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A gill-netter is a boat equipped for or engaged in fishing with gill nets, or a person who fishes with a gill net. Gill nets are flat nets suspended vertically in the water. Their mesh size allows a fish's head to pass through but entangles its gills when the fish tries to withdraw.12

Gill nets are important in commercial sea fisheries and can be operated in large sets, sometimes thousands of meters long. They are used for catching various pelagic and bottom-dwelling fish. Gill nets are used by fishing boats up to 20 meters in length, and these vessels often use a steadying sail to maintain their heading into the wind.34

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