Process Log Entry: 2/02 2/06

Goals From Last Week

Last week I needed to have my mentor meeting and my first deadline was due. I turned in all of
the forms and it is described more in the mentor and research section. I also wanted to start
learning how to make the net, but after my mentor meeting I decided to switch tactics and look
for the materials first before I started learning to make the net.

Mentor

Over the weekend, my mentor and I had a mentor meeting. The purpose of this meeting with my
mentor was to tell her about the different types of nets that I researched, the net type and material
that I chose as a product, my individual conference, the strengths and weakness of the different
materials, and the strengths and weaknesses of my net. In the mentor meeting I told her that the 5
different types of nets that I researched were hand nets, cast nets, gill nets, coracle fishing and
trawls. I then went on to tell her the differences between the nets and that I wanted to choose a
cast net or a hand net to create because they are smaller and would cut down on expenses and the
amount of net material in the ocean. They are also effective for fishermen which would make a
local impact. I also went over a few of the plastics that most fishing nets are made of today and
that I wanted to try to create a knotless, monofilament net out of sea grass or hemp. I told her the
pros and cons of using those materials and the strengths and weaknesses of the net. I also briefly
went over what was discussed in my individual conference which was basically that I was going
to be researching the topics above in the upcoming weeks.
My mentor then told me that I should make a 3 nets: one all hemp, a hemp and sea grass hybrid,
and an all sea grass and compare them. She also suggested that I take pictures and document
every part of my process even if I mess up in some parts. She also told me to contact the Boy
Scouts because they could probably help me make the knots. Then my mentor told me to look
into the costs of the materials and that it would probably take more time than I thought to build
the net.

Research

Type of Net
Hand Net (top choice)

Strengths
Small, easy for me to make,
good for small catches, can
catch eels as well as fish, do
not damage coral reefs or
seafloors when in use (if not
lost)

Weaknesses
Cant be used to catch fish on
a large scale, would only
affect local fishermen and not
large fisheries out at sea
where most ghost fishing
occurs

Cast Net (close top choice)

Coracle Fishing

Stay in close contact with the

fishermen so they dont get
lost, larger than a hand net,
use weights to keep the fish
down
Men actively work together
to catch the fish so there is no
ghost fishing

Gill Nets

Easily trap target fish, made

with a single piece of netting,
size and material are variable

Trawls

Catch large amounts of fish

quickly

Monofilament

Common in the U.S, stiff and

stable, works well in clear
waters, cheap to make

Multi-filament

Catches fish easier, limp,

thin, works well with baitcasting (such as cast nests),

Type of Material
Sea Grass

Strengths
Natural, if discarded in the
ocean, will naturally
decompose or herbivores can
eat
Durable, easy to find and
mass produce

Thread/rope

Hemp

Strong and durable, can be

eaten as food, hemp rope is
available, can be disposed

If the net gets forgotten then

the fish is trapped, sink down
to catch fish so catching takes
longer
Requires men to have a boat
and some form of physical
strength, I cant change this
type of fishing to benefit the
environment because it uses
physical strength rather than a
net being thrown and lost
Trap fish by trapping their
gills (unsettling way to catch
fish, dislike), non-target fish
can easily get stuck in the net
and injured, not a good way
to stop bycatch or ghost
fishing
Horrible for the environment!
, destroy everything in path
including fragile coral reefs,
tear apart seafloor
Made of plastic which never
goes away, can choke and
wound marine mammals if
lost
Little information, harder to
tie knots, very expensive,
twigs and sticks get caught in
this type of netting
Weaknesses
Flimsy, takes away from
marine environments, cant
mass produce
Not natural, harmful if lost in
the ocean, could cut or wound
marine animals
Controversial because used to
grow marijuana (may be hard
to find), hemp plants are

and used as fuel,

environmentally friendly

vulnerable to disease, *illegal

to grow in the U.S.*

Goals for Next Week

Next week I need to do more research on the cost of hemp ropes and sea grass ropes and talk to
my teacher about ways that I could raise the money. I also need to find the cheapest places they
are available as well as how long it would take for the materials to arrive. Finally, I need to start
preparing for my 8 12 minute speech, because its in a week.