Purse seining

Purse seining is a fishing method in which a net encircles a school of fish and is drawn closed at the bottom, trapping them inside.

Purse seine: A large fishing net with floats along its upper edge and rings along its lower edge, through which a closing line runs. This is the net whose bottom line closes around the encircled school.
Tuna fishing: The capture of tuna using commercial or small-scale fishing methods. Purse seining is a major method for catching schooling tuna.
Fisheries bycatch: Unwanted or non-target organisms caught during fishing operations. Purse-seine sets can capture species other than the intended school.
Trawling: Fishing by towing a net through the water or along the seabed. Unlike purse seining, trawling captures fish with a moving towed net.
Purse line: A line threaded through rings along the bottom of a purse seine to close the net beneath fish. Hauling this line draws the net’s bottom shut and prevents fish escaping downward.
Atlantic herring: A schooling fish species found across the North Atlantic Ocean. Dense herring schools can be encircled and caught with purse seines.
Dolphin-safe label: A seafood label indicating that tuna was caught under rules intended to limit dolphin mortality. Dolphin-associated tuna purse seining prompted labeling rules and public scrutiny.
Gillnetting: Fishing with panels of netting that entangle or gill fish as they attempt to pass through. Gillnets capture fish individually rather than enclosing an entire school.
Fish aggregating device: A natural or artificial object placed in the water to attract and hold aggregations of fish. Fish aggregating devices help gather schools before a purse-seine set.
Sardine fishery: A fishery that harvests sardines for food, fishmeal, or oil. Purse seines are commonly used to capture schooling sardines.

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