Drift Net/ Gill Net
By: Faith Bergman, Jared Chin, and Allie Lushan
What are Drift/Gill Nets and where are they found?
How do Drift nets work?
Types of Fish Harvested:
Harmful effects of Drift Netting:
Ways of mitigating the effects of drift netting:
- using nets that are more visible
- using nets with bigger mesh
- using acoustic "pings" to ward off unwanted catch
Government Regulation
- ME: no one can fish within 150 feet of any dam that has a fishway; unlawful to fish more than 2000 feet of bait gallant in territorial waters. Bait glints need to have less than 3.5 inches of mesh are throughout entire net and need to be clearly marked on each end with buoys that are at least 4 feet long.
- South and West of Cape Cod: illegal to use, set, maintain or fish with any gill nets between April 1st and November 15th
- Mass Bay: No gill netting May 15th- November 1st
- Drift net banned on high seas since 1991
Bycatch numbers
In 1990, 30,000 sharks were victims of drift netting and now 90,000 sea birds die each year due to drift netting especially in the Baltic Sea.
If banned by the government...
Is drift netting sustainable?
Alternative seafood choices- Where would we find more information about this?
Instead of eating salmon, cod, and other species caught with this method, it is more sustainable to eat Abalone, Tuna, and Halibut. It is okay to eat Salmon, but do not eat Salmon from the Mediterranean Sea as it is caught with drift nets.
Bibliography
"Campaign." Oceana. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
Shark picture: http://www.sharkinfo.ch/images/si/net1.jpg
Salmon picture: http://www.aleutianseast.org/vertical/Sites/%7BEBDABE05-9D39-4ED4-98D4-908383A7714A%7D/uploads/%7B4A6D1AE8-B3E6-4B11-A0BC-88A597E44965%7D.JPG
First picture: http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/fisheries/driftnet.gif
"INTERNATIONAL LAW GOVERNING DRIFTNET FISHING ON THE HIGH SEAS." INTERNATIONAL LAW GOVERNING DRIFTNET FISHING ON THE HIGH SEAS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
"Should the Use of Driftnets to Catch Fish Be Banned?" Should the Use of Driftnets to Catch Fish Be Banned? N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
State Of Rhode Island And Providence Plantations, Department Of Environmental Management, Bureau Of Natural Resources, and Fish And Wildlife. RHODE ISLAND MARINE FISHERIES STATUTES AND REGULATIONS (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
Submitted To The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Prepared By, Connecticut Department Of Energy And Environmental Protection, and Marine Fisheries Division. Connecticut River American Shad Sustainable Fishing Plan (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
"322 CMR 4.00." Energy and Environmental Affairs. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
"Useful Resources in the Upper Kennebec River Valley/Jackman Region." Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife -. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
"Drift Net Fishing." Animal Welfare Institute. AWI, n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2015.
LaBudde, S. Stripmining the Seas. A Global Perspective on Drift Net Fisheries. Honolulu: Earthtrust, 1989.
"Drift Net - Ecological Damage Caused by Drift NetsNe." - Fishing, Target, Fish, and Catch. Net Industries, 1997. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.