird's nests," contrasting with spinning's fixed-spool design for lighter lines and beginners. Spinning, meanwhile, casts via a bail mechanism, suiting finesse tactics with worms or small spinners, and dominates ultralight applications since its 1940s invention by European engineers. Both enable reaction baits but differ in drag systems and line twist management.^[58]^[54]^[48] Other variants include surf casting from shorelines with long rods (10-14 feet) and heavy sinkers to combat waves for striped bass or redfish, and ice jigging through frozen lakes with short, stout rods for perch or pike. These adaptations prioritize environmental challenges, with gear rated for corrosion resistance in saltwater or cold-weather durability. Success metrics, per angler reports, hinge on matching technique to habitat—e.g., trolling yields 20-30% higher catch rates in open ocean versus static methods.^[56]^[59]

Netting Techniques

Hand-Held and Cast Nets

Hand-held nets, including dip nets and scoop nets, feature a mesh enclosure affixed to a rigid frame and an attached handle or pole, enabling direct manual capture of fish in shallow waters, from boats, or to assist in landing hooked specimens. These nets typically employ fine mesh to retain small to medium-sized fish, with pole lengths varying from short handles (under 1 meter) for precise landing to extended telescoping aluminum or wooden poles exceeding 3 meters for reaching into deeper shallows or schools. In aquaculture settings, dip nets facilitate the transfer of live fish between tanks or ponds, minimizing stress compared to bare-handed handling, as their design allows quick submersion and gentle scooping. Commercially, they support targeted harvesting in rivers or coastal zones where fish aggregate near surfaces, such as during spawning runs in the Great Lakes, where operators scoop fish into tubs rather than disentangling them manually to reduce injury.^[60]^[61]^[62]^[63] Cast nets differ from hand-held scoop types by relying on a thrown, circular deployment to envelop fish, consisting of a central retrieval line connected to a radial mesh cone weighted along its lead-line perimeter with sinkers, which causes the net to flatten upon impact with water before contracting upward during haul. The technique demands skill in spinning and releasing the net to achieve full radial spread, typically over visible schools in shallow, clear waters up to 3-5 meters deep, with retrieval pulling the central line to close the bottom and trap contents. Historical evidence places cast net origins in ancient Egypt by the Middle Kingdom's 12th Dynasty (circa 1991-1802 BCE), where depictions show thrown nets for riverine capture, predating later attributions to the 4th century CE in broader Mediterranean contexts. Primarily employed for subsistence or bait collection—such as shad, mullet, or minnows—these nets yield small hauls per throw (often 1-5 kg for recreational sizes), favoring low-impact, individual operation over large-scale gear.^[64]^[65]^[66] Regulations govern cast nets to curb overuse and bycatch, with jurisdictions like New Jersey limiting diameters to 20 feet (6.1 meters) or less and mesh sizes to at least 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) stretched to allow juvenile escape, while freshwater rules in some U.S. states cap lengths at 100 feet for related gill variants but permit cast nets for baitfish only in designated areas like below dams. Sink rates and mesh selection influence efficacy: heavier monofilament nets (3-5 mm diameter) descend faster in currents but require greater throwing effort, whereas lighter nylon variants suit calmer shallows but risk incomplete closure if fish evade during retrieval. Compared to fixed nets, both hand-held and cast methods exhibit lower environmental footprint due to their mobility and selectivity for surface-oriented species, though improper use can entangle non-target organisms like birds or turtles in shallow deployments.^[67]^[68]^[69]^[70]

Fixed and Drift Nets

Fixed nets, also known as set gillnets or anchored gillnets, consist of vertical panels of netting anchored to the seabed or fixed between stakes driven into the substrate, typically in coastal or intertidal zones.^[71] These nets operate passively by entangling fish that swim into them, where the mesh size corresponds to the girth of the target species' body, allowing the head to pass through but catching the gills on retraction.^[72] Fixed nets are deployed in static positions, often along shorelines or river mouths, relying on tidal currents or fish migration patterns to bring target species into contact; they have been used for millennia in inshore fisheries targeting demersal or migratory fish like salmon.^[73] In practice, a small vessel deploys the net from anchors or poles, leaving it submerged for hours or days before retrieval, with mesh sizes regulated to minimize juvenile capture—typically 10-20 cm for adult fish in many jurisdictions.^[74] Drift nets, in contrast, are unanchored gillnets allowed to float freely with ocean currents, often buoyed at the surface and weighted at the bottom to maintain vertical orientation.^[75] This method targets pelagic species such as tuna, squid, or herring in open waters, with nets ranging from small coastal versions to historical large-scale panels up to 30 miles long and 30 feet deep, deployed overnight and retrieved by drifting vessels.^[76] Originating as one of the simplest gillnet variants, drift netting expanded commercially in the 20th century but faced global scrutiny for indiscriminate capture; the United Nations imposed a moratorium on large-scale high-seas driftnetting in 1989, followed by a full ban in 1992 due to excessive bycatch of non-target marine life including dolphins, seabirds, and sharks.^[77] Smaller-scale drift nets persist in some coastal fisheries under strict length and depth limits, such as under 2.5 km in EU waters, to reduce environmental harm.^[78] The primary distinction between fixed and drift nets lies in mobility: fixed variants remain stationary to exploit localized fish concentrations with lower fuel use and operational costs, yielding selective catches in predictable habitats, whereas drift nets cover broader areas but increase entanglement risks for mobile non-targets due to their free-drifting nature.^[79] Both methods contribute to bycatch—estimated at 10-20% of total catch in gillnet fisheries overall—but drift nets amplify this through "ghost fishing" from lost gear, which continues trapping organisms indefinitely as synthetic meshes degrade slowly and remain invisible to marine life.^[80] Fixed nets, while less prone to widespread drift, can damage benthic habitats via anchoring and pose entanglement threats to marine mammals in tidal zones, prompting regulations like seasonal closures in sensitive areas.^[81] Empirical data from FAO assessments indicate that proper mesh sizing and monitoring reduce selectivity issues in both, though drift nets' historical overcapacity led to depleted stocks in unregulated fleets.^[80]

Trawl Netting

Trawl netting employs a large, funnel-shaped net towed through the water by one or more vessels to capture fish and other marine organisms. The net's mouth is kept open by hydrodynamic devices such as otter boards, which function like underwater wings to provide horizontal spread, while vertical opening is maintained by the net's buoyancy and weight distribution.^[82]^[83] This technique targets species by herding them into the narrowing cod end, a tapered bag where catch accumulates.^[3] Two primary variants exist: bottom trawling, which drags the net along the seabed to harvest demersal species like groundfish and crustaceans, and midwater trawling, which operates in the water column for pelagic schooling fish such as herring or mackerel.^[84]^[85] In bottom trawling, ground chains or rock-hopper gear along the net's footrope minimize snagging on uneven terrain while disturbing sediment to flush out prey.^[3] Midwater versions avoid seabed contact, using otter boards attached via warps to control depth and spread.^[82] The otter trawl design, predominant since its invention in 1894 by Scottish fishermen as an alternative to beam trawls, revolutionized commercial fishing by enabling larger nets without fixed beams.^[86] Key components include the headline (upper edge), footrope (lower edge), wings (side panels extending to otter boards), and sweeps (lines connecting boards to net). Trawlers typically deploy nets at speeds of 2-4 knots for durations of 1-6 hours, depending on target depth and vessel power.^[84] Environmental effects of bottom trawling include seabed disturbance, which reduces habitat complexity and benthic biodiversity in intensively fished areas, with evidence showing quasi-linear declines in species diversity proportional to effort intensity.^[87] However, peer-reviewed analyses indicate limited evidence that trawling significantly accelerates sediment carbon mineralization or alters long-term carbon stocks, challenging claims of outsized climate impacts.^[88] Bycatch rates vary by gear modifications and management, with well-regulated fisheries mitigating non-target mortality through escape panels and real-time monitoring.^[89] Midwater trawling generally exerts lower benthic pressure, preserving seafloor integrity.^[90]

Trapping and Enclosure Methods

Pots and Traps

Pots and traps consist of rigid, enclosed structures, typically constructed from wire mesh, wood, or other materials, designed to lure and retain target species such as crustaceans and certain fish through baited funnels that permit entry while impeding escape.^[91] These passive gears are deployed on the seafloor or in water columns, often in strings connected by groundlines and marked by surface buoys for retrieval.^[92] Bait placed inside attracts species like lobsters, crabs, and shrimp, which enter voluntarily but find egress restricted by one-way entrances or maze-like interiors.^[93] Common designs include D-shaped lobster pots with multiple funnel entrances, rectangular or semi-cylindrical crab traps, and arrow-shaped variants for specific species like lobsters in regions such as India's southwest coast.^[94] Fish traps may incorporate nets or baskets, such as fyke nets with extending wings to guide prey.^[95] Deployment involves weighting the gear to sink to suitable depths, typically 10-100 meters for demersal species, with retrieval occurring after soak times of 24-48 hours to maximize catch while minimizing stress on non-targets.^[96] These methods offer selectivity through species-specific sizing of entrances and escape vents, reducing bycatch compared to active gears like trawls; for instance, pots in Mediterranean fisheries show lower discard rates and minimal seabed disturbance.^[97] Fuel efficiency is high due to passive operation, and habitat impacts are limited to localized dragging during setting and hauling.^[98] However, lost pots contribute to ghost fishing, where derelict gear continues capturing organisms, potentially altering local ecosystems; studies indicate this can persist for years without intervention.^[99] Environmental concerns include entanglement risks to marine mammals, such as humpback whales in vertical lines, prompting regulations like the U.S. Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, which mandates gear marking and minimum trap-per-trawl requirements—e.g., at least 15 traps per trawl in certain Northeast lobster areas as of May 2022.^[100] NOAA and FAO guidelines emphasize biodegradable panels in pots to mitigate ghost fishing and bycatch reduction devices.^[101] Despite these, vertical line interactions remain a challenge, with pot fisheries classified under marine mammal protection frameworks to enforce compliance.^[102]

Fish Weirs and Corrals

Fish weirs consist of barriers constructed across rivers, streams, or tidal zones to intercept and concentrate migrating fish into traps or holding areas, exploiting natural currents or tides for passive capture. These structures, typically made from stone, wood, wattle, or bamboo, date back at least 8,000 years in Mesolithic Europe and 5,000 years in North America, with archaeological evidence including submerged stone alignments in coastal Brittany and intertidal V-shaped hedges in medieval Wales.^[103]^[104]^[105] In operation, fish enter through gaps during high flow and become trapped as water levels recede, allowing selective harvesting; for instance, Cherokee communities in the southeastern United States built weirs in shallow streams to capture species like trout and bass, as evidenced by middens near weir sites indicating high yields.^[106]^[107] Fish corrals, by contrast, form enclosed pens or lagoons, often in coastal or reef flats, using stakes, nets, or brush fences to impound fish as tides ebb, facilitating communal drives or hand collection. Documented in the Philippines since at least 1916, these include bamboo-staked enclosures in Batangas Bay for species like mullet and sardines, while in northern Brazil's Pará state, wooden corrals target crabs and finfish in mangrove zones.^[108]^[109] Pacific indigenous practices, such as those in Panama and American Samoa, combine stone walls with wooden tops for tide-trapping, supporting sustainable yields through seasonal use.^[110]^[111] Both methods emphasize low-effort, tide-dependent efficiency over active pursuit, with historical success tied to site-specific hydrology; for example, Taiwanese stone weirs captured volumes via tidal influx, though overharvesting risks prompted communal management. Modern adaptations include salmon monitoring weirs in Alaska and the Columbia River, where rotary screw traps enable live release of non-target fish, informing stock assessments under regulations like NOAA guidelines prohibiting harm to endangered salmonids.^[112]^[113]^[114]^[115] In regulated areas, such as California waters, weir use near dams or fishways is restricted to 250 feet to protect migrations, prioritizing conservation over commercial scale.^[116]

