Selective
Fishing Methods
There are many different
gears that can be used to fish selectively- the characteristics they
all have in common is that the fish must be caught live so that it can
be released live. Many of the gears historically used for harvest are
being reconsidered for selective fishing. For example, traps and fish
wheels were common in Willapa Bay and the Columbia River. In the past
decade, British Columbia has vigorously researched the effectiveness
and cost of using a variety of selective fishing methods. Some of these
selective fishing techniques included: floating traps, fish wheels,
tangle nets, and modifications to seine nets.
Based on results
from British Columbian studies, WDFW is evaluating the effectiveness
of tangle nets and trap nets, two very promising selective fishing techniques,
to determine which might enhance fishing opportunities while allowing
the recovery of native salmon stocks.
| Tangle
Net (also known as the Tooth Net) |
| |
Tangle
net (at right) vs. conventional gill net (at left). Note larger
mesh size of conventional netting compared with tangle net.
Photo courtesy of: OR Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Columbia
R. Mgmt. Office. |
|
| The
same boats used by fishers to operate gill nets can be used
to fish using tangle nets, making tangle nets a potentially
viable alternative to traditional gill netting practices |
Application: Very
similar to fishing with gill nets, usable in bays and rivers.
Description: Similar to a gill net, the tangle net has smaller
web (mesh size = 3.5 to 4.5 inches) than its counterpart and catches
fish by the teeth or maxillary rather than by the gills (as does
the gill net); this capture strategy allows non-targeted species
of fish to be caught and released live, with minimal injury. Tangle
nets are constructed of multi-stranded nylon.
Status: The tangle net is being evaluated in Puget Sound,
Willapa Bay, and the Columbia River, and was adopted for a 2001
sockeye fishery on the Columbia River. The Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife and Fisheries and Oceans Canada are also exploring
the use of the tangle net as an alternative gear to traditional
gill nets, and the net is gaining interest throughout the Pacific
Northwest as a tool to collect salmon broodstock for restoration
programs.
Limitations: Because of its smaller mesh size, the tangle
net captures small non-target species that were not previously encountered
with larger-meshed gill nets. This increases the work required in
picking the net, may negatively affect the survival of stocks of
concern, and may negatively affect the populations of other species.
Tangle net fisheries must be managed to minimize encounters with
these non-target species. This can be accomplished by moving boats
away from areas where large numbers are encountered, by planning
fisheries around migrations of non-target species, or by planning
concurrent fisheries on those species when appropriate.
|
| Floating
Fish Trap |
Floating
fish trap
Photo courtesy of: Fred Hawkshaw |
 |
| Model
of floating fish trap
Photo courtesy of: Fred Hawkshaw |
Application:
Can be fished in bays and rivers with boats typically used for gillnetting.
Description:
Funnel-like in shape, this trap is set by placing the mouth of the
trap facing upstream or downstream of the current; fish enter the
mouth, are directed through a series of ever-restrictive mesh boxes,
and become entrapped when they reach a mesh cage at the end (the
"cod-end"). Web at the mouth of the trap is 8 inches that decreases
to 2.5 inches at the cod-end. Because captured fish never come in
direct contact with the net, they are in perfect condition and can
either be harvested or released live.
Status:
While fish traps (of any design) were historically common in Washington,
they are currently illegal for harvest. The floating fish trap is
being tested, but is not yet effective for harvest.
Limitations:
In most cases, requires two boats to operate, catch rates have been
low, and initial investment in the trap is high. |
| Fish
Wheel |
Fish wheel. Photo courtesy
of: Craig Orr, British Columbia Aboriginal Fisheries Commission |
Application:Large
rivers or other bodies of water with sufficient current to turn
the fish wheel and stable water levels.
Description:
Placed in waters with suitable river currents and positioned in
high fish traffic areas, fish wheels allow the "low impact" capture
of non-target species. Wire baskets form the wheel and are positioned
around a central axis; their sidewalls radiate outward from the
axis and form the "spokes" of the wheel. River currents push the
mesh on the basket, causing the wheel to turn. A lead line is placed
to direct fish to the basket where the fish is lifted into the air,
slides down one of the basket walls, and is deposited into a holding
pen. Fish are then sorted by species; non-target species are released,
usually unharmed.
