FISHING GEAR

FISHING GEAR (Notes for M. Sc and B. Sc students) Dr. Karri. Rama Rao M. Sc (Zoo); M. Sc (Psy) M. Ed; Ph. D; PDF (DST); PDF (DBT); D. Lit (Hon) Asst. Professor Department of Zoology Specialization in Fisheries and Aquaculture Government Degree College Dr. K. Rama Rao, Asst. Professor of Zoology, Govt. Degree College, Tekkali, Srikakulam Dt. A. P. 1 FISHING GEAR Various types of gears are used for fishing in Inland and Marine waters. They may be of different size, shape and designs. These gears may be made by fishermen. They are also manufactured in cottage industries. The most common and widely used fishing gear are different types of nets. Type of Gear Classification of Gears A. Marine Fishing Gears Gear 1. Seines 2. Trawls B. Inland Fishing Gears C. Others 1. Gears used in rivers Type of Gear (i) Boat Seine (ii) Shore Seine (iii) Beach Seine (iv) Purse Seine v) Trap Nets (vi) Drop Net (vii) Cast Net (viii) Drift Nets and Gill Nets (ix) Simple Gill Net (x) Trammel Gill Net (xi) Fixed or Stationary Net (Xii) Bag net (i) Bottom trawling (ii) Mid water Trawling a. Seine and Drag Nets b. Kuriar Nets c. Purse Net d. Jhanda Net e. Moi or Moia Jal f. Jagat Ber or Maha Jal g. Chunti Jal h. Kharra Jal i. Khorsula Jal or Koila Jal j. Kona Jal k. Suti Jal l. Bada Jal m. Kona Jal or Bhasa Gulli n. Box traps o. Clap traps p. Arial trap q. Plunge basket r. Lift net s. Scooping net 2. Nets used in hill streams 3. Nets used in Ponds and Lakes Electric fishing Light Fishing Hook line Impaling gear Dr. K. Rama Rao, Asst. Professor of Zoology, Govt. Degree College, Tekkali, Srikakulam Dt. A. P. 2 A. Marine Fishing Gears: They are used for catching large fishes offshore. The main type of nets being used are boat seine, shore seine, bag nets, fixed or stationary nets, drag nets, drift nets and cast nets. 1. Seines: These are specially designed and large fishing nets. They are generally used in running water. When they are spread in sea; they collect large numbers of fishes. Seines are rectangular in shape mounted on wire. They are spread vertically in the water. Seines are of two types, boat and shore seines. (i) Boat Seine: These nets are conical in shape provided with wings. The mesh of the nets is smaller in center and increase in size towards outer ends of flanks. This seine is operated in sea by catamarans or boats. The seine traps the fishes. Towing is done with the help of coir. (ii) Shore Seine: It is operated from seashore. It is popularly called as Ber Jal in Orissa, Pedda or Alivi vala in Andhra coast, Periya vala or Mada valai in coromandel coast and Kara valai in the Gulf of Mannar. It is a conical bag-like with two wings. One end of net is kept fixed to shore and other end is spread into sea with the help of a boat, in the form of semicircular fashion. When the net is filled up with fishes, the two ends are slowly dragged by group of fisherman. (iii) Beach Seine: It is also called haul seine. It has two wings made by strong twines. Both wings are joined to a central bag. The ends of wings are tapering and connected to the wraps. The mesh size is smaller in the bag than in the wing. The wing is spread on right angle in a way, when it is dragged slowly it encircles that part of water section. Both float and lead line do not allow fish to escape. (iv) Purse Seine: It is used to catch pelagic and migratory fishes. It is purse-like. It has two main lines—float line and a lead line, which sinks into the water, but does not touch the bottom. The fishes are trapped and do not escape because net is pursed during the operation. The net then takes the shape of purse. (v) Trap Nets: They are generally used for fishing in shallow waters. These nets may be stationary or fixed. Its lower part is cylindrical while upper part is conical. Interior region of the net contains one or two cone-shaped necks to prevent escape of fish, which has a chamber with a wide gate. Dr. K. Rama Rao, Asst. Professor of Zoology, Govt. Degree College, Tekkali, Srikakulam Dt. A. P. 3 (vi) Drop Net: It is square in shape and mounted with to supple loops at the corners that tied in a cross at the top and is attached to a pole. Drop net is operated with a boat. It is dropped and pulled to catch fishes. (vii) Cast Net: It is a circular and cone shaped net. It