Purse Seining

Purse seining involves deploying a large, curtain-like net to encircle a school of fish near the surface, followed by tightening a drawstring at the bottom to form a deep "bag" that traps the fish, preventing escape.^[117] The technique targets pelagic species that aggregate in dense schools, allowing for high-volume capture in open waters.^[118] Nets typically measure 1,500 to 2,000 meters in length and 200 to 300 meters in depth, with mesh sizes varying by target species and region to optimize selectivity.^[118] The net consists of a float line at the top, a leaded bottom line, and purse rings through which a braided wire or rope (the purse line) passes to cinch the base closed.^[119] Deployment occurs from specialized vessels, often aided by spotter planes, helicopters, or sonar to locate schools; the net is paid out from the stern or side as the vessel circles the aggregation.^[117] Once encircled, the purse line is hauled via power blocks or winches, drawing the bottom upward; fish are then transferred aboard using pumps, brailing scoops, or brailer nets.^[119] Vessels range from small artisanal boats using manual hauls to industrial purse seiners exceeding 100 meters in length, equipped with refrigerated seawater systems for preserving catches like tuna.^[120] Primary targets include sardines, herring, mackerel, and tunas such as skipjack, yellowfin, and albacore, which form surface-oriented schools responsive to visual or acoustic cues.^[121] In tropical fisheries, fish aggregating devices (FADs)—floating rafts or buoys—enhance school detection but can attract non-target species.^[122] The method's efficiency stems from its ability to harvest up to several hundred tons per set in compact operations, minimizing fuel use compared to diffuse techniques like longlining.^[123] Despite selectivity for schooling pelagics, purse seining is non-discriminatory within the encircled volume, capturing bycatch such as sharks, rays, billfishes, sea turtles, and marine mammals that overlap with targets.^[118]^[124] Bycatch rates vary by region and gear; in tropical tuna purse seines, discards comprise 1-5% of total catch, with over 90% retention of tunas but incidental mortality for sensitive species like turtles entangled during hauling.^[124] Mitigation includes turtle excluder devices, backdown procedures to release encircled turtles, and gear modifications, though coverage remains inconsistent due to limited observer programs.^[118] Regulations, such as those from regional fisheries management organizations, impose FAD management plans and bycatch reporting, but enforcement gaps persist in high-seas operations.^[125] Environmental assessments note lower seabed impact than bottom trawls but highlight risks to ecosystem structure from juvenile bycatch and FAD drift pollution.^[123]

Auxiliary Methods

Animal-Assisted Fishing

Animal-assisted fishing involves training animals to capture or herd fish, leveraging their natural predatory instincts to enhance human catches. This practice dates back millennia, with evidence of Egyptians employing cormorants around 3,000 years ago to dive for fish while restrained by snares to prevent consumption of larger prey.^[126] Such methods persist in select regions, primarily through the use of cormorants and otters, though they face decline due to modernization and animal welfare concerns. Cormorant fishing, known as ukai in Japan, exemplifies a refined technique practiced for over 1,300 years on rivers like the Nagara in Gifu Prefecture. Trained Phalacrocorax carbo cormorants, controlled by a usho master via leashes, dive to catch species such as ayu (sweetfish, Plecoglossus altivelis), with a ring or snare around the bird's neck ensuring fish are regurgitated rather than swallowed.^[127]^[128] Each usho manages 10 to 12 birds during nocturnal operations illuminated by torches, from mid-May to mid-October, yielding catches that historically supported local economies and imperial rituals.^[129] Variants occur on the Hiji and Mikuma rivers, where awase ukai integrates multiple boats for synchronized herding.^[130]^[131] Otter-assisted fishing, documented since at least the 6th century in South Asia, utilizes smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) to drive fish into nets. In Bangladesh's rivers and the Sundarbans, fishermen release trained otters—often captured as pups and conditioned to herd rather than consume prey—from boats, exploiting the animals' agility to corral shoals toward human-set gear.^[132] This symbiotic approach, noted by Marco Polo in the 13th century, boosts yields in murky waters but has waned with overfishing, habitat loss, and protective legislation, rendering it a rare tradition confined to remote communities.^[133] While less widespread, analogous uses of other animals include historical accounts of dogs herding fish into traps, akin to sheepdogs, as observed among certain riverine groups, though empirical records remain sparse compared to avian and mustelid methods.^[134] These techniques underscore early human-animal cooperation but raise ethical questions regarding animal welfare, with modern practitioners emphasizing selective breeding and minimal restraint to sustain cultural heritage amid declining viability.^[135]

Electrified Fishing

Electrified fishing, commonly termed electrofishing, employs pulsed direct current electricity delivered through submerged electrodes to generate an electric field in freshwater environments, temporarily stunning fish via induced neuromuscular blockade and causing them to become buoyant for netting. The process relies on fish entering the field, where voltages typically range from 100 to 1000 volts depending on water conductivity and target species, leading to tetanic contractions or narcosis without requiring physical pursuit. Recovery occurs rapidly upon removal from the field, often within minutes, enabling release in scientific applications.^[136]^[137] This method originated from 19th-century physiological experiments demonstrating electric currents' influence on fish locomotion, evolving into practical tools by the mid-20th century for fisheries assessment, with backpack units for streams and boat-mounted systems for lakes. Primarily applied in population sampling, it provides data on species composition, size distributions, and biomass estimates, informing management decisions such as stocking or habitat restoration. Effectiveness depends on factors like water depth, conductivity (optimal 50-200 μS/cm), and pulse frequency (30-120 Hz), with modified waveforms reducing injury risk compared to unmodified alternating current.^[138]^[139]^[140] While mortality is minimized through standardized protocols—often below 4% for immediate post-capture death and under 10% for delayed effects in tolerant species—vulnerable taxa like salmonids exhibit higher susceptibility to spinal fractures, hemorrhages, and osmotic stress, with injury rates up to 20-30% in suboptimal conditions. Environmental variables, including temperature and oxygen levels, exacerbate sublethal impacts such as reduced swimming performance or reproductive impairment, potentially skewing population data if not accounted for. Non-target organisms, including amphibians and invertebrates, face similar risks within the field radius of approximately 5 meters.^[141]^[142]^[143] Regulations in the United States and many other countries permit electrofishing solely for authorized research or resource management under permits from agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, prohibiting its use for recreational or commercial harvest to prevent overexploitation and ensure equity. Operators must adhere to safety measures, including maintaining distances from bystanders (e.g., 30-100 feet) and using protective gear, due to risks of electrocution in conductive waters. Violations, such as unauthorized poaching, incur penalties, reflecting concerns over ecosystem disruption despite its utility in controlled settings.^[144]^[145]^[146]

Industrial and Mechanical Techniques

Longlining

Longline fishing employs a primary horizontal line, typically spanning 1 to 100 kilometers in length, from which numerous shorter branch lines bearing baited hooks extend at regular intervals, targeting predatory fish species through passive attraction.^[147] This method relies on the main line's material—often monofilament nylon for reduced visibility and strength—combined with weighted anchors or floats to position the gear at desired depths, allowing hooks to "soak" for hours before retrieval.^[148] The technique's selectivity stems from baited hooks that exploit natural foraging behaviors, distinguishing it from non-selective nets by enabling targeted capture of high-value species like tuna and swordfish, though operational efficiency varies with line length, hook count (up to thousands per set), and bait type such as squid or mackerel.^[149] Two principal variants exist: demersal (bottom) longlining, which deploys weighted main lines along the seafloor to intercept benthic or near-bottom species, and pelagic longlining, which uses buoys and floats to suspend lines in the water column at surface or mid-depths (typically 50-300 meters).^[150]^[151] Demersal sets, common in shelf and slope fisheries, employ anchors and ground lines to maintain contact with substrates, targeting demersal fish such as cod, halibut, and sablefish, with gear hauled mechanically to minimize seabed abrasion compared to trawling.^[150] Pelagic configurations, by contrast, prioritize open-ocean predators via unweighted or buoy-suspended lines that drift with currents, facilitating catches of epipelagic species including bigeye tuna, albacore, and billfish, often deployed from vessels using automated baiting and setting machines for extended operations.^[152] These differences in deployment—bottom lines sinking via weights versus pelagic lines buoyed for suspension—directly influence catch composition and habitat interaction, with pelagic methods covering vast areas (up to 100 km per set) to exploit migratory patterns.^[153] Operationally, longlines are set at dawn or dusk to align with peak feeding activity, soaked for 4-12 hours, and retrieved via hydraulic haulers that process hooks sequentially, discarding undersized or non-target captures.^[154] Globally, longline fisheries contribute to targeted harvests of premium species, with pelagic tuna longlining accounting for a portion of the stable 5 million tonne annual tuna catch, though exact longline-specific volumes remain subsets of broader gear data reported by organizations like the FAO.^[155] Economic viability derives from high product quality—fish arrive whole and undamaged—supporting markets for sashimi-grade tuna, yet scalability is limited by labor-intensive baiting and gear loss risks from snags or predation.^[156] Ecological concerns center on bycatch, averaging over 20% of total catch, encompassing seabirds (e.g., albatrosses hooked during surface sets), sea turtles, and sharks that ingest baited lines, leading to post-release mortality from injuries or exhaustion.^[157] Seabird interactions, particularly in pelagic fisheries, result from scavenging bait, with estimates of hundreds of thousands annually before mitigations; causal factors include line setting in bird-prone areas and visible baits.^[158] Shark bycatch, often involving fins for trade, exacerbates population declines in vulnerable species, while turtle entanglements stem from surface hooks mimicking prey.^[159] Countermeasures, validated empirically, include circle hooks that reduce gut-hooking in non-targets, weighted branch lines to sink gear below bird reach, and bird-scaring tori lines trailing streamers to deter dives, achieving bycatch reductions of 60-90% in trials.^[157] Deep demersal longlining shows lower incidental damage to vulnerable marine ecosystems like cold-water corals compared to mobile gears, as hooks contact minimal substrate area.^[160] Despite these, incomplete adoption and gear drift in currents sustain localized impacts, underscoring the need for real-time monitoring via vessel tracking and environmental modeling to avoid high-bycatch zones.^[161]

Dredging

Dredging is a demersal fishing technique that involves towing a heavy, rigid frame—known as a dredge—across the seabed to harvest bottom-dwelling invertebrates, primarily bivalve mollusks like sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus), oysters (Crassostrea spp.), and clams.^[162]^[163] The gear consists of a mouth frame with an attached collection bag or apron, often fitted with a cutting bar, teeth, or chain matrix that scrapes or penetrates the sediment to dislodge target species, which are then retained while finer material passes through.^[162]^[164] Operations vary by vessel type, with smaller hand-operated dredges used in shallow inshore waters and larger towed versions deployed from commercial boats, sometimes via outriggers for multiple units.^[163]^[165] Scallop dredges typically feature a sharp underbar for scraping sandy or gravelly bottoms, while oyster or clam dredges may incorporate rake-like teeth to uncover buried individuals.^[164] Tow duration, speed, and patterns are adjusted based on seabed substrate and target density, with vessels often making repeated passes over productive grounds.^[162] Selectivity is low, as the method captures non-target benthic organisms and juveniles, contributing to bycatch that includes finfish, crabs, and other invertebrates.^[162] Ecological impacts of dredging include acute disturbance to seafloor habitats, with gear penetration removing surface sediments, biota, and structural complexity, leading to reduced biodiversity and slower recovery in sensitive areas like maerl beds.^[166] Field studies have documented over 70% declines in live maerl coverage post-dredging, persisting without recovery for at least four years, alongside decreased macrofaunal densities.^[167] In jurisdictions like the United States, dredging is regulated under frameworks such as those from NOAA Fisheries, incorporating vessel limits, seasonal restrictions, and closed areas to curb overexploitation and habitat damage.^[162]

Other Mechanical Harvesting

Trawling represents a dominant mechanical harvesting method in industrial fisheries, utilizing motorized vessels to tow large conical nets through marine environments to capture aggregations of fish and other marine organisms.^[168] The technique relies on the propulsion of the vessel to actively pursue and encircle target species, distinguishing it from passive netting approaches. Bottom trawling deploys the net along the seabed to target demersal species such as flatfish, cod, and shrimp, where weighted doors or beams keep the net mouth open while ground gear disturbs the substrate to herd fish upward.^[84] Midwater or pelagic trawling, by contrast, operates in the water column to pursue schooling fish like herring, mackerel, and pollock, often guided by sonar for precise deployment.^[168] Global capture from demersal trawling comprises about 25% of marine wild fish production, with pelagic variants adding roughly 10%, totaling over one-third of annual harvests reported by the FAO.^[169] Efficiency stems from the scalability of vessel power, enabling high-volume yields; for instance, modern trawlers can process tens of thousands of tons per season in productive grounds like the North Atlantic or Bering Sea.^[170] However, discard rates in trawl operations frequently reach 20-70% of total catch by weight, varying by depth, target species, and regulatory sorting requirements, leading to substantial biomass loss and potential ecosystem disruption from unutilized bycatch.^[170] Variations include beam trawling, which employs rigid beams up to 12 meters long to spread the net without otter boards, commonly used for species like sole in the North Sea, and pair trawling, where two vessels coordinate to tow a single net, enhancing stability and range for pelagic targets.^[7] Mechanical innovations such as pulse trawls, introduced in European fleets around 2010, use electrical stimuli to provoke fish movement rather than physical disturbance, reportedly reducing fuel consumption by up to 50% and bycatch of non-target species like cod by similar margins in sole fisheries.^[171] In freshwater and riverine settings, fish wheels provide another mechanical harvesting option, consisting of waterwheel-like structures with rotating baskets powered by river currents to intercept upstream-migrating salmonids. Originating in the Pacific Northwest during the 1870s, these devices continuously scoop fish into holding areas for live storage, minimizing handling mortality and enabling selective harvest under quotas; contemporary models in Alaska rivers process hundreds of fish per day during peak runs.^[172] Unlike vessel-based trawling, fish wheels operate semi-autonomously with minimal fuel input, though their use remains regulated to prevent overexploitation of anadromous stocks.^[173]

