drift nets
Free-floating fish traps
Drift nets are large fishing nets that hang vertically in the water, suspended by floats along the top edge and weights along the bottom.
They drift with currents rather than being anchored, catching fish by their gills as they swim into the mesh.
Drift nets can extend for miles and are controversial because they indiscriminately trap marine mammals, sea turtles, and non-target fish species—earning them the nickname "walls of death." Many countries have banned or restricted their use.
- gillnetsMesh that entangles fish
- bycatchNon-target species caught accidentally
- wall of deathCylindrical stunt-riding enclosure
- open oceanSea far from shore
- dolphinsSmart aquatic mammals
marine mammals · sea turtle · illegal · fishing ban · high seas · fishing · marine conservation · entanglement · fishery · ocean currents · spawning · longlines · seine · anadromous · migration · salmon run · harvesting · commercial
- commercial fishingfishing boat, trawlers, fishing net, trawler, fishing gear
- fisheriescommercial fishing, fishing boats, fisheries, fishing fleets, fish stock
- international lawinternational law, treaty, treaties, conventions, protocols
- herring industryherring, pickled herring, salted herring, smoked herring, kippered herring
- netsfishing net, gill net, gillnet, cast net, casting net
- Northern Fisheriespollock, halibut, cod, salmon runs, king crab