Gillnet as a Fishing Gear

kelolalaut.com - Gillnets are strings of single, double or triple netting walls, that placed vertical near the surface, in midwater or on the bottom of the sea. This gear purposes is to gill, entangle or enmesh the fish in particular area. Gillnets have floats on the upper line (headrope) and, in general, weights on the ground line (footrope). This fishing gear can be set anchored to the bottom or left drifting, free or connected with the vessel. 

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Anytpe of gillnets can be hauled by bare hand if it is set in shallow or moderate depth in small scale fisheries. However, the use of net hauler is now very common in modern fishing, sometime it can be using power block too. The purpose of this gear is that the fish are gilled, entangled or enmeshed in the net walls. The fish may be caught in net in three way:  Gilled or held by mesh slipping behind the opercula; wedged or held by mesh around the body; and tangled or held by spines, teeth or other body parts without the body penetrating the nets. 

Beside the main net walls, gillnets also use small solid floats that made of plastics. The shape of the floats is mostly spherical, cylindrical or egg-shaped, and it is attached to the headrope. The bottom of the nets is attached with evenly distributed weights along the footrope. 

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Gillnets are one of the most effective fishing gear so it is closely monitored and regulated by fisheries management. The mesh size, twine strength, and net length and depth are regulated to reduce the bycatch of non-targeted species.  The regulation of gillnets mesh size is causing this net to be more size selective. Small fish will swim pass through it whereas the larger fish will be caught on the net. In order to reducing bycatch, gillnets also can be placed in the place in a selective area where the fish is expect to be abundant. This gear also can be set up in a shallower water to avoid whale getting entangled.

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