Modern and Emerging Technologies

Fish-Finding and Automation

Fish-finding technologies primarily rely on acoustic methods such as echosounders and sonar systems, which emit sound pulses into the water column and detect echoes reflected from fish, particularly due to the air-filled swim bladders that enhance acoustic backscattering.^[174] These devices, mounted on vessels, provide real-time data on fish density, school size, and depth, enabling targeted deployment of gear like trawls or longlines to improve catch efficiency and reduce fuel consumption.^[175] Commercial echosounders, operational since the mid-20th century but refined with multibeam and multifrequency capabilities, distinguish fish species by echo patterns and integrate with chartplotters for mapping aggregations.^[176] Advanced variants include net sounders affixed to fishing gear, which use wide-angle sonar to monitor fish entry into nets during trawling, transmitting data wirelessly to vessel displays for haul optimization and minimizing bycatch through timely adjustments.^[177] Emerging integrations of artificial intelligence with echosounders enable automatic single-fish detection, processing raw acoustic data to classify targets amid noise from plankton or debris, as demonstrated in studies on commercial vessels where algorithms achieve high precision in vertical profiling.^[178] Beyond acoustics, satellite-based methods leverage synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery combined with machine learning to identify vessel positions and infer fishing hotspots, filling gaps in vessel monitoring systems (VMS) data, particularly for fleets in remote or unregulated areas.^[179] Global Fishing Watch, for instance, processes over 20 million vessel detections annually from satellite and GPS sources to map industrial fishing activity, revealing patterns like seasonal migrations that inform predictive models for fish location.^[180] Automation in fishing extends these detection capabilities through unmanned systems, including autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) equipped with sonar and AI for surveying fish stocks without crew exposure to hazards, as tested by NOAA for abundance estimation in protected waters.^[181] Maritime robotics firms deploy ASVs with integrated navigation and object recognition to patrol exclusion zones or conduct persistent acoustic transects, reducing operational costs by up to 50% compared to manned boats in preliminary trials.^[182] In processing stages, robotic systems automate fillet trimming and sorting using computer vision, addressing labor shortages in high-volume plants; for example, adaptive robots handle variable fish shapes with precision exceeding human consistency, processing thousands of units per hour.^[183] Fully autonomous fishing vessels, propelled by subsidies and regulatory pilots, simulate decision-making for gear deployment based on real-time sensor fusion, potentially accelerating adoption by a decade while enhancing data granularity for stock assessments.^[184] These technologies prioritize empirical detection over guesswork, though challenges persist in algorithmic biases toward certain species or environmental conditions, necessitating validation against ground-truthed surveys.^[185]

Sustainable Gear Innovations

Sustainable fishing gear innovations focus on minimizing environmental impacts such as bycatch, ghost fishing from lost gear, marine mammal entanglements, and plastic pollution while preserving target species catch rates. These developments often incorporate materials that degrade naturally or technologies that enhance selectivity, driven by regulatory pressures and empirical studies demonstrating long-term ecological benefits. For instance, advancements in biodegradable polymers for nets and lines aim to counteract the persistence of conventional synthetics, which can trap marine life indefinitely after loss.^[186] Similarly, modifications like specialized hooks and lighting systems promote escape of non-target species, supported by field trials quantifying reduced mortality. Biodegradable fishing nets represent a key response to ghost fishing, where derelict gear continues capturing organisms, contributing to up to 640,000 tonnes of annual marine debris. Prototypes developed in Norway since 2023 utilize biopolymers that degrade within 1-2 years in seawater, outperforming traditional nylon in reducing microplastic release while maintaining initial catch efficiency comparable to standard nets in short-term deployments.^[187] ^[188] In the European Union's Puglia region, a 2025 project tested biodegradable prototypes from sustainable materials like algae-based composites, achieving partial degradation in marine trials and collaboration with local fishers to refine durability against operational wear.^[189] However, economic analyses indicate these nets may incur higher upfront costs and slightly lower efficiency over full service life, potentially limiting adoption without subsidies.^[190] Circle hooks, with their offset design promoting jaw rather than gut hooking, have been validated in multiple pelagic longline studies for bycatch mitigation. A 2023 Azores trial showed circle hooks reduced sea turtle interactions by 40-60% compared to J-hooks, with no significant drop in target tuna catches, attributing efficacy to altered hooking mechanics that facilitate release.^[191] Brazil's 2004 mandate for circle hooks in Atlantic swordfish fisheries halved turtle bycatch rates per peer-reviewed assessments, though shark catches increased by up to 20% in some deep-water scenarios, necessitating hybrid strategies.^[192] ^[193] Illumination technologies, such as green LED lights affixed to gillnets, enhance gear visibility to non-target species, enabling evasion without compromising primary hauls. Trials in the Indian Ocean in 2022 demonstrated 95% reductions in shark and skate bycatch alongside stable target fish retention, as lights create a deterrent barrier detectable by electro-sensitive organs in elasmobranchs.^[194] ^[195] Deployments are energy-efficient, with battery-powered units lasting full fishing cycles, and cost analyses project payback within one season via reduced sorting labor.^[196] Ropeless or on-demand trap systems eliminate persistent vertical lines that entangle large whales, deploying buoys acoustically summoned to the surface only during retrieval. NOAA-funded prototypes tested in 2025 reduced rope exposure in the water column by over 90% for lobster and crab pots, with acoustic release mechanisms achieving 99% retrieval success in New England trials, addressing right whale entanglement risks documented at 80+ incidents since 2017.^[197] ^[198] Variable buoyancy designs, refined by 2024, minimize habitat disruption but require fisher training and initial investments exceeding $10,000 per vessel, with scalability dependent on regulatory incentives.^[199]

Destructive and Prohibited Methods

Explosives and Poisons

Explosive fishing, also known as blast or dynamite fishing, involves detonating underwater explosives such as dynamite, homemade bombs from fertilizers, or scavenged munitions to create shockwaves that stun or kill fish within a radius, allowing easy collection of floating carcasses.^[200] This method has persisted since at least the mid-20th century in regions like Southeast Asia and East Africa, driven by short-term economic incentives where a single blast can yield catches equivalent to days of traditional line fishing, though yields decline rapidly due to habitat destruction.^[201] Ecologically, blasts pulverize coral reefs—key fish habitats—reducing structural complexity by up to 50% in affected areas and causing mortality in non-target species including juveniles, with recovery times exceeding decades in heavily bombed sites.^[202] Studies document biodiversity losses of 40-70% in reef fish assemblages post-blasting, as the shockwaves rupture fish swim bladders and dislodge sessile organisms, while sediment resuspension smothers remaining corals.^[200] Poisons in fishing, particularly cyanide-based chemofishing, entail injecting or dispersing toxins like sodium cyanide into reef crevices to stun fish for live capture, often targeting high-value species for the aquarium trade.^[203] This practice emerged prominently in the 1980s in the Philippines and Indonesia, where it supplies over 90% of the global marine ornamental fish market, but cyanide persists in water columns, killing algae and invertebrates that sustain reef ecosystems.^[204] Impacts include coral bleaching and mortality rates up to 10-20% from direct poisoning, alongside bioaccumulation in food webs that contaminates edible fish with residues harmful to human consumers.^[204] Other poisons, such as plant-derived rotenone or deris root extracts used historically in subsistence fishing, similarly decimate non-target populations by disrupting gill function or nervous systems, though less studied quantitatively.^[205] Both methods are prohibited under international frameworks like the UN Fish Stocks Agreement and national laws in over 100 countries, including bans enforced since the 1950s in the Philippines for blast fishing, due to their classification as destructive practices causing irrecoverable habitat degradation rather than sustainable harvest.^[206] Enforcement challenges persist in artisanal fleets, where poverty incentivizes use despite documented livelihood collapses—e.g., a 2023 Sri Lankan study linked dynamite blasts to 30% fishery yield drops over five years.^[207] Empirical data from acoustic surveys and diver transects confirm these techniques' causal role in ecosystem collapse, outweighing any purported efficiency gains, as fragmented reefs support 70-90% fewer fish biomass long-term compared to intact systems.^[208]

Other Harmful Practices

Muro-ami, a drive-in fishing technique originating from Japan and introduced to regions like the Philippines in the 1930s, involves groups of divers—often including children—pounding coral reefs or the water surface with sticks to frighten fish into surrounding nets, causing extensive physical damage to reef structures through abrasion and breakage.^[209] This method has been prohibited in areas such as Indonesia's Karimunjawa National Park since 2011, after which herbivorous fish populations increased, indicating ecosystem recovery from prior habitat destruction.^[210] ^[211] The practice's legacy effects, including reduced branching coral cover, persist due to the slow regeneration of damaged reefs, exacerbating vulnerability to other stressors like bleaching.^[212] Fine-mesh or small-mesh nets, often with apertures as small as 5 millimeters, are deployed illegally in many Southeast Asian fisheries to capture juvenile fish indiscriminately, depleting future breeding stocks and disrupting population dynamics.^[213] Such gear violates minimum mesh size regulations established under frameworks like the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, which aim to allow undersized fish to escape and sustain yields. Enforcement challenges in small-scale fisheries perpetuate their use, leading to overfishing and ecosystem imbalance, as evidenced by declining catches reported in affected regions.^[214] Ghost fishing occurs when lost, abandoned, or derelict fishing gear—such as nets, traps, and lines—continues to entrap and kill marine organisms long after deployment, contributing to unaccounted mortality of target species like crabs and non-target species including endangered sea turtles and marine mammals.^[215] In U.S. waters, for instance, derelict pots have been documented killing red king crabs at rates of up to 13 individuals per incident in localized studies, while globally, such gear damages sensitive habitats like coral reefs by abrading structures and preventing regrowth.^[216] ^[217] Economic losses from gear replacement and competition with active fisheries compound the ecological harm, with NOAA estimating derelict gear as a persistent threat requiring targeted removal efforts.^[218] Large-scale driftnetting, involving gillnets exceeding 2.5 kilometers in length, has been internationally prohibited since the 1991 UN General Assembly resolution due to its indiscriminate capture of dolphins, sharks, and seabirds alongside target fish, earning the moniker "walls of death" for bycatch rates that can exceed 70% of total catch in some deployments.^[219] Despite the ban, illegal use persists in high-seas areas, undermining stock recovery for species like swordfish, where only about 12.5% of driftnet catches consist of the intended target.^[220] Regulatory bodies like NOAA enforce prohibitions through vessel monitoring, but surveillance gaps allow continued deployment, amplifying pressure on overexploited pelagic ecosystems.^[221]

Historical Evolution

Origins in Prehistory

The earliest evidence of deliberate fishing techniques dates to the Upper Paleolithic period, with shellfish gathering and opportunistic capture of fish likely preceding more specialized methods among anatomically modern humans. Archaeological sites along coastal regions, such as Blombos Cave in South Africa (dated to approximately 100,000 years ago), yield fish remains indicating consumption, though direct tool evidence is sparse and may reflect simple hand collection or spearing rather than advanced gear. By around 42,000 years ago, shell fish hooks from Jerimalai Cave in East Timor demonstrate sophisticated line-and-hook fishing targeting reef fish, suggesting early humans ventured into deeper waters using watercraft or wading, as evidenced by over 38,000 fish bones dominated by species requiring such methods.^[222]^[223] In Eurasia, bone fish hooks and grooved stone sinkers from the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River Dureijat in Israel, dated to 23,000–19,500 years ago, indicate line fishing with weights for targeting larger freshwater species in the Hula Valley, marking one of the earliest instances of composite gear involving cordage inferred from wear patterns.^[224] Concurrently, engravings on slate plaques from the Gönnersdorf site in Germany, approximately 15,800 years old, depict what appear to be fish traps or woven nets, providing the oldest artistic representation of passive capture structures and implying communal strategies in riverine environments during the Late Glacial period.^[225]^[226] These artifacts, analyzed through microscopy and contextual faunal remains, underscore a transition from individualistic spearing—evidenced by barbed points from sites like Kebara Cave (Early Natufian, ~15,000 years ago)—to more efficient, resource-intensive techniques amid post-glacial ecological shifts.^[224] Mesolithic developments further refined these origins, with leister prongs (multi-tined spears) and harpoons appearing in northern European sites like Ajvide, Sweden (~8,000 years ago), suited for spearing migratory fish in shallow waters, as confirmed by morphological analysis of bone tools and associated ichthyofaunal assemblages.^[227] Traps and weirs, constructed from wood and stone, emerge in wetland contexts such as Syltholm Fjord, Denmark (Mesolithic, ~6,500 years ago), where preserved stakes suggest stationary barriers funneling fish for easy harvest, reflecting adaptive responses to seasonal abundances without metal tools.^[228] In the Americas, salmon bones from Alaskan sites dated to 11,500 years ago indicate early exploitation of anadromous runs, likely via weirs or gorges (notched baited sticks), highlighting parallel innovations driven by environmental availability rather than cultural diffusion.^[229] Overall, prehistoric fishing originated from necessity in aquatic ecosystems, evolving through empirical trial toward gear that maximized caloric return per effort, as inferred from tool durability and site-specific prey spectra.

