Wild Salmon

Wild Fisheries

There are two methods of catching fish in nets: "Gilnetting" and "purse-seining".

Gillnetting

These nets are called "gillnets" because the fish swim into them and have their gills tangled up in the netting. A gillnet hangs from the surface of the water and can be 9 to 11 meters long. A gillnet is made of synthetic netting, and to support them in the water they have floats attached to the top. At the bottom of the net a lead line pulls it to a depth suitable for fishing. Once a gillnet has been set, the boat and net can drift for up to four hours. Gillnets can harvest over 200 salmon on a good day. Gillnets are mainly used on the Fraser River in British Columbia for catching salmon and herring.