Oceans 11 Fishing Methods Name:______

There are a wide variety of methods used in local, commercial and industrial fishing. The type of gear used depends on the type of organism and its size. Some of the fishing methods are friendly to the environment and some are not.

A good fishing method will be

·  Selective for the species caught

·  Environmentally responsible such as

1.  doesn’t damage habitat

2.  allows other organisms to live

3.  doesn’t harm other creatures

4.  doesn’t take too much of the resource at one time

Fill in the following table using your own background knowledge, books and/or the internet. Some good sites are

http://www.fishonline.org/caught_at_sea/methods/

http://loellenpark.org/callens/mmedia/cgc/fishing_methods_of_fishing.pdf

http://www.coconutstudio.com/Fishing%20Methods%202%20-%20Nets.htm

http://www.wildplanetfoods.com/Sustainability-and-Fishing-Methods.html

http://www.cdli.ca/cod/history6.htm

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_gear.aspx

http://www.hawaii.edu/mop/tek-fish/fishingmethods.html

Method / Description of Method / Type of Seafood Caught / Environmental Impact (Good/Bad - Why?)
Dredging
Drift Net
Dive-caught/ Hand gathering
Gill or Fixed Nets
Harpooning
Hook and Lining (handline)
Hydraulic dredges
Longlining
Pelagic Trawl
Pole and Line
Pots and/or Creels
Purse Seining
Seine netting
Trolling
Weir

Other methods:

In some countries such as the Philippines, explosives (dynamite or blast fishing) are used on coral reefs to capture fish. Blast fishing is a particularly destructive method of fishing and is prohibited in many regions. A single explosion can destroy square metres of coral in the immediate area, whilst shock waves can kill fish in a radius of 50m or more from the blast. Reefs in some parts of South East Asia have been reduced to rubble in this way.

Cyanide is used by fishermen in many areas of South East Asia, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, to stun reef fish such as grouper and Napoleon wrasse which are then exported for the live reef fish food market or aquarium trade. Although its use is prohibited the practice continues because of the demand for certain species (e.g. Napoleon wrasse) as gourmet delicacies.