Ancient and Medieval Developments

In ancient Egypt, by approximately 3000 BCE, fishermen employed harpooning with barbed spears, hand-lines baited with insects or small fish, and drag nets woven from papyrus reeds or flax to capture Nile perch and other species, as depicted in tomb reliefs and artifacts.^[230]^[231] Traps such as basket weirs placed in river currents also facilitated passive capture of migratory fish, reflecting adaptations to the Nile's seasonal floods for reliable protein sources.^[232] These methods prioritized efficiency in shallow, predictable waters, with evidence from archaeological sites showing bronze hooks emerging around 2000 BCE to replace bone or shell variants for better durability.^[233] In ancient Greece and Rome, from the 8th century BCE onward, techniques expanded to include tridents and spears for spearfishing in coastal areas, alongside cast nets and beach seines operated by teams to encircle schools of tuna and sardines in the Aegean and Mediterranean.^[234]^[235] Fish weirs constructed from stones or stakes funneled species like mullet into traps, while early angling rods and lines—often paired with natural baits—targeted individual fish, as described in texts by Oppian and archaeological finds of lead sinkers.^[234] These innovations supported commercial trade, with salted fish products exported across the empire, though overexploitation in enclosed bays prompted local restrictions by the Roman era.^[236] During the medieval period in Europe (circa 500–1500 CE), fishing intensified with the adoption of long-lines—single lines bearing multiple hooks baited for demersal species like cod—and larger drift nets for herring shoals, enabling scaled operations from monasteries and coastal villages.^[237]^[238] Stone and wooden weirs proliferated along rivers like the Thames, trapping salmon and eels during migrations, while pot traps (basket-like enclosures) captured crustaceans and smaller fish passively.^[239] Zooarchaeological data indicate a shift to intensive marine exploitation around 1000 CE in England, driven by population growth and Christian fasting demands that increased herring catches by factors of tenfold in some regions.^[240]^[238] Overfishing pressures led to early regulations, such as 12th-century English laws limiting weirs to prevent river blockages and preserve sturgeon stocks for elites.^[241] In Asia, cormorant herding—training birds to catch fish while leashed—persisted as a selective technique in China from the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE), yielding high-value carp for imperial tables without damaging gear.^[242]

Industrialization and Modern Advances

The industrialization of fishing techniques began in the mid-19th century with the adoption of steam power, enabling vessels to operate farther offshore and in adverse conditions compared to sail-powered boats. The first steam trawler, Enterprize, was launched in 1854, though practical steam screw trawlers emerged in the 1870s, with 225 such vessels operating in the United Kingdom by 1883.^[243] This shift allowed for beam trawling on a larger scale, replacing labor-intensive sailing smacks and increasing catch efficiency, as steam engines provided consistent propulsion independent of wind.^[244] By the early 20th century, steam trawlers dominated fleets in regions like New England, transitioning groundfishing from sail to steam between 1900 and 1920, which expanded operational ranges and supported growing urban demand for fish.^[245] The interwar period and post-World War II era marked further mechanization with diesel engines, which offered greater fuel efficiency and reliability over steam. Marine diesel applications in fishing boats proliferated from the 1920s, with early installations in salmon seiners by 1925, reducing operational costs and enabling longer voyages.^[246] ^[247] Otter trawls, introduced around 1908, combined with diesel-powered vessels, amplified harvesting capacity, while innovations like the hydraulic power block in 1955 facilitated safer and faster retrieval of purse seine nets.^[244] ^[248] These advances post-1930 dramatically boosted global commercial catches, with World War II technologies accelerating the extraction of marine resources through enhanced vessel capabilities.^[248] Modern historical developments through the late 20th century included refrigeration and processing onboard, allowing fresh fish transport over vast distances and integrating capture with immediate preservation. By the 1950s, factory trawlers processed catches at sea, supporting industrial-scale operations that elevated global marine and freshwater fish landings from modest pre-industrial levels to tens of millions of metric tons annually by the 1970s. Synthetic nets and stronger materials further reduced drag and increased net durability, contributing to yield surges but also straining fish stocks in targeted areas.^[248] These cumulative changes transformed fishing from artisanal pursuits to capital-intensive industries, with fleets doubling operational distances since 1950 while adapting to resource pressures.^[249]

Ecological and Economic Considerations

Impacts on Ecosystems

Bottom trawling, a common demersal fishing method, physically disrupts seafloor habitats by scraping and disturbing sediments, leading to the destruction of benthic communities including corals, sponges, and infaunal organisms that may take centuries to recover.^[250]^[251] Studies indicate that repeated trawling reduces biodiversity in deep-sea ecosystems, with evidence from continental slopes showing degradation of sedimentary structures and long-term impairment of habitat complexity.^[87] While some research debates the extent of trawling's role in sediment carbon mineralization, the consensus highlights its role in altering ecosystem structure through habitat homogenization.^[88] Bycatch, the incidental capture of non-target species in gears like longlines, gillnets, and trawls, contributes to population declines in vulnerable taxa such as seabirds, marine mammals, sea turtles, and juvenile fish, disrupting food webs and reducing overall biodiversity.^[252]^[253] Globally, bycatch affects predator-prey dynamics, potentially leading to overpopulation of prey species or cascading effects on lower trophic levels, with estimates indicating significant threats to recovering populations of protected species.^[254] Discards from bycatch exacerbate these issues, as unreported mortality hinders accurate assessment of fishery impacts on non-target stocks.^[255] Overfishing via selective removal of top predators triggers trophic cascades, as observed in the Black Sea where depletion of large fish led to jellyfish blooms and reduced zooplankton control, altering primary productivity.^[256] Similar patterns occur in other systems, such as the North Atlantic, where shark declines allowed cownose ray populations to surge, overgrazing bivalves and collapsing scallop fisheries.^[257] These cascades propagate downward, potentially causing regime shifts like algal overgrowth or loss of structural habitats in kelp forests and coral reefs due to unchecked herbivore populations.^[258] Ghost fishing from lost or abandoned gear, particularly traps and nets, continues to trap and kill marine life post-deployment, compounding habitat damage and contributing to unreported mortality across trophic levels.^[259] Commercial fisheries overall disturb ocean biological carbon pumps by affecting plankton and higher trophic interactions, with mobile gears like trawls implicated in reduced carbon sequestration efficiency.^[260] Empirical data from global assessments underscore that these technique-specific impacts, when unmanaged, erode ecosystem resilience and services such as nutrient cycling and prey availability.^[261]

Sustainability Debates and Management

Approximately one-third of the world's assessed fish stocks are overexploited or depleted, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) 2024 assessment, with global capture fisheries production stabilizing at around 91 million tonnes annually amid pressures from overfishing and environmental changes.^[262] ^[263] Debates on sustainability often focus on the ecological footprints of techniques like bottom trawling, which can disrupt benthic habitats and generate high bycatch, versus more selective methods such as pole-and-line fishing that minimize unintended catches; empirical reviews indicate that trawling's impacts vary by depth, frequency, and ecosystem resilience, with managed applications allowing target stock recovery without irreversible damage in some cases.^[88] Critics argue that the prevailing sustainability paradigm, embedded in policies like the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, overlooks inherent biological variability and economic incentives, potentially leading to misguided regulations that prioritize vague long-term yield over adaptive, evidence-based harvest control rules.^[264] Fisheries management strategies, including total allowable catches (TACs), individual transferable quotas (ITQs), and marine protected areas (MPAs), have demonstrated effectiveness in rebuilding stocks when paired with robust monitoring and enforcement; for instance, empirical analyses show that regions with science-informed TACs and accountability mechanisms achieve higher biomass levels compared to open-access regimes, where the "tragedy of the commons" drives depletion.^[265] ^[266] Success stories include the U.S. Northeast sea scallop fishery, which rebounded from near-collapse in the 1990s through rotational area closures and effort controls, yielding record harvests by 2022, and the Pacific bluefin tuna stock, which increased over 10-fold since 2010 lows due to international TAC reductions enforced by bodies like the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).^[267] ^[268] However, biases in stock assessment models—such as over-reliance on industry-reported catch data or optimistic productivity assumptions—can inflate perceived stock health, perpetuating overfishing in poorly monitored fleets, particularly in developing nations or distant-water operations.^[269] ^[270] Challenges persist in addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which accounts for up to 30% of global catch and undermines quotas, especially in high-seas areas lacking vessel monitoring; FAO data highlights that while assessed stocks in well-managed jurisdictions like the U.S. and New Zealand show 70-80% sustainability rates, unassessed global stocks—often in regions with weak governance—exhibit higher depletion risks.^[271] Management innovations like real-time satellite tracking and rights-based approaches have reduced IUU in ITQ systems, but enforcement gaps and economic disparities favor industrial fleets from nations with advanced technology, displacing artisanal fishers.^[272] Peer-reviewed evidence underscores that precautionary harvest strategies, informed by empirical dynamic modeling rather than static models, better accommodate uncertainty and promote long-term viability, though political resistance to quota reductions hampers implementation in overcapacity scenarios.^[273]

