NAME:MACAORAO, NORHANI M.

Program:BTLED HE-3

Types of Fishing Gears

Jigging

The jigging technique involves mainly catching fish by impaling them with special hooks. In jigging, the
line must be jerked to pierce the fish. The sharp hooks are weighted so that when they are pulled up,
there will be sufficient momentum to penetrate the fish. In some cases, regular baited hooks are jigged
manually or mechanically to attract attention to the bait. Special reels can be used to impart a jigging
action to the line.

Trolling lines

Trolling lines are simple hooked lines that are trailed from a moving vessel at a controlled depth. Bait
may be artificial or natural and attracts predator fish that see what appears to be a smaller fish thrashing
and turning in the water. The lure may be nothing more than a colourful piece of cloth, a small bunch of
feathers, or a piece of skin from the bait fish, but it must be carefully adapted to local conditions and
fish species and size. The use of outriggers can increase the number of lines that can be trolled and helps
keep them from becoming tangled.

Trolling offers numerous advantages to small-scale fisheries. Multiple trolling can be performed from a
reasonably small craft. Changing sinker weights allows fishing at graduated depths. Lures can be made of
local materials and easily changed for the target species. The use of artificial bait avoids the capture or
purchase of live bait.

Trolling is also an excellent auxiliary method and can be used as the vessel is going to or returning from
other fishing grounds. It’s mainly used to capture the pelagic or demersal species and are eligible to
operate in the inshore or offshore waters. To introduce this does not require high skills or the massive
investment as in a gear.

Seining

Seines are long nets with meshes small enough to prevent the desired fish from gilling (filtering nets).
They are set in a semi-circle and dragged over a smooth bottom using long ropes (sweeps). In this way,
the fish are herded into the net and hauled onto the beach or on board.

Beach seines are especially appropriate for catching seasonal pelagic species as they feed near shore.
They are most often set from the boat. One end remains on shore, while the rest of the net shall be
fixed in a curved path and brought back to the beach. Beach seines are especially appropriate for
catching seasonal pelagic species as they feed near shore. They are most often set from the boat. One
end remains on shore, while the rest of the net shall be fixed in a curved path and brought back to the
beach.

Large beach seines, however, are costly, and their use is restricted to large stretches of smooth, shallow
bottoms with fairly mild surf. The net is species-indiscriminate and may catch juveniles of large-sized
fish. Small two-man beach seines are often used for catching live bait or small fish. These tend to have a
uniform small mesh. Beach seines have the potential for increased motorization and mechanization.
Shore-anchored pulleys, tractors, jeeps, or even animals could be used to make hauling easier.

The Seine which is operated from the boat is called boat seine. Boat seines have the potential of
bringing small-scale fishers to previously unexploited resources. However, any introduction of modern
technologies (motorization of the boat, rope and net haulers, storage of nets and cables on reels) that
would enlarge the area covered and could increase the catch involves capital investment and an
increase in running costs. An example is a Rampani net operated in south west India.

Trawls

Trawl net is conical bag nets with two wings and codend where the catch is concentrated, performed by
towing from one or two boats. The size of a trawl net may be defined by the length of the foot rope,
headline or the number of meshes around the fishing circle, and the mesh size at that point. Mesh sizes
are usually at their largest in the mouth of the trawl and progressively reduce towards the codend.
Based on the operational position it is categorized into bottom trawl, midwater trawl or pelagic trawl.

Bottom trawling

When a trawl net is dragged in the bottom or just above the bottom, it is known as bottom trawling.
Stern bottom trawling was first introduced in the late 1940s and has become widely popular since then.
The advantages of stern trawling is the maximum utilization of the towing power and ability to set gear
in straight line.
Mid water Trawling

Mid water trawls are used for pelagic trawling. These are conical bags with a wide mouth made of light
netting yarns and large meshes. Based on the construction of the trawls, they can be grouped into

Two seam pelagic trawls

Four seam trawl (with all the four equal panels for pair trawling)

Four seam trawl (The upper and lower panels are identical, and the two identical side panels are narrow)

Surrounding net

Surrounding nets are rectangular walls of netting rigged with floats and sinkers which after detection of
the presence of fish are cast to encircle the fish schools. Surrounding nets are typically operated in
surface layers.

The purse seine is the foremost type of surrounding net, in which bottom of the net is closed after
encircling the fish school, by a purse seine line which prevents fish from escaping downwards by diving.
It is categorized in based on the fishing boat as one-boat and two boat purse seiner by fishing boat.
Based on the target species there are anchovy purse seine, sardine purse seine, mackerel purse seine,
cod purse seine and tuna purse seine. Besides, based on the scale of operation is categorized into small,
medium and larger purse seiner. Surrounding net without purse line like lampara net is operated at the
small-scale level.
Lift net

Lift net consists of horizontal netting panel or a cone shaped bag with the mouth facing upwards, which
are submerged and lifted either manually or mechanically to filter the fish overlying water column. It is
categorized into shore operated and the boat operated. The shore operated lift net is operated from
permanent installation along the coast. The boat operated lift net which is operated from one to several
boats.

Boat operated lift net

Shore operated lift net

Sources

Badapanda, K.C. 2013. Fishing Craft and Gear Technology: Basics of Fisheries Science, Volume 3.
Narendra Publishing House, New Delhi.

Hanumanthappa, B. and Neethiselvan, N. Fishing and Gear Technology.

Meenakumari, B., Boopendranath, M. R., Pravin, P., Thomas, S. N., and Edwin, L. 2009. Handbook of
fishing technology. (Ed.). Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin.
Sreekrishna, Y. and Shenoy, L., 2001. Fishing gear and craft technology. Indian Council of Agricultural
Research, New Delhi.