Fishing Methods
There are a wide variety of fishing methods used. Each has it own environment impact that varies on intensity. The table below highlights a fishing method along with its environmental repercussions.
| Method | Equipment uses | Type of fish | Environmental Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pole/troll | Fishing rod/pole and bait | Open ocean swimmers to bottom dwellers | Low environmental impact. Reduced chance of bycatch |
| Purse seining | A large net is used to surround fish. The bottom of the net is pulled close to push the fish to the middle | Schooling fish | Higher chance of bycatch |
| Gillnetting | Uses a system of nets with floats and weights. The nets are anchored to the sea floor and allowed to float at the surface | Sardines, salmon, cod | Animals cannot see the net therefore, they swim into it and are tangled. Huge risk of bycatch. |
| Longline fishing | Fishing line cast out from the boat. Can range from one mile to 50 miles. | Pelagic fish | Higher risk of bycatch. Fisherman use weights to sink their lines, which reduce the risk of bycatch. |
| Traps and pots | Wire or wooden cages attached to the sea floor; fishing weirs | Lobsters, crab, shrimp | The traps keep the fish alive. Lower chance of bycatch. |
| Trolling | Line towed behind the boat | Salmon, mahi-mahi, tuna | Release bycatch |
| Harpooning | Harpoon | Large pelagic fish | Fisherman have to visualize prey. No chance of bycatch. |
| Trawls and dredges | Use huge nets that can either drag on the bottom of the sea floor or in the middle of the surface or the floor. | Pollock, cod, flounder, shrimp | Large number of bycatch. Can damage the sea floor. |
Read more about this topic: Sustainable Seafood
Famous quotes containing the words fishing and/or methods:
“Fly fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
“I think it is a wise course for laborers to unite to defend their interests.... I think the employer who declines to deal with organized labor and to recognize it as a proper element in the settlement of wage controversies is behind the times.... Of course, when organized labor permits itself to sympathize with violent methods or undue duress, it is not entitled to our sympathy.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)