Status:
Currently, fishers in British Columbia and Alaska are using fish
wheels for commercial fishing and stock assessment. Fish wheels
are also being tried in Washington for stock assessment, but not
for commercial harvest. About 100 years ago, fish wheels were common
on the Columbia River and very effectively harvested salmon. The
fascinating history of fish wheels in Washington can be found in
Fishwheels on the Columbia written by Ivan J. Donaldson (Binford
& Mort Pub., 1971).
Limitations:
Initial large expenditure for construction and permitting. Limited
mobility to change fishing locations. Successful operation of a
fish wheel is very dependent on fishing site selection, one with
sufficient water flow and optimal salmon migration conditions.
|
| Reef
Nets |
|
Application:
In the U.S., reefnetting is unique to the straits and bays around
Lummi Island and the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest.
Description: Reef
netting is a specialized system of fishing that derives from ancient
methods used by Native Americans. Often, as was done historically,
fishing in this manner involves a "community" approach: fishers
establish a series of reefs anchored adjacent to one another in
traditional reef-fishing sites. These artificial reefs are constructed
from a network of ropes disguised with ribbons of "sea camouflage"
to imitate cover provided by natural reefs formed by kelp or other
aquatic plants: habitat that attracts salmon. This imitation reef
leads directly into a net held between two fishing boats, each equipped
with observation towers. The fishers wait from these towers, their
gazes searching to see salmon as they swim from the reef and cross
the outer edge of the net. Once the fish swim over this line, fishers
immediately swing into action, using winches and manual labor to
haul in the nets and sort their resulting catch.
Status: Developed
by Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest, the practice of reefnetting
has changed over time. Use of canoes has been replaced with long
scows, and live reefs with artificial. Still, the method has changed
little. Commercial reefnetting is uniquely employed by fishers in
the Lummi Islands and San Juan Islands.
Limitations:
Applicable in bays and straits. Need at least two boats to operate
net. Nets usually operated during floodtides and in daylight to
catch fish. Unwieldy anchors, commonly weighing six tons, are needed
to secure artificial reefs to their fishing site. |
| Beach
seining |
 |
 |
| Pulling
Beach seine |
Beach
seining |
Application: This method works well in lakes, bays, and
slow moving rivers with sandy bottoms.
Description: A webbed net, rectangular in shape, deep enough
to touch the river bottom and of variable length. To operate, one
end of the net is anchored to the shore; using a boat, the opposite
end is pulled in a semicircle away from the beach; this end is then
pulled upstream and back to the shore to completely form a webbed
circle. Gradually, the ends of this circle are tightened into smaller
circles until the entrapped fish are accessible for sorting. As
long as the net is not pulled out of the water, non- target species
can be released unharmed.
Status: Currently, beach seining is being used for selective
fishing by fishers in Washington and British Columbia.
Limitations: For larger net, requires sufficient
manpower or mechanized equipment to fish; net may easily snag on
rough river bottoms. Site selection is critical to the success of
beach seining. |
| Trolling |
 |
Trolling
on the Pacific
Photo courtesy of: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/
Dept. of Commerce |
Application:
Commercial trolling activities for salmon work well in large bodies
of water (ocean) in areas where salmon migrate.
Description:
Like sport fishers, to catch fish, troll fishers use baited hooks
or bright, shiny lures connected to long fishing lines. Typically,
trollers slowly travel through the water, baited lines trailing
behind them. Bait type and fishing line arrangements used for trolling
vary depending on the targeted fish species.
Status:
Currently, troll fisheries in the U.S. and Canada are developing
means to make their methods more selective. These changes include:
use of barbless hooks, changing spacing between hooks on fishing
gear to avoid species migration patterns, use of recovery boxes
on board, and immediate release of captured fish. |
Want
to learn more about Selective Fishing? Check out these informative web
sites:
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