is spread from the edges of water. Its circumference is attached to lead line while its centre is attached with a rope. The net assumes shape of umbrella when it is spread on the water. When the net sinks to the bottom it is pulled and fishes are collected. (viii) Drift Nets and Gill Nets: These types of nets are made by nylon materials. Gill nets are kept overnight in the water and then dragged. The fishes get entangled in the meshes. There are two types of nets—simple and trammel nets. (ix) Simple Gill Net: These are loosely woven nets. When spread in water, fishes get entangled in mesh. If the fishes try to escape the twine of the net get mingled in the gills of fishes. The fish is said to be gilled (captured by gills) and hence the name given ‘Gill Net’. (x) Trammel Gill: Net It has a float line at the top and a dead line at the bottom; two walls are attached to these lines. It is generally operated to catch small fishes. (xi) Fixed or Stationary Net: These nets are used to catch fish at inshore water during low tides. These nets are kept fixed with the help of floats, sinkers and stakes. It is rectangular or conical in shape. They are available in various sizes. In West Bengal and Orissa called as Ghurni Jal, or behundi, Kathia-kool Jal, Panch- Kathiaber Jal and Panch. Mai Jal in West Bengal, Barnada Jal in Orissa and Kakavalai, Jadi or Mtagh Jal in Tanjore. (xii) Bag net: It is a bag like net with framed mouth. It is more or less circular made up of nylon with a mesh size of 2 - 3 mm and depth of a bag is about 0.5 - 1m provided with a circular iron frame and a long handle made with a bamboo pole. This net can be horizontally extended when scooping it through the water column. Net is operated in shallow water regions of the lake either from the banks This net is also used as a passive gear. This net can also be used to collect mollusks (Duck feed & fish bait) by dragging or scooping over the bottom of the lake bed. Dr. K. Rama Rao, Asst. Professor of Zoology, Govt. Degree College, Tekkali, Srikakulam Dt. A. P. 4 2. Trawls (i) 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. (ii) 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. B. Inland Fishing Gears India has a wide variety of diversified water bodies, hence the nets used are also diversified. 1. Gears used in rivers: The following gears/ nets of different dimensions are used for fishing in rivers. a. Seine and Drag Nets: They are most commonly used nets for fishing in rivers. Seines can be operated from one or more boats. b. Kuriar Nets: It is used in shallow water for fishing of carps and herring (Hilsa ilisha). Kurian net is umbrella like and kept in inverted position and dipped in water for some times. Then it is pulled out with capture. c. Purse Net: Special types of purse nets used for fishing in rivers are kharki jal and shanglo jal or sharki jal. d. Jhanda Net: It is like an open bag operated in shallow waters. It is rectangular in shape with small mesh. This net is stretched on a bamboo frame. e. Moi or Moia Jal: It is a simple net commonly used in shallow waters for fishing. f. Jagat Ber or Maha Jal: It is a simple net used all around in rivers. g. Chunti Jal: It is a type of drag net used in rivers of Bihar. Two fishermen operate it. h. Kharra Jal: Hela jal, bhesal jal and firki jal are also commonly used for fishing of carps and Catla the river. i. Khorsula Jal or Koila Jal: It is a special type of dip net. Bhil tribal fishermen use this net in Narmada river for fishing of migratory Hilsa. j. Kona Jal: It is a special type of seine net of about 90 m x 9 m in size. It has conical pockets of small mesh size. It is made by cotton, fish once caught, cannot escape because of a valve-like flap present in the pocket. It is also called Bhasa Gulli. k. Suti Jal: It is a long-tube like stationary bag net. It has a long wing. Dr. K. Rama Rao, Asst. Professor of Zoology, Govt. Degree College, Tekkali, Srikakulam Dt. A. P. 5 l. Bada Jal: It is a modified type of Suti jal, which has a wide opening, being kept open with the help of a rod. m. Kona Jal or Bhasa Gulli: It is a special type of large cotton seine net used for fishing of Hilsa. n. Box traps: Among different fishing traps, box trap is one of the major gears used in prawn fishery in river Krishna. Trap