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Nov 8, 2019 · In hand-harvest fisheries, harvesters individually pick organisms from the ocean floor, often using scuba gear. Because people can control ...
[17]
Origin and Historical Background of Spearfishing - History of Fishing
Early civilizations used sharpened sticks for spearfishing and these were one of the first spears. Many ancient civilizations used spears for fishing.Missing: evidence | Show results with:evidence<|separator|>
[18]
Spearfishing Safety - Divers Alert Network
Jun 3, 2024 · There is no catch and release when spearfishing. Spearfishers must be able to identify fish species and understand the effects of refraction.Missing: regulations | Show results with:regulations
[19]
Built Upon Bounty - Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective
Dec 22, 2018 · Some of the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens fishing comes from Central Africa where catfish were captured using barbed spears, a technology ...
[20]
Traditional Fishing Techniques Around the World
Aug 25, 2025 · The earliest records of spearfishing show the use of harpoons in India and France as far back as 16,000 years ago. The use of spears and ...
[21]
FUN FACTS - SPEARFISHING - CMAS
Spearfishing with barbed poles (harpoons) was widespread in the Paleolithic, and evidence of this is found for example in drawings found in Cosquer Cave in ...Missing: origins | Show results with:origins
[22]
Spearfishing In Ancient Times - Alchemy
Jul 10, 2024 · Spearfishing's roots can be traced back to the Upper Paleolithic period, around 16,000 years ago, when early humans sought innovative ways to ...Missing: evidence | Show results with:evidence
[23]
Spearfishing through Ice: Modern Adherents to an Ancient Tradition
Mar 10, 2020 · Archaeological evidence suggests that indigenous tribes of North America began spearing fish through the ice more than 2,000 years ago—long ...
[24]
Spearfishing for the Soul | Hakai Magazine
Dec 21, 2015 · The stories imply that Hawaiians have always fished with spears, on the shore and underwater, along with other methods such as pole and line, ...
[25]
A Journey Through History: Evolution of Spearfishing Techniq
Mar 20, 2024 · The History of Spearfishing · Spearfishing is one of the oldest types of fishing in the world, dating as far back as 16,000 years ago or longer.Missing: origins evidence
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[27]
Comprehensive guide to spearfishing techniques
Apr 7, 2023 · Floating on the top of the water armed with a pole spear or a speargun. It's the easiest way for you to get comfortable shooting. All you need ...
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[29]
https://lancasterscuba.com/blogs/resources/exploring-the-boundaries-where-spearfishing-is-prohibited
[30]
Spearfishing Dangers - SpearoBlog
Drowning is a very real danger. Getting tangled on the bottom, having a shallow water blackout, getting knocked out by a boat or by bumping your head against a ...
[31]
Public Safety Announcement: Spearfishing Safety
Feb 1, 2019 · Never enter spaces with overhead environments, check your proximity to other divers, avoid touching corals or disturbing marine life, look up ...Learn The Rules, And Play By... · Grab A Buddy, And Properly... · Know Your Equipment And...<|separator|>
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[33]
Fishing Hooks: Everything You Need to Know for 2025
Aug 25, 2025 · Types of Fishing Hooks · Bait Hooks · Worm Hooks · Circle Hooks · Jig Hooks · Octopus Hooks · Siwash Style · Double and Treble Hooks · Fly Fishing Hooks.The Importance of Fishing Hooks · Types of Fishing Hooks · Fly Fishing HooksMissing: materials | Show results with:materials
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Basic to Advanced and Back Again: Hook-and-Line History and ...
Jun 5, 2023 · Historically, the hook and line setup was made from shell or bone and dates back to at least 16,000 years ago.
[35]
The Evolution of Fishing Line: From Ancient to Modern
Egyptians used linen hooks and lines from 2000 BC to fish in the Nile. Linen was common and strong, making it a favorable pick for their fishing needs. In their ...
[36]
https://www.battlbox.com/blogs/fishing/what-are-fishing-hooks-made-of-a-complete-guide-to-materials-and-types
[37]
Choosing the Right Fishing Hook - Island Fisherman Magazine
Aug 9, 2020 · Learn the different parts, shapes, materials, and types of fishing hooks for salmon and bottom fishing. What to use and when to use them.
[38]
Types of Fishing Line - Take Me Fishing
There are several types of fishing line, but the two most commonly used are monofilament and braid. Monofilament is made from nylon and is one long continuous ...
[39]
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Hook, Line, and Sinker: Rigging the fishing line
Apr 2, 2019 · A hook and sinker is another simple and effective rig. The hook is tied on the end of the line and a sinker is placed somewhere on the line.<|control11|><|separator|>
[41]
Learn to fish: casting line and catching fish
Sep 7, 2023 · The hook/bait or lure should be hanging 1 to 2 feet below the end of the rod tip. With the same hand, depress the push button with your thumb ( ...
[42]
Know Your Hooks | The Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide® LLC
Hook style relates to the overall shape of the hook. I believe many hook styles can be broken down into a few basic categories - Live bait hooks, Artificial ( ...<|separator|>
[43]
Fishing Devices and a short history of the Sport
Apr 28, 2022 · The ancient Greek, Roman, and Macedonian civilizations used hook, line and rod tackle to catch fish. Homer wrote, in 800 BC, “Casting into the ...
[44]
A brief history of the fishing reel - Fishing Museum Online
The Chinese probably invented the fishing reel around AD 300 or 400, but until the seventeenth century the only evidence that anglers used them was in art.
[45]
A Brief History of Fishing - Images - Parks & Open Space
May 30, 2014 · The ancient Egyptians used woven nets, harpoons, and hooks to catch Nile perch, catfish, and eels.
[46]
Evolution of Fishing Gear: The Complete Historical Overview
Jun 24, 2024 · The first time “modern” fishing rods hit the market was in the 1800s, and it was eventually paired with the pre-1905 attempts at making reels. ...
[47]
The Fishing Rod and Reel Guide: Sierra
The Fishing Rod and Reel Guide: Expert Advice from Sierra on types of fishing rods, fishing rod specifications, fishing rod maintenance and more.
[48]
Types of Fishing Reels: The Complete Guide for 2025
Aug 22, 2025 · The spincast reel is by far the simplest modern fishing reel out there. With it's basic design, this guy is ideal for beginners or anglers on a budget.Spincast Reel · Features and Design · Pros & Cons · Spinning Reel
[49]
Beginner's Guide to Fishing Rods + Tackle - Go Fish BC
Two basic rod and reel set-ups are SPINCASTING and SPINNING. It's important to match the rod with the proper reel. Spincasting Reels. A spincasting rod has the ...
[50]
Unleashing the Science of Fishing Pole Mechanics: | Snapology LRH
Jun 23, 2023 · When you cast, you apply force to the rod, using it as a lever. The flexible rod acts as a spring, storing potential energy as you bend it ...
[51]
How to Reel in Fish - Take Me Fishing
Just keep the fishing rod up at about a 45-degree angle to the water, aim it straight towards the fish, and be ready to reel when the drag stops moving and ...
[52]
Sustainable Fishing - National Geographic Education
Sep 9, 2024 · Rod-and-reel fishing results in less bycatch because non-targeted species can be released immediately. Additionally, only one fish is caught at ...
[53]
Fishing Techniques: The Complete Guide for 2025
Aug 29, 2025 · Popular fishing techniques include trolling, bottom fishing, jig fishing, kite fishing, fly fishing, bowfishing, spearfishing, kayak fishing, ...Missing: specialized | Show results with:specialized
[54]
Types of Fishing Rods Explained - Wired2Fish
Oct 31, 2023 · Types of Fishing Rods Explained · CASTING ROD · SPINNING ROD · FLY ROD · ICE FISHING ROD · TROLLING ROD · WHAT TO KNOW WHEN LOOKING FOR A FISHING ROD.
[55]
Rod and Reel Fishing Techniques - Best Prince Edward Island Tuna ...
Mar 10, 2016 · Jigging is a rod and reel method that requires arm endurance. The bait is moved up and down in the water by lifting and lowering the rod.<|separator|>
[56]
10 Fishing Techniques: Methods & Types of Angling Technique
Jan 17, 2021 · Common fishing techniques include bottom fishing, casting, jigging, popping, trolling, fly-fishing, surf casting, hand-lining, long-lining, and ...Missing: specialized | Show results with:specialized
[57]
What Are the Types of Fishing Rods? - TackleDirect
Jun 28, 2023 · From versatile spinning rods to specialized jigging and trolling rods, this guide will help you choose the perfect fishing rod for your angling ...
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8. handling live fish on the farm
8.4 Dip nets for fish handling. 1. Dip nets are commonly used on fish farms for handling and transferring small quantities of fish. They can be bought ...
[62]
Types of Fishing Net: Choose One That Suits Your Needs - Duracordix
Jun 12, 2025 · Dip nets are small and handheld. They are ideal for quick fish retrieval. They have short handles to scoop fish. The designs of fish dip nets ...
[63]
Nets of the Great Lakes | Michigan Sea Grant
Fishers typically use dip nets to scoop the fish into a tub instead of removing them from the net by hand. Because trap nets are placed at the bottom of the ...
[64]
Fishing with Cast Nets in Ancient Egypt - ADS
We start from the hypothesis that cast net was one of the fishing methods in ancient Egypt, at least from the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. We try to ...
[65]
[PDF] Cast Nets - Wild Salmon Center
With a relatively long history, cast- net fishing is regarded as a traditional method of catching fish that has been used since antiquity. Historians have ...
[66]
https://livebait.com/blogs/cast-nets/history-of-cast-net-fishing
[67]
Finfish Regulations - New Jersey - eRegulations
Cast nets 20 feet in diameter or less. Lift or umbrella nets four feet square or less. Not more than five killipots. Not more than two miniature fykes or ...
[68]
Freshwater | Regulations & Permits | Fish & Wildlife
Sep 15, 2025 · Gill nets must not exceed 100 feet in length, with a mesh size of 5¼ inches or greater (stretched).
[69]
Cast-net fishing | The River Reporter
Apr 7, 2021 · Cast nets or throw nets shall not exceed 10 feet in radius or 20 feet in diameter and possess a mesh size of at least 3/8 inch. The holder of ...<|separator|>
[70]
9781888569926-ch7 - American Fisheries Society
With a relatively long history, cast-net fishing is regarded as a traditional method of catching fish that has been used since antiquity. Historians have ...
[71]
Fixed gillnets (on stakes) - Fishing gear type
Definition and description. These gillnets are stretched between two or more stakes driven into the bottom within the inter-tidal area, along the cost.
[72]
Fishing Gear: Gillnets | NOAA Fisheries
Feb 22, 2021 · Set gillnets are attached to poles fixed in the substrate or an anchor system to prevent movement of the net. Drift gillnets are kept afloat ...
[73]
Fishing Methods - Alaska Seafood
Fixed gillnet fishing: A small boat or skiff extends a gillnet from shore to catch salmon that swim close to shore. After keeping it in the water for a certain ...
[74]
Net Fisheries - Southern IFCA
A fixed net is a type of gill net which is held in situ, at any point along its length, by an anchor, or any other object including the seabed. Fixed nets are ...Missing: technique | Show results with:technique
[75]
Drift gillnets - Fishing gear type
A drift gillnet is a type of gillnet that is not fixed to the seabed but allowed to drift with the current. Drift gillnets (or driftnets) are usually fished ...Missing: differences | Show results with:differences<|separator|>
[76]
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Jan 15, 2020 · The fishing method involves laying nets 30 feet deep and up to 30 miles wide. The nets are then left to drift overnight before they are ...
[77]
Global Ban on Driftnets - Greenpeace
As a result a U.N. moratorium on high seas large-scale driftnets was passed in 1989, followed by a worldwide ban in 1992. This victory was the culmination of ...<|separator|>
[78]
Operation DRIFTNET - Canada.ca
Apr 30, 2018 · It has been under a United Nations (UN) ban since December 1992. Drift net fishing is a technique that uses large panels of netting. The nets ...
[79]
Fishing Gear Types - Consortium for Wildlife Bycatch Reduction
A subset of set gillnets,fixed nets are stretched between stakes driven into the bottom in intertidal areas. In contrast, drift nets are unanchored and float ...
[80]
Driftnet fisheries and their impacts on non-target species
Drift gillnets (or driftnets), in common with other types of gillnet, are among the simplest and oldest methods of fishing. Such nets operate by gilling or ...
[81]
Drift Nets - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Drift nets are defined as large-scale fishing nets that are deployed in the ocean to capture pelagic species such as tuna and squid, often resulting in the ...
[82]
Single boat midwater otter trawls - Fishing gear type
A single boat midwater otter trawl is a cone-shaped net that is towed in midwater by one boat using a pair of otter boards to spread the net horizontally.
[83]
Design of trawl otter boards using computational fluid dynamics
The otter board is a vital component for the efficient operation of an otter trawl system. It requires high lift and low drag forces for net spreading ...
[84]
What is Bottom Trawling | Marine Stewardship Council
Bottom - or demersal - trawling is a fishing method that uses towed nets to catch fish and other marine species living on or close to the seabed.
[85]
The Importance of Trawling Method for Fishing - OMICS International
There are two main types of trawling: bottom trawling and midwater trawling. Bottom trawling involves dragging a net along the ocean floor, catching fish and ...
[86]
OTTER BOARDS.ppt
Otter boards are devices used to maintain the horizontal opening of trawl nets. They were first introduced in 1894 in Scottish waters as an alternative to ...
[87]
Bottom trawling and environmental variables drive the biodiversity of ...
Jul 26, 2025 · Bottom trawling instead has a quasi-linear erosion effect on α- and β-diversity in all areas. Valuable commercial species and threatened rays ...
[88]
Evaluating the sustainability and environmental impacts of trawling ...
