Set Net

A set net is a passive, anchored net left fixed in position so fish swim into it, the term covering bottom-set gillnets, trammel nets, and fixed traps depending on region. A set gillnet catches fish by the gills as they push through a mesh sized to the target species; selectivity follows a bell-shaped curve centered on the mesh size. Set nets are cheap and fuel-light but are a major source of ghost fishing when lost and of bycatch of diving seabirds, seals, and cetaceans, so management uses mesh limits, soak-time rules, gear marking, and acoustic deterrents (pingers).