fishery works on the principle of allowing the fish to enter the trap and then preventing their escape from the trap. Box trap is a cube shaped trap made of bamboo sticks knitted with some durable creepers. Traps are unique in the sense that these are indigenously designed and fabricated by the traditional fishermen themselves, taking into consideration, the area, location and behaviour of the fishes. Most of the traps are made up of bamboo strips and are widely used throughout the state in the rivers, Beels and other wetland areas. o. Clap traps: Clap are mainly used for catching hilsa in riverine waters in the northeastern regions could also be put under trapping device as the fish enters the device, the mouth is suddenly closed manually. Similarly, the drop door trap made of bamboo is fixed with mechanically triggered door as closing mechanism. Clap Traps can be made a selective fishing gear, if proper escape devices are provided in the traps to facilitate the escapement of juveniles. p. Arial trap: By this method, migratory fishes are caught on their way. Some kind of obstacle is put on the path of the migratory fishes and when the fish face the obstacle, they jump out of the water and fall in the traps. The traps may in the form of pit or bamboo stick knitted with threads kept in the way. q. Plunge basket: Cover pots or plunge baskets, popularly known as Polo and Juluki, is a conical trap open at both ends Shelter trap (Tack) r. Lift net: In this method, a square net is used, where four corners of the sheet are tied to the tips of a crossed flexible bamboo. A bamboo is attached to the point of crossing the flexible bamboo. The whole arrangement may or may not have a rope; when there is a rope to function then it is called a hand lift net and without a rope, it is called Chinese dip net. The device is mainly used in slow flowing rivers in the plain. Few traps are specifically designed and operated considering the nature of fish to take safe shelter. These traps commonly known as shelter traps or habitat traps are provided with tree branches, shrubs, and twigs. Dr. K. Rama Rao, Asst. Professor of Zoology, Govt. Degree College, Tekkali, Srikakulam Dt. A. P. 6 s. Scooping net: Scooping nets are usually operated in the shallow waters for capturing small fishes. The net is usually made of cotton or indigenous fiber. In shallow water, scoop baskets made up of bamboo are used. 2. Nets used in hill streams: Cast nets are used in small pockets of hilly regions. Different types of traps and cast nets are fixed in narrow gaps of streams. It catches fish during breeding seasons. 3. Nets used in Ponds and Lakes: These are most commonly used for commercial fishing. Seines are large nets operated from boats. In big lakes and the Ganges the most commonly used seine is Jagat Ber Mahajal. Simple drag nets are also employed in ponds for commercial fishing. C. Other Gears 1. Electric fishing: Using some crude devices, an electric field is created in water to immobilize and collected fish. Current is passed through a naked wire/plate and the fishes are collected with hands or nets. This method is popular in most parts of Manipur. 2. Light Fishing: Best Underwater Fishing lights also known as fishing light attractor are devices which are submerged in the water to basically hypnotize the fishes and make them circle around the light. 3. Hook line: Hook line is also used throughout rivers. Using earthworm as living bait and snail-flesh as dead bait fishermen catch Fishes and Prawns from the river. 4. Impaling gear: This is a form of gear by which a fish is impaled by a sharp device. The basic principal of the method is to make the fish wounded using some device like harpoons, spears, knife, sickle, etc. The device can only be employed when the fish is plainly visible. There are various types of the gears and name of the devices changes according to the location Gill net Purse net Trammel gill net Dr. K. Rama Rao, Asst. Professor of Zoology, Govt. Degree College, Tekkali, Srikakulam Dt. A. P. 7 Cast net Shore seine Drop net Box Trap Bottom Trawling Clap Trap Midwater Trawling Electric fishing Impaling gear Courtesy: Photographs from Google search Dr. K. Rama Rao, Asst. Professor of Zoology, Govt. Degree College, Tekkali, Srikakulam Dt. A. P. 8