Seine fishing

Seine fishing is a way to catch fish using a special net called a seine. This net hangs straight up and down in the water. Weights keep the bottom of the net down, and floats keep the top of the net up. People can use seine nets from the shore, like on a beach, or from boats out on the water.

Boats that use these nets are called seiners. There are two main kinds of seine nets used on boats: purse seines and Danish seines. What makes a seine different from another kind of net called a gillnet is that a seine surrounds the fish, while a gillnet catches fish by trapping them directly. This method has been used for a long time to help people get the fish they need.

Etymology

The word seine comes from old words. It started in Old English as segne. This came from Latin sagena, which itself came from the Greek word σαγήνη sagēnē, meaning a drag-net.

History

Seines have been used for a very long time, even by Stone Age societies. For example, the Māori used big canoes to spread out seine nets that could be more than a kilometer long. These nets were made from green flax, with stones for weights and light wood or gourd floats, and needed many people to pull them in.

Native Americans on the Columbia River also made seine nets from spruce root fibers or wild grass, using stones as weights. They used special cedar sticks as floats that helped keep the fish together.

Seine fishing was also described by Arrian during Alexander the Great’s trip along the Makran coast in 325 B.C. It was a method used by a tribe called the Ichthyophagi, meaning “Fish-eaters.”

Seine nets were also common in ancient cultures in the Mediterranean region. Pictures of them can be seen in Egyptian tomb paintings from 3000 BCE. The famous poet Ovid wrote about seine nets, mentioning cork floats and lead weights.

Beach seine

The beach seine is a way to catch fish by putting a net on the shore, pulling it into the water to surround the fish, and then bringing it back to land. Some countries, like Kenya, have stopped people from using beach seines since the year 2001.

Purse seine

Fish that swim close to the surface can be caught using a purse seine. This type of net is like a wall of netting held up by floats. The net can be pulled closed at the bottom, similar to closing a purse with a drawstring.

Purse seines are good for catching fish that stay close together, such as sardines, mackerel, anchovies, herring, and tuna. Boats that use this method are called purse seiners. This fishing method is considered one of the more sustainable ways to catch fish, as it can sometimes catch fewer unwanted fish. However, it can also affect fish populations if not managed carefully.

Power block

Some purse seine boats use a power block, a mechanized pulley, to help pull in the nets. This invention has made purse seine fishing more effective. The power block is usually powered by the boat’s engine and can be controlled from a distance.

Drum

In some areas, like the coast of British Columbia, a different method called drum seining is used. Instead of a power block, this method uses a drum to pull in and store the net. This can be faster and safer, and it needs fewer people to operate. However, using a seine drum is not allowed in Alaska.

Danish seine

A Danish seine is a special kind of fishing net shaped like a cone, with long sides and a central bag where fish gather. It has long drag lines that help surround a big area of water.

This type of net is pulled by a boat in a circle, guiding fish into the center. It works well for fish that live near the sea floor, especially in rough or flat areas where other nets can’t be used. It is most common in colder northern waters.

The boat starts by attaching one end of the net to a floating marker in the water. Then it pays out the net and drag lines, sweeping in a big circle before returning to the marker to close the net and collect the fish.

Other images

Purse seining Modern French tuna purse seiner using a power block. The helicopter is used to search for tuna schools. Skiff tuna purser Seine skiff setting the net Brailing the salmon on board Seining in the past Early steam seine netter Manually seining salmon on Columbia River, Oregon, 1914 Hauling in a beach seine using horse teams 1938 R/V John R. Manning starting a purse seine set in the tropical Pacific Ocean, ca. 1950.