Jul 19, 2023 · We conclude that there is little evidence that trawling increases sediment carbon mineralization significantly, even less that it impacts ...Introduction · Impact of trawling on benthic... · Impact of trawling on carbon...
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Jun 27, 2024 · Poorly-managed bottom trawl fisheries can have significant impacts on the plants and animals living on (and in) the seafloor, while well-managed ones are often ...
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Hydrodynamic performance of semi-pelagic self-adjusting otter ...
Mar 15, 2023 · In this study, we show how a novel self-adjusting, semi-pelagic otter board have high hydrodynamic efficiency and reduce seabed contact.<|control11|><|separator|>
[91]
Fishing Gear: Traps and Pots - NOAA Fisheries
May 12, 2025 · Traps and pots are submerged three-dimensional wire or wood devices that permit organisms to enter the enclosure but make escape extremely difficult or ...
[92]
Pots and Traps - General - Seafish
Pots and traps are generally rigid structures into which fish or shellfish are guided through funnels that make entry easy but escape difficult.
[93]
Traps - Fishing gear type
Traps, large stationary nets or barrages or pots, are gears in which the fish are retained or enter voluntarily and will be hampered from escaping.Missing: history | Show results with:history
[94]
Pots and Traps - Lobster | Seafish
The D shaped creel with two entrances is the favoured trap by many lobster fishermen. Lobsters will also be caught as a valuable by-catch in many of the crab ...<|separator|>
[95]
(PDF) FISHING GEARS AND FISHING METHODS - ResearchGate
... fishing pots, fyke nets, trap, pound. nets and tidal weirs among other modifications. Pot gear and traps: are portable traps that. fish enter, usually through ...<|separator|>
[96]
Pots and traps fishing gear - Marine Stewardship Council
Pots and traps are typically designed to be selective for the target species: from the shape of the trap and entry mechanism to the type of bait used. However, ...
[97]
Pots as alternative and sustainable fishing gears in the ...
Aug 9, 2021 · The literature review shows that pot fisheries have several considerable advantages over conventional gears, especially in terms of discards, ...
[98]
Low impact and fuel efficient fishing—Looking beyond the horizon
In addition, fishing activities can sometimes impact the marine environments through excessive removals of ecologically and economically valuable species and ...
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The ups and downs of traps: environmental impacts, entanglement ...
Aug 23, 2020 · Trap fishing causes direct impacts on benthic habitats during setting and retrieval, including dragging along the seafloor, which can lead to the damage and ...
[100]
Minimum Traps/Trawl for Northeast Lobster/Jonah Crab Trap/Pot ...
Oct 21, 2021 · The following tables show the trap/pot minimums, including changes that are effective May 1, 2022. Please note that trap/pot requirements from previous ...Missing: FAO | Show results with:FAO
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[PDF] Fishing operations. Guidelines to prevent and reduce bycatch of ...
In other words, it must be located in the right places, or take place at the right times, be effectively managed and enforced to remove the principal threats, ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[102]
Atlantic Mixed Species Trap/Pot Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries
Apr 16, 2025 · The fishery includes all trap/pot operations from the US-Canada border south through the waters east of the fishery management demarcation line.
[103]
Fish Weir - Ancient Fishing Tool of Hunter-Gatherers - ThoughtCo
May 12, 2025 · A fish weir or fish trap is ancient fishing technology, used first in Mesolithic Europe 8000 years ago, and in North America by 5000 years ...Types of Fish Weirs · Invention and Innovation · Dating Fish Traps · Recent Studies
[104]
Fish Weirs | Underwater archaeology - Ministère de la Culture
Of the 760 fish weirs identified on the coast of Brittany, eighty-three are underwater. Some of them are likely to be fish traps built in the prehistoric ...Missing: evidence | Show results with:evidence
[105]
Full article: The social history of a medieval fish weir, c. 600–2020
Oct 27, 2021 · Excavated intertidal fish weirs were wattle hedges or fences analogous to the one constructed at Whitby. These could be V-shaped basket weirs ...
[106]
Cherokee fish weirs - Smoky Mountain Living
Aug 1, 2013 · Where there has been research, evidence points to weirs as highly successful in terms of capturing fish. Middens, or trash heaps, in proximity ...
[107]
Fish Weirs As Part Of The Cultural Landscape - National Park Service
Sep 30, 2008 · The use of fish weirs represents an additional technique of capturing fish. Various forms of these are found throughout North America.
[108]
Methods of Catching Fish in Balayan, Batangas in 1916
Jun 22, 2018 · The final method used for fishing in saltwater that Protonel described was fish corral, of which there were two types. One was called the “ ...Missing: technique | Show results with:technique
[109]
[PDF] Corral fishing in the Algodoal-Maiandeua Environmental Protection ...
Apr 11, 2022 · Abstract. Corral fishing is one of the most traditional ways of fishing in the coastal zone of Brazilian northern state of Pará. It is.
[110]
See a New Interactive Map of Indigenous Fishing Practices Around ...
May 10, 2022 · So it's possible to build stone walls, wooden corrals, or stone walls topped by wooden corrals to trap fish as the tide goes out. In Panama, ...
[111]
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/4172/noaa_4172_DS1.pdf
[112]
The Genius of Fishing with Tidal Weirs - Nautilus Magazine
Apr 6, 2022 · Among various traditional practices, fish weirs help fisheries to measure, tag, release, and later recapture salmon, which provides invaluable ...
[113]
These Massive Land Art Constructions Are Actually Ancient Fishing ...
Sep 13, 2017 · For many centuries, stone weirs were considered an ideal method for catching fish, not only because of the sheer volume that would come in with ...
[114]
[PDF] guidelines for operating fish weirs in waters containing salmonids ...
Sep 3, 2015 · This document provides guidelines for the safe use of fish weirs in waters containing salmonids listed by the National Marine Fisheries ...Missing: modern corrals
[115]
Columbia River Fish Traps Return for the Recovery of Wild Fish and ...
May 5, 2025 · This passive, live-capture fishing method allows for safe sorting of a fisher's catch, providing a means to selectively harvest abundant stocks ...
[116]
Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, § 2.35 - Taking Fish near Dams, Fishways ...
No fish may be taken within 250 feet of: (1) Any fishway or any egg-taking station. (2) Any dam or any weir or rack which has a fishway or an egg-taking ...Missing: corrals | Show results with:corrals
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What Is Purse Seine Fishing | Marine Stewardship Council
Purse seine fishing uses a large net to target fish schools in the open ocean. The net is encircled and then drawn tight to snare the fish.Missing: mechanism | Show results with:mechanism
[118]
Fishing Gear: Purse Seines - NOAA Fisheries
Feb 12, 2019 · Purse seining is a non-selective fishing method that captures everything that it surrounds, including protected species. Sea turtles can be ...
[119]
Purse seines - Fishing gear type
A purse seine is made of a long wall of netting framed with floatline and leadline (usually, of equal or longer length than the former) and having purse rings ...
[120]
[PDF] PURSE SEINE FISHING - IMCS NETWORK
The key type of gear and machinery on board a purse seine vessel are those needed to both capture and preserve the catch. Purse seine nets are the biggest nets ...
[121]
Purse Seine Fishing | Marine Stewardship Council
Purse seine fishing uses a net to encircle and capture dense schools of pelagic fish in the open ocean, like tuna and mackerel.Missing: mechanism | Show results with:mechanism
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(PDF) A SUMMARY OF BYCATCH ISSUES AND ISSF Mitigation ...
This document summarizes the main bycatch issues in tropical purse seine fisheries, with emphasis on FAD sets (including natural log sets)
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Purse seine | Australian Fisheries Management Authority
Feb 17, 2023 · Environmental impacts and management. The purse seine method of fishing is very selective as it usually targets only one species at a time.Missing: mechanism history
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[PDF] Bycatch and no-tuna catch in the tropical tuna purse seine fisheries ...
Main bycatches include tunas, sharks, rays, pelagic bony fishes, billfishes, and sea turtles. Discards are 1-5% of total tonnage, with targeted tunas over 90- ...
[125]
Challenges and Opportunities in Monitoring and Mitigating Sea ...
Nov 26, 2024 · All of these resolutions encourage better data collection of sensitive bycatch species, including sea turtles, through logbooks and observer ...
[126]
The Evolution of Fishing: From Ancient Hooks to Modern Fun 2025 ...
Around 3,000 years ago, Egyptian fishermen trained cormorants to catch fish. These birds, equipped with a snare around their necks, would dive into water to ...<|separator|>
[127]
Cormorant Fishing (Ukai) - Japan Guide
May 3, 2025 · Ukai is a traditional fishing method which uses trained cormorants to catch river fish such as sweetfish (ayu). This type of fishing has been around for over ...
[128]
Goryo Ukai (Imperial Cormorant Fishing) - 宮内庁
Every year from mid-May to mid-October on the River Nagara in Gifu Prefecture, a 1300-year tradition of cormorant fishing is conducted that has been passed down ...
[129]
Ukai - Juhachiro Cormorant fishing - 十八楼
In Ukai, a 'Usho', or cormorant fisherman manipulates 10 to 12 cormorants with hand ropes. It is one of the traditional Japanese fishing methods of catching ...
[130]
Cormorant Fishing: 5 Places to Enjoy Ukai, a Summer Tradition in ...
Jun 17, 2025 · Ukai is a traditional river fishing technique employing cormorants. Nagara River (Gifu), Hiji River (Ehime), and Mikuma River (Oita) are three places in Japan ...The History of Cormorant... · Nagara River in Gifu · Hiji River in Ozu City, Ehime
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Ozu Ukai, one of Japan's top three cormorant fishing traditions
Mar 21, 2024 · Ozu is the birthplace of “Awase Ukai”, a rare fishing technique where the cormorant master's boat, lit by torchlight, glides down the river alongside a ...
[132]
Otters Have Helped Bangladesh Fishermen Catch Fish For Centuries
Mar 27, 2014 · Otter fishing is a centuries-old tradition in Bangladesh, where fishermen have been using trained otters to lure fish into their nets.Missing: methods | Show results with:methods
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River Otters – Go Finger Lakes
Otters captured as pups can be trained to bring back fish or to drive them into waiting nets. Otter fishing is surprisingly ancient and widespread: Marco Polo ...<|separator|>
[134]
Fishing with the Otter - jstor
These animals are trained by the Muhannas to catch fish, and also to drive them ill shoals towards the nets, just in the same man- ner as a. collie dog collects ...
[135]
Otter Fishing in Bangladesh | Bangladesh Travel Guide
Jan 8, 2025 · Familiarising the otters with humans and fishing boats. Teaching them to chase fish into nets without eating them. ; Captive breeding programs ...
[136]
Electrofishing: what is it and how does it work? - Flow-MER
Mar 14, 2023 · Electrofishing involves generating a field of electricity in the water which temporarily stuns fish in the close proximity (~5m) so that they can be scooped up ...
[137]
Electrofishing technology - Arthur Rylah Institute
Oct 28, 2024 · Electrofishing involves passing an electrical current through water, stunning fish so that they can be netted and processed. Fish recover ...
[138]
“Phoning” fish: the Strange World of Electrofishing
Oct 12, 2013 · In the late nineteenth century, physiologists discovered that electric currents could be used to affect the orientation and movement of fish. ...
[139]
Fish sampling techniques: A look into the world of electrofishing
Mar 24, 2023 · Biologists use electrofishing as a means to capture fish so that they can collect important information about the fish and the overall population.
[140]
Electrofishing: Understanding one of the most commonly used ...
Jul 28, 2024 · Electrofishing is probably the most common method of sampling freshwater fishes. As the name implies, it involves electricity and water.
[141]
[PDF] Electrofishing and Its Harmful Effects on Fish
The recommentation of experimental testing is especially important when electrofishing is to be used to sample threatened or endangered fishes so that necessary ...
[142]
What Lies Beneath: How Electrofishing and Environmental DNA Is ...
Apr 8, 2021 · ... mortality rates from electrofishing are very minimal (<4%) to fish ... fish as the electrofishing data. While a 2015 survey showed that ...
[143]
Susceptibility of Ten Fish Species to Electroshock‐Induced Mortality
(1998) reported less than 10% immediate mortality for fish exposed to 60- or 80-Hz PDC during backpack electrofishing in a small stream. While differences in ...
[144]
Electrofishing Safety | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
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Chapter 1360. Pertaining to Commercial Electrofishing - Virginia Law
4. Conduct commercial electrofishing within 300 yards of any fixed fishing devices or within 100 yards of any other marked commercial fishing gear. 5. Conduct ...Missing: legality | Show results with:legality
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Legal Devices, Methods & Restrictions - Texas Parks and Wildlife
Legal only for taking nongame fish and other aquatic animal life including crabs, crayfish, and shrimp. (See shrimp regulations) · May not be greater than 14 ...Missing: electrofishing legality
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Industrial tuna longlining - Fishing Techniques
Longlining is a passive type of fishing technique making use of lines with baited hooks as fishing gear.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
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[PDF] 1 CHAPTER 3.1.2: LONGLINE AUTHORS - ICCAT
A longline has a main line, secondary lines (float and branch lines) with hooks, and is often made of synthetic materials. It can be monofilament or ...<|separator|>
