Republic of the Philippines

Mindanao State University

Maigo School of Arts and Trades
Maigo, Lanao del Norte

TLE108.1 AGRI-FISHERY ARTS

ACTIVITY 14
FISHING GEARS AND THEIR OPERATIONS

SUBMITTED BY:

CHERRY MAE R. TEJANO BTLED

HOME ECONOMICS III

SUBMITTED TO:

MRS. VIOLETA C. ANTIGO

TLE108 INSTRUCTOR
PASSIVE FISHING GEARS
Passive gears are in general the most ancient type of fishing gears. These gears are most suitable for small scale-fishing
and are, therefore, often the gear types used in artisanal fisheries

Net is a principal method of commercial fishing and it is the most common form of fishing.

Gears Catching Principle Operation Target Species Image

Gillnet The gillnet is named Gillnets are most Gillnets are used to
after its catching commonly operated catch a large variety of
principle, as fish are as a stationary gear fish species. In
usually caught by anchored to the general, bottom
"gilling" - i.e. the fish bottom at either end, gillnets are used for
is caught in one of the but may also be so- catching demersal
meshes of the gillnet, called drift-nets species like cod,
normally by the gill which float freely in flatfish, croakers and
region (between the the water. Stationary snapper, while pelagic
head and the body). nets may be set on gillnets are used for
Thus, fish capture by the seabed, at species like tuna,
gillnets is based on different depths in mackerel, salmon,
fish encountering the the water column or squid and herring.
gear during feeding or with the float line at
migratory the surface.
movements. As fish Similarly, drift-nets
may avoid the gillnet may be operated
if they notice the gear, with the float line at
catches are normally the surface or
best at low light levels suspended from
or in areas with turbid surface floats and
water. corresponding float
lines to the desired
fishing depth in
midwater.
 Trammel Net In trammel nets, fish Trammel nets are Trammel nets are
are caught by usually set and used for catching a
entanglement, operated like large variety of
which is facilitated bottom set gillnets, demersal fish.
by its special mainly in small-
construction of scale, near-shore
three panels of nets fisheries.
attached on the
same rope with a
high degree of
slackness

Hook and Line Fishing Different fishing methods are based on the use of fish hooks; longlining, trolling and various
forms of handlining such as jigging. The general catching principle of hook fishing is to attract the fish to the hook and
entice the fish to bite and/or swallow the hook so that the fish becomes hooked and retained.

Hand lining The fish is attracted In handlining the Typical target

and Trolling to the hook by fishing line is species with
visual stimuli, either vertical and is handlining are
natural bait or more operated from a demersal fishes like
commonly in the drifting or anchored cod and snapper as
form of artificial vessel. Handlining well as squid.
imitations of prey is also conducted Trolling is mainly
organisms like from the shore, with directed towards
lures, jigs, rubber and without the use pelagic species like
worms etc. of a pole. From mackerel, tuna and
using only a single salmon.
line, the operation
can be scaled up
by using several
lines on larger
vessels. In recent
 years jigging has
become
mechanised and
automated by the
development of
jigging machines.

Long lining Longlining is based The longline fishing Pelagic (drifting)

on attracting fish by cycle includes the longlines are
bait attached to the following main typically used for
hook. While operations: baiting catching species like
handlining and (threading a piece tuna, swordfish and
trolling generally of bait on each salmon, while
exploit the visual hook), setting, bottom set longlines
sense of the fish to fishing ("soaking" are used for
attract it to the hook the line for some demersal species
by artificial lures, hours), retrieval, like snapper, cod,
longlining exploits removal of fish and haddock, halibut,
the chemical sense old bait, gear ling, tusk, hake and
of the fish. Odour maintenance, toothfish.
released from the baiting, etc.
bait triggers the fish
to swim towards
and ingest the
baited hook with a
high probability of
being caught.

Pots and traps

Pots are considered within the International Standard Statistical Classification of Fishing Gear to be a type of trap
(Nédélec and Prado 1990) but are described separately here because of the differences in catching principle and
construction between pots and other forms of trap. The general catching principle of pots (creels) and traps is to entice or
lead the target species into a box or compartment from which it is difficult or impossible to escape.

