Fishing weir

A fixed barrier or enclosure in water that guides fish into a trap or confines them for capture, often using tides, currents, or fish movement.

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Tidal fish trap: A fixed fish trap that uses tidal flow to retain fish as water recedes. It is a specific weir design that catches fish during the ebb tide.
Alby Stone Age Site: A Mesolithic archaeological site on the Danish island of Funen, known for submerged wooden fish weirs. Its preserved structures offer direct evidence of early weir construction.
Salmon weir: A fixed river barrier designed to intercept migrating salmon for capture or counting. Salmon weirs target fish moving upstream through constrained river channels.
Fish passage: The movement of fish past barriers such as dams, culverts, and natural obstructions. Weirs may block passage unless openings or bypass routes are provided.
Fish fence: A barrier placed in water to obstruct or redirect fish movement. A weir’s barrier channels fish toward an enclosure or capture point.
Mesolithic: The prehistoric period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic, marked by hunter-gatherer societies. Some of the oldest known fishing weirs date to Mesolithic communities.
Eel weir: A barrier or trap designed to capture eels moving through rivers or tidal waters. Eel weirs exploit the species’ movement along shallow channels.
Fish ladder: A stepped or channelled structure that helps fish pass an obstruction in a river. It enables migration where a weir would otherwise obstruct movement.
Fish trap: A device or structure designed to capture fish without pursuing them. Fishing weirs belong to this broader class of passive capture methods.
Northwest Coast Indigenous fisheries: Fishing systems developed by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, including fixed traps and weirs. These fisheries include sophisticated weir traditions adapted to local rivers.