[149]
Longlining - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Longlining is defined as a fishing method that utilizes a long line with multiple hooks, spaced evenly along its length, allowing for selective fishing by ...
[150]
Fishing Gear: Bottom Longlines - NOAA Fisheries
Feb 22, 2024 · Bottom longlines have a mainline weighted to the seafloor with buoy lines marked by flags on either end, called high flyers.Missing: technique methods
[151]
What Is Longline Fishing | Marine Stewardship Council
Pelagic longlines are set near the surface, or between depths of 50 to 300 metres, with floats or buoys that are interspaced along the length of the line to ...Missing: differences | Show results with:differences
[152]
Fishing Gear: Pelagic Longlines - NOAA Fisheries
May 9, 2019 · Longlines consist of a mainline, gangions, and baited hooks. Pelagic longline. A high-flyer buoy is used to monitor gear position while fishing ...Missing: bottom | Show results with:bottom
[153]
Get To Know 6 Different Types of Longlines for Fishing
Jul 25, 2023 · 1. Bottom longline. This type is used to catch fish that live on the seabed or near the surface of the seabed. · 2. Pelagic longline · 3. Vertical ...Missing: differences | Show results with:differences
[154]
Longlining | Australian Fisheries Management Authority
Feb 17, 2023 · The primary difference between bottom longline fishing and auto longline fishing is that hooks are baited by hand rather than a machine. When ...
[155]
What the FAO's latest report tells us about sustainable fishing
Jul 4, 2025 · The report notes that global tuna catch has remained stable at around 5 million tonnes in recent years. More than half of the tuna fished ...
[156]
https://www.northcoastseafoods.com/blogs/sustainability/what-is-longline-fishing
[157]
Longline - International Seafood Sustainability Foundation
Bycatch. The average bycatch rate for longline fishing is more than 20% of the total catch. Mitigation methods, such as circle hooks and tori lines, have been ...
[158]
The incidental catch of seabirds by longline fisheries
1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION · 2. A DESCRIPTION OF LONGLINE FISHING METHODS · 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD'S MAJOR LONGLINE FISHERIES AND THEIR INCIDENTAL CATCHES OF ...
[159]
Quantifying longline bycatch mortality for pelagic sharks in western ...
Aug 16, 2023 · However, any permitted fishing is likely to result in a nonnegligible level of bycatch mortality, particularly in the case of longline fishing.
[160]
Deep-water longline fishing has reduced impact on Vulnerable ...
Apr 29, 2014 · We demonstrate that deep-sea bottom longline fishing has little impact on vulnerable marine ecosystems, reducing bycatch of cold-water corals.Results · Methods · Bycatch Of Deep-Sea...<|separator|>
[161]
Models May Help Reduce Bycatch From Longline Fishing
Aug 8, 2018 · New models use 14 environmental variables to predict month-by-month locations of longline fishing fleets and help prevent their accidental ...
[162]
Fishing Gear: Dredges | NOAA Fisheries
Aug 6, 2018 · Dredging is a fishing method in which a dredge is dragged across the sea floor, either scraping or penetrating the bottom.
[163]
Dredges - Fishing gear type
Fishing operations The dredges are gears which are dragged along the bottom. They scrape up American sea scallop and other shellfish from the sea bed. One or ...
[164]
[PDF] Fishery Basics – Fishing Gear - NET
Dredges are dragged along the seafloor to catch shellfish. Dredges are made from an open- mouthed frame that scoops shellfish from the seafloor.
[165]
FAO/FIIT Gear Type Fact-Sheet : Dredges
There are two main type of dredges; heavy dredges towed by boats ( boat dredges ), and lighter ones operated by hand in shallow waters ( hand dredges). Specific ...
[166]
The impact of habitat disturbance by scallop dredging on marine ...
Dec 14, 2024 · Field experiments showed that scallop dredging decreased the density of common macrofaunal populations, with some populations still ...<|separator|>
[167]
Scallop dredging has profound, long-term impacts on maerl habitats
Scallop dredging led to a >70% reduction in live maerl with no sign of recovery over four years, while control plots had high maerl counts.Missing: method | Show results with:method
[168]
Fishing methods and gear types - Marine Stewardship Council
Explanations of some of the most common commercial fishing gear types and methods including purse seine, gillnets, trawling - their use and their impacts.Demersal or bottom trawls · Purse seine · Gillnets · Longlines
[169]
Fish and Overfishing - Our World in Data
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates around 60 million people globally are employed as fishers (catching wild fish) or fish farming ( ...
[170]
Discards in the world's marine fisheries. An update.
The trawl fisheries discard 20-70 percent of the catch, depending on depth. Average discard rates for these trawl fisheries are 45-50 percent. Most of the ...
[171]
Efficiency changes in bottom trawling for flatfish species as a result ...
Oct 10, 2020 · The transition from the traditional beam trawl to the pulse trawl resulted in an increase in catch efficiency for marketable sole and a reduced ...
[172]
Fishing with a Wheel - ADVENTURE
Jul 14, 2017 · A rather simple design, a traditional way of harvesting fish, a wheel with two angled baskets and a paddle which is pushed by the current of the river.Missing: technique | Show results with:technique
[173]
Catching Salmons With Fish Wheels | Amusing Planet
May 28, 2015 · When the wheel is floated on the river, the river current turns the wheel causing the baskets to scoop down upon the salmon traveling upstream ...Missing: harvesting | Show results with:harvesting
[174]
How is sound used to locate fish?
Oct 6, 2020 · Sonars send sound waves, fish reflect signals, and fish finders detect air in swim bladders. Fish within the sound beam also reflect sound, ...
[175]
Simrad fish-finding sonars - Kongsberg Discovery
Simrad sonars, with 70 years of experience, use advanced technology for efficient fishing, with short and long-range performance and enhanced fish detection.
[176]
Sounders - Simrad Commercial
Simrad echosounders use sonar to measure water depth by calculating the time for acoustic signals to reach the bottom and return, preventing collisions.
[177]
Net Sounders for Trawling and Commercial Fishing
Discover modern net sounders with wide-angle sonar and wireless telemetry. Boost catch rates with real-time fish detection and haul optimization.
[178]
Automatic single fish detection with a commercial echosounder ...
Jun 4, 2023 · Commercial fishing vessels worldwide are commonly equipped with echo sounders for vertical detection of underwater information. However, current ...
[179]
Satellite mapping reveals extensive industrial activity at sea - Nature
Jan 3, 2024 · We combine satellite imagery, vessel GPS data and deep-learning models to map industrial vessel activities and offshore energy ...
[180]
Our Technology - Global Fishing Watch
For satellite imagery, we use “object detection” models to distinguish vessels from other objects in the images. We match these vessel detections against vessel ...
[181]
Autonomous Vehicles Help Scientists Estimate Fish Abundance ...
Jun 1, 2020 · This fish finder technology detects the presence of fish using sound. Echosounders send sound pulses into the water and measure how much of ...
[182]
Maritime Robotics
The Autonomous Navigation System is advancing maritime autonomy by empowering surface vessels with autonomous navigation capabilities. This system ...
[183]
Robots Take on Human Work in Fish Production - Design News
Sep 26, 2024 · Flexiv Robotics has created an automated fish fillet shaping solution long considered a necessary human job.Missing: vessels | Show results with:vessels
[184]
Accelerated adoption of maritime autonomous vessels by simulating ...
This study estimates that the introduction of fully autonomous vessels can be accelerated by more than ten years through a mix of subsidies.
[185]
Advances in Satellite Radar Analysis Help Reveal Fishing Activity
Sep 6, 2023 · Satellite radar imagery and machine learning provide new method to fill gaps in monitoring pelagic longline fleets.
[186]
Biodegradable fishing gears: A potential solution to ghost fishing ...
Biodegradable materials are suited as a potential solution to reduce ghost fishing. PA could resist in the environment much longer than the service time.
[187]
Scientists in Norway explore biodegradable fishing gear to tackle ...
Feb 24, 2025 · Scientists in Norway are developing biodegradable fishing gear to reduce plastic pollution in the ocean and prevent harmful microplastics.
[188]
Biodegradable gillnets could help rid the ocean of ghost fishing
Mar 18, 2016 · Researchers have found that biodegradable gillnets catch fish as well as conventional nylon nets—and more quickly lose their ability to entangle ...Missing: examples | Show results with:examples
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Pioneering sustainable fishing gear in Puglia - Oceans and fisheries
May 19, 2025 · The project developed biodegradable fishing gear prototypes, conducted research on sustainable materials, and collaborated with fishing sector ...
[190]
The economic impacts of introducing biodegradable fishing gear as ...
Although less efficient, the biodegradable nets offer considerable potential for the reduction of ghost fishing and plastic pollution caused at sea by the ...<|separator|>
[191]
Effects of gear modifications in a North Atlantic pelagic longline fishery
Oct 19, 2023 · The present study demonstrated that the use of circle hooks could mitigate the impact of the pelagic longline fisheries in the Azores by decreasing the bycatch ...
[192]
The Continuing Tale of Circle Hooks in Brazil
Feb 4, 2019 · Circle hooks reduce sea turtle bycatch. Brazil banned J-hooks, mandating circle hooks, but faces challenges with shark bycatch and enforcement.
[193]
First assessment of circle hooks as bycatch mitigation measure for ...
We tested circle hook as potential bycatch mitigation measure for deep-water sharks. · Circle hooks resulted in higher catch of deep-water sharks than J-hooks.
[194]
LED illuminated nets dramatically reduce bycatch and make fishing ...
Feb 5, 2022 · LED illuminated nets reduce bycatch of sharks and skates by an incredible 95 percent while maintaining catch rates of target species.
[195]
Lit-Up Fishing Nets Dramatically Reduce Catch of Unwanted Sharks ...
Feb 18, 2022 · Fishing nets illuminated with green LED lights can prevent unwanted marine animals from getting stuck, saving fisheries time and stopping ...
[196]
Lights (LEDs) - Clean Catch UK
Jul 3, 2025 · Lights can act as a visual cue to alert non-target species of fishing gear. They are a practical, cost effective solution to help reduce bycatch.
[197]
Developing Viable On-Demand Gear Systems | NOAA Fisheries
Sep 4, 2025 · On-demand, also called “ropeless”, systems use far less rope in the water column than traditional gear designs.
[198]
Rope-less Fishing: A vision for how it can work - Ropeless Consortium
Rope-less traps will have no surface system. Elimination of ropes. Truly rope-less fishing (e.g., variable buoyancy traps fished as singles) means there are ...
[199]
Building the Momentum for Ropeless Fishing
Nov 6, 2024 · Instead of placing dangerous vertical lines in the water, ropeless systems use acoustic technologies to bring lobster traps to the surface.
[200]
Stopping fish bombing - UNEP
Feb 21, 2019 · Also known as blast or dynamite fishing, fish bombing is one of the most destructive forms of fishing because it indiscriminately kills any ...Missing: history | Show results with:history
[201]
A review of the current global status of blast fishing: Causes ...
Blast fishing (known variously as dynamite and bomb fishing) has caused long-term damage to reefs and coastal livelihoods for decades.
[202]
A case study on blast fishing in illegal small scale fisheries in the ...
The dynamite fishing known as “blast” fishing or fish bombing is a kind of “explosive fishing” which is a widely illegal and unsustainable fishing practice. It ...
[203]
Destructive Fishing - Marine Stewardship Council
Destructive fishing practices include the use of cyanide or explosives to catch fish. Cyanide is used to stun fish making them easier to catch. Explosives ...Missing: history | Show results with:history
[204]
How Dangerous Is It to Use Cyanide to Catch Fish?
Aug 10, 2011 · Cyanide fishing inflicts damage on the coral reefs where it is employed, as the poison kills the reefs and many of the life-forms that rely on them.
[205]
(PDF) Destructive Fishing Practices and their Impact on the Marine ...
Poison fishing, often using chemicals like sodium cyanide, indiscriminately stuns or kills fish, impacting coral reefs and lagoon habitats. Both practices ...Missing: chemofishing deris prohibitions
[206]
[PDF] Report of the FAO/UNEP EXPERT MEETING ON IMPACTS OF ...
This report covers the impacts of destructive, unsustainable, and IUU fishing on marine biodiversity and habitats, following a meeting in Rome.
[207]
dynamite use sends shockwaves through fishing industries | Sri Lanka
Sep 7, 2023 · Blast fishing, an illegal method in which dynamite or other explosives are used to kill or stun fish, takes place around the world, from South America to Asia ...Missing: history regulations
[208]
Destructive fishing: An expert-driven definition and exploration of this
Mar 28, 2024 · Destructive fishing is any fishing practice that causes irrecoverable habitat degradation, or which causes significant adverse environmental ...
[209]
[PDF] An Overview of Destructive Fishing in the Philippines
Sep 21, 2022 · Muro-ami is destructive fishing that originated in. Japan around the 1930s, where Okinawan migrant fishers came to the central Philippines to ...
[210]
Ban on destructive fishing practice helps species recovery in ...
Nov 4, 2019 · In 2011, a destructive fishing practice known as muroami was banned in Karimunjawa National Park off Indonesia's Java Island.
[211]
Herbivorous fish rise as a destructive fishing practice falls in an ...
Jul 26, 2019 · Given the destructive nature of muroami nets, legacy effects (e.g., destruction of branching corals) are likely throughout the Karimunjawa ...
[212]
[PDF] Herbivorous fish rise as a destructive fishing practice falls in an ...
Given the destructive nature of muroami nets, legacy effects (e.g., destruction of branching corals) are likely throughout the Karimunjawa National Park. Such.<|separator|>
[213]
Illegal Fishing in Southeast Asia: Scope, Dimensions, Impacts, and ...