Pots As with longlining, Pots are normally set Pots are most widely
pot fishing is on the bottom, either used to catch
normally based on as single pots with a different
attracting target buoy line to the crustaceans, like
surface or in strings
organisms by bait crabs, lobsters and
of several pots
(chemical stimuli). connected to a main
shrimps. Pots are
When attracted to line at certain also used for
the pot, the target intervals. Pot gear is catching different
organism must usually soaked species of finfish like
enter the pot to gain overnight, but longer sablefish, tusk and
access to the bait. soak times may be cod in temperate
This can be done used in certain waters and reef fish
through one or fisheries. The such as groupers in
several entrances operation cycle is tropical waters.
(funnels) of the pot. similar to that of Other species that
longlining, with
are caught with pots
baiting, setting,
fishing and retrieval.
are whelks and
The bait is either octopus.
freely suspended in
the middle of the pot,
or put in perforated
bait containers to
prevent it from being
eaten by scavengers.
As in longlining,
different pelagic
species like sardines,
herring and mackerel
are typically used for
 pot bait, but most
kinds of fish and
mussels etc. may be
used.

Traps Traps are normally Tidal traps are A variety of target

not baited, but usually permanent species are caught
catch fish and other constructions where by tidal traps, both
organisms by the fish finfish and
leading them into compartment is crustaceans, e.g.
the trap, eventually emptied at low tide. shrimps, naturally
to the fish Cod and salmon dominated by
compartment, that type traps are species living in the
is designed for usually set out for tidal zone. As
holding the fish the season and mentioned above,
entrapped with low operated for one to traps are traditionally
possibility of a few months, used for catching
escaping. emptying the fish cod and salmon (N.
compartment on a Atlantic), tuna
daily basis. Fyke (Mediterranean),
nets are operated small pelagic
like pots, set one by species in Far East
one in the littoral Asia, some species
zone, from one to of weakfish
ten meters depth, (members of the
and are usually Sciaenidae) and
moved to another others. Fyke nets
spot after retrieval, are used for
usually on a daily catching various
basis species, but are
particularly used for
eel and cod.
ACTIVE FISHING GEARS

Fishers have to guide the gear into the path of the fish.

Gear Catching Principle Operation Target Species Image

Spears and This is one of the Spears and Common target
Harpoons most ancient ways harpoons are most species with this
of active fish often operated from fishing method are
capture. a vessel, but can flatfish, swordfish,
also be used from tunas and whales.
Capture with spears land.
and harpoons
depends on visual
observation of the
target species,
which is then
impaled by the
spear or harpoon
from a relatively
short distance
Trawls and Trawls and dredges Beam trawls and Beam trawls are
Dredges are often called dredges are mainly used for
towed gear or exclusively catching flatfishes
dragged gear. operated on the such as plaice and
bottom, where they sole as well as for
Catching principle are towed for a different species of
and construction of certain length of shrimp. Dredges are
an otter trawl, time (towing time) commonly used for
 showing the trawl and distance before harvesting scallops,
connected by the being retrieved for clams and mussels
sweeps to the trawl the emptying of the
doors (otter boards) catch and being set
and the warps again for another
between the trawl tow.
doors and the
vessel.

Seine nets Seine netting The seine net was The seine net is still
(including two originally commonly used to
variations known as constructed for the catch different
Danish seining and capture of flatfish flatfishes such as
Scottish seining) on soft and smooth plaice and sole, but
can be described as bottoms and has in recent years
a combination of operated as become an
trawling and seining described above. In important gear also
(see below). When later years this gear for cod and other
setting the gear, the has also been demersal target
first warp (rope) is developed to be species.
attached to an operated on
anchor with a rougher bottoms
surface buoy and in the pelagic
(Danish seining) or zone. A more
a buoy only recent mode of
(Scottish seining) operation is for
and set in a instance used on
semicircle. mid-water shoals of
cod
Beach The operation of As the name Beach seines catch
seines beach seines is indicates, the a variety of inshore
based on encircling beach seine is fish species, both
fish schools by a operated from the demersal and
netting wall, made of beach - using the pelagic.
webbing where the beach as an
meshes are so small additional barrier in
that the target the catching
species does not get process. The gear
entangled. is normally
operated from a
small vessel. First,
one of the end
warps is paid out
perpendicular to the
beach. Then the
seine is set parallel
to the beach and
the second end
warp is taken back
to the beach.
Purse The purse seine is The purse seine is Purse seine fishing
seines used to encircle fish always operated is used almost
schools in mid- from a vessel, exclusively for
water, close to the varying in size from pelagic fish like
surface, by a netting small coastal purse herrings, sardines,
wall with small seiners of 15m in sardines, anchovies,
meshes. The lower length to large mackerels and
part of the net is ocean going purse tunas
then closed to seiners as large as
prevent escapement 100m length. When
by diving. a fish school has
been located, the
catching operation
starts by dropping a
surface buoy with a
line connected to
the end of the
seine. As the
vessel moves
forward, the drag
from the buoy line
will pull the purse
seine overboard
and the seine is
paid out in a circle
around the fish
school.