purse seine

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July 13, 2026

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A purse seine is a large fishing net designed to encircle schools of fish. It is set by two boats and features a rope that allows the bottom of the net to be closed, trapping the fish inside. This method is effective for catching pelagic fish that school in large numbers, such as tuna, herring, sardines, and salmon.123

The net is buoyed at the surface and weighted at the bottom. Once the school of fish is surrounded, a cable is pulled through rings at the net's base, closing it like a purse. The fish are then removed using a dip net or pumped directly onto the fishing vessel. Purse seiners are a type of surrounding net, distinct from other fishing gear like drift nets or trawls.324

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commercial fishing
Purse seines and lamparas
…nets and the more modern purse seines. Both are typical gear for pelagic fish schooling in large and dense shoals. When these nets are used, a shoal of fish is first surrounded with a curtain or wall of netting that is buoyed at the surface and weighted at the bottom.…
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…nets and the more modern purse seines. Both are typical gear for pelagic fish schooling in large and dense shoals. When these nets are used, a shoal of fish is first surrounded with a curtain or wall of netting that is buoyed at the surface and weighted at the bottom.…
Read More

net
…with their contents; others, called purse seines, are operated from boats in deep water far from the shore. A steel cable that runs through rings at the bottom of the purse seine is pulled up to close the net. Seine nets (also known as ring, or round, nets) are used…
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…with their contents; others, called purse seines, are operated from boats in deep water far from the shore. A steel cable that runs through rings at the bottom of the purse seine is pulled up to close the net. Seine nets (also known as ring, or round, nets) are used…
Read More