Jul 21, 2023 · [6] The use of illegal micro or fine-mesh nets, which can measure as little as 5 millimeters, have been just as harmful, adversely denting ...
[214]
Level of illegal use of fine mesh nets among fishermen compared to ...
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[215]
What We Know About "Ghost Fishing" - Marine Debris Program
Feb 24, 2019 · Ghost fishing can impose a variety of harmful impacts, including: killing target and non-target organisms, including endangered and protected ...
[216]
Effects of Lost Fishing Gear on Red King Crab in Womens Bay ...
Thirteen crabs were killed in ghost fishing gear, 1 in a gill net and 12 in crab pots, while another 13 died of other causes, including predation by sea otters, ...Missing: harmful | Show results with:harmful
[217]
The Impacts of Ghost Nets on Coral Reefs - NOAA Fisheries
Sep 25, 2020 · They break, shade, and abrade coral, preventing them from healthy growth. These lost or abandoned fishing nets are a persistent threat that ...Missing: harmful | Show results with:harmful
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Wildlife Entanglement and Ghost Fishing | Marine Debris Program
Mar 14, 2023 · Ghost fishing can also impact our economy. Lost lines, nets, and traps not only cost fishers money to replace, but can also compete with active ...
[219]
'Walls of death': surge in illegal drift nets threatens endangered ...
Aug 18, 2020 · Authorities say the use of these illegal drift nets, dubbed “walls of death” due to their deadly impact on marine life, has surged.
[220]
Destructive Fishing Methods - Turtle Island Restoration Network
Driftnets and Gillnets Only one in eight of the animals caught are swordfish. This inherently destructive fishing gear has been banned by the United Nations, ...
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Fishing Gear and Risks to Protected Species - NOAA Fisheries
Jul 5, 2022 · These different fishing methods can accidentally capture or injure other non-target species, called bycatch.Missing: destructive | Show results with:destructive
[222]
World's Oldest Fish Hooks Show Early Humans Fished Deep Sea
Nov 24, 2011 · Their discovery uncovered fishing hooks made from bone that date back to about 42,000 years ago, making them the earliest definitive evidence ...
[223]
The Oldest Fish Hooks and Evidence of Paleolithic Offshore Fishing
Fish hooks made of shell found in the Jerimalai Cave in East Timor. "The team also found more than 38,000 fish bones at the site, dating the oldest back to 42, ...
[224]
Early line and hook fishing at the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River ...
Oct 6, 2021 · Nineteen broken and complete bone fish hooks and six grooved stones recovered from the Epipaleolithic site of Jordan River Dureijat in the Hula Valley of Israel
[225]
Oldest engravings of fishing discovered in Ice Age art - Durham ...
Nov 7, 2024 · New research has revealed 15,800-year-old engravings of catching fish in traps. The ice-age camp site of Gönnersdorf on the banks of the Rhine, ...
[226]
Ice Age Artists Captured the Earliest Known Fishing ... - Artnet News
Nov 11, 2024 · The oldest known depictions of fishing were discovered on a cave wall in Germany and may be the key to understanding early fishing techniques ...
[227]
Stone Age fishhooks – how were they dimensioned? Morphology ...
Archaeological finds show that hooks, nets and leisters (pronged spears) have been used as fishing implements at Ajvide.
[228]
Fishing with Stationary Wooden Structures in Stone Age Denmark
Jan 27, 2025 · An abundance and diverse range of prehistoric fishing practices was revealed during excavations between 2012 and 2022 at the construction site of the Femern ...
[229]
Earliest evidence of ancient N. American salmon fishing | WSU Insider
Sep 21, 2015 · The earliest evidence of salmon fishing is 11,500-year-old chum salmon bones, showing salmon runs from the Pacific to interior Alaska.Missing: prehistoric | Show results with:prehistoric<|separator|>
[230]
Fishing in Ancient Egypt
From the Late Period into the Greco-Roman age, Egyptians prepared mummified fish as offerings to the gods. At Esna, thousands of Nile perch mummies were ...
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The History of Nile Fishing: A Journey Through Time - Rivers are Life
Feb 13, 2025 · The Egyptians developed various innovative fishing techniques to maximize their catches. They used nets made from papyrus reeds, which were ...
[232]
[PDF] Fishermen of Ancient Egypt, Palestine, Greece, and Rome
Egyptian fisherman three thousand years ago. The chief methods of fishing in use in ancient Egypt were harpooning, hand-lines, nets, and traps, according to ...
[233]
The Ancient Art of Fishing: Techniques That Shaped Civilization
Sep 2, 2023 · Ancient fishing techniques included nets, weirs, harpoons, spears, traps, and pots, used by various cultures for thousands of years.
[234]
Fishing in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds - AKMED
Thus we know that fishing lines, spears, tridents, fish weirs (traps), and nets were used for fishing.
[235]
Fishing in ancient Greece - Le Comptoir Général
In the history of Greek antiquity, fishing with a line or harpoon, has developed mainly in the Aegean Sea which bathes all the coasts of the country.
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https://flopindustries.com/blogs/news/the-history-of-saltwater-fishing-tradition-to-technique
[237]
Fishing in Early Medieval Times
Mar 31, 2003 · The two main methods employed with hook and line were simple hand lining for single fish and long-lining. The trace used for simple fishing is ...
[238]
The origins of intensive marine fishing in medieval Europe - Journals
Zooarchaeological evidence shows that the clearest changes in marine fishing in England between AD 600 and 1600 occurred rapidly around AD 1000.<|separator|>
[239]
Sustainable and Innovative: The Medieval Art of Fishing
Nov 29, 2020 · Finally, medieval fishing techniques and innovations, like the fishing laws, have a long legacy. Drag nets and fish traps are among the devices ...
[240]
The origins of intensive marine fishing in medieval Europe - PubMed
Zooarchaeological evidence shows that the clearest changes in marine fishing in England between AD 600 and 1600 occurred rapidly around AD 1000 and involved ...
[241]
The Medieval Practices That Reshaped Europe's Fish - The Atlantic
May 21, 2019 · More than 700 years ago, demand for sturgeon, salmon, and other fish was so high that kings had to start regulating fishing.
[242]
The history of fishing | alimentarium
Fishing started in prehistory, became commercial in antiquity, with early techniques around 3500 BCE. Deep-sea fishing emerged in the 15th century, and steam ...
[243]
13 – the Advent of Steam Trawlers - The Short Blue Fleet
The first steam trawler was the Enterprize (1854). The Lord Alfred Paget and Wellesley were first practical ones. By 1883, 225 steam vessels existed. Steam ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
[244]
[PDF] History of Trawling off the Pacific Coast
Trawling began in 1876 with paranzella nets, steam vessels replaced sailing vessels in the 1880s, beam trawls in 1884, and otter trawls in 1908. Foreign fleets ...Missing: date | Show results with:date
[245]
A Brief History of the Groundfishing Industry of New England
May 13, 2024 · Groundfishing, the catching of fish that swim in close proximity to the bottom, was the first colonial industry in America.On This Page · Introduction · Period 1. Sail To Steam...
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A Brief History of Marine Diesel Applications - Part 1
May 20, 2024 · The first marine diesel engines with turbochargers were manufactured in 1925. These were 10-cylinder turbodiesels used by the German passenger ...
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Diesel engines in fishing boats introduced in Vancouver - Facebook
Sep 18, 2025 · Vancouver, BC – September 1925 “Diesel Engines In Fishing Boats Four Diesel engine-driven salmon seine boats are under construction at Vancouver ...Famous sport fishing boat builder Egg Harbor Boats - FacebookAt what point do Cummins diesel engine hours impact boat resale ...More results from www.facebook.com
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Industrial fisheries' expansion impacts 90 per cent of the global ...
Aug 1, 2018 · Industrial fishing fleets have doubled the distance they travel to fishing grounds since 1950 but catch only a third of what they did 65 years ago per ...
[250]
What a Drag: The Global Impact of Bottom Trawling - USGS.gov
Mar 14, 2016 · Trawling destroys the natural seafloor habitat by essentially rototilling the seabed. All of the bottom-dwelling plants and animals are affected ...
[251]
Chronic and intensive bottom trawling impairs deep-sea biodiversity ...
We show here that bottom trawling along continental slopes has a major impact on deep-sea sedimentary ecosystems, causing their degradation and infaunal ...
[252]
Bycatch - NOAA Fisheries
Fishermen sometimes catch and discard animals they do not want, cannot sell, or are not allowed to keep, creating what we know as bycatch.Featured News · Notices & Rules · 2,641 Less Seabirds Caught...
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What Is Bycatch? - World Wildlife Fund
Bycatch mortalities can often be reduced by modifying fishing gear so that fewer non-target species are caught or so that non-target species can escape. In ...
[254]
Impacts of fisheries bycatch on marine turtle populations worldwide ...
Mar 25, 2013 · Fisheries bycatch is considered the most serious threat globally to long-lived marine megafauna (e.g., mammals, birds, turtles, ...
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A global assessment of fisheries bycatch and discards
A number of recent studies tends to confirm bycatch and discards are negatively impacting the levels of target species and non-target species. High discard ...
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Overfishing of top predators eroded the resilience of the Black Sea ...
A positive effect of the second upper trophic level is interpreted as a cascade effect (e.g., jellyfish on phytoplankton). Also, a cascade effect of ...
[257]
Trophic cascades triggered by overfishing reveal possible ... - PNAS
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Cascading effects of overfishing marine systems - ScienceDirect.com
Profound indirect ecosystem effects of overfishing have been shown for coastal systems such as coral reefs and kelp forests.
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Sustainable Fishing | Smithsonian Ocean
Not only does ghost fishing harm local ecosystems, it negatively impacts the success of fisheries. One study estimates that removing just 10 percent of ...
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Commercial fishery disturbance of the global ocean biological ...
Dec 18, 2021 · Fishing is a major cause of ocean ecosystem disturbance affecting all trophic levels including plankton, but its potential impact on the carbon sink is unknown.Missing: techniques | Show results with:techniques
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Global trends in world fisheries: impacts on marine ecosystems and ...
(2001), accelerated with the development, during the Industrial Revolution, of vessels of unprecedented fishing power, such as stream trawlers. Added to the ...
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One-third of the world's assessed fish stocks are overexploited
Nov 1, 2024 · The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that around one-third of the world's assessed fish stocks are overexploited.
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FAO Report: Global fisheries and aquaculture production reaches a ...
Jun 7, 2024 · Global fisheries and aquaculture production in 2022 surged to 223.2 million tonnes, a 4.4 percent increase from the year 2020.
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Sustainability: A flawed concept for fisheries management? | Elementa
Jan 29, 2019 · The concept of sustainable fishing is well ingrained in marine conservation and marine governance. However, I argue that the concept is deeply flawed.
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Effective fisheries management instrumental in improving fish stock ...
Jan 13, 2020 · Available evidence suggests that the regions without assessments of abundance have little fisheries management, and stocks are in poor shape.
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A Review of Empirical Evidence that Examines the Effectiveness of ...
Aug 17, 2022 · Our review revealed gaps related to quantitative predictions, evaluation duration, statistical design, researcher–manager collaboration, and ...
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Sustainable Fisheries, Sustainable Seafood
Apr 18, 2022 · Here are a few of those success stories. The Story of Sea Scallops ... Canary Rockfish–A Story of U.S. Fisheries Management. Learn more ...
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From Overfished to Sustainable Harvests: Pacific Bluefin Tuna ...
Jun 25, 2024 · The rebuilding of Pacific bluefin tuna reflects a fisheries management success. International organizations cooperated across the Pacific to ...
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Bias in Fisheries Models Could Be Driving Overfishing
Jan 21, 2025 · “A bias toward overestimating fish stocks in overfished fisheries could lock in stock collapse, as the decline in fish may not be noticed until ...
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Evidence of bias in assessment of fisheries management impacts
Most NZ stock assessments rely on catch/effort data provided by the industry rather than fisheries-independent surveys.Missing: criticisms regulations
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The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 provides the most up-to-date and evidence-based information, supporting policy, scientific and technical ...
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Prevalence of effective fisheries management in a developed nation ...
Effective fisheries management allows for the sustainable utilisation of marine ecosystems while providing an important source of food and income [40], [38], [1] ...
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Robust fisheries management strategies under deep uncertainty - NIH
Jul 23, 2024 · Empirical evidence is however overall stronger for compensatory effects in fish stocks, i.e. increasing productivity at low stock sizes and ...