EXPLANATORY   NOTE

            This revised volume is the completion between the first volume and the report of a reconfirmation survey on marine fishing gear and methods, conducted in August 2002.  We tried to cover the present fishing gears as much as possible and to include all the latest developed gears, important port and villages along the coast of Thailand.  Figure 1 shows the map of all the survey station 3, the name of each province, which is often also the name of the provincial capital, is underlined.

            The data were collected mostly by interviewing fishermen, with the help of questionnaire prepared in advance for each type of fishing gear, as well as by direct observation in the locations where the gears were made and used.  The background information on the current status of different fisheries was mainly base on data contained in the annual “Fishery Statistical Bulletin for the South China Sea Area”, starting from 1990, up to the most recent available one for 1997.

            In the classification of fishing gear, drawings and explanations in this volume, we have on the whole followed the system used in the “FAO Catalogue of Small-Scale Fishing Gear”.  The mode of presentation is summarized below.

                                              Illustrations     

            1. The horizontal length of surrounding nets, purse seines and gill nets is drawn according to the length of the floatline, and the vertical depth according to the fully stretched netting.  In the case of gill nets with sidelines, the depth is drawn according to their length.  The width of netting panels or sections of trawl gear is drawn according to half the stretched netting, and the depth or length according partly perspective overall sketches, with dimensions indicated where applicable.

             2. General outline drawings, such as of the rig of a complete gear, and detail drawings of components, are mostly not to scale, but the main dimensions are given.

             3. Dimensions are given only in meters (m) and millimeters (mm).  The units are not indicated but can easily be recognized, as follows: 

                Metre :           Length of footropes, headlings, floatlines etc.,
                                     used with two decimals (e.g., 5.25, 90.20).
                       
                Mellimetre:     Mesh size (stretched), diameters of ropes
                                     floats, etc.used without a point or with one
                                     decimal only (e.g., 12; 527 or 1.2; 20.5).  
           

              4. Mass and weight are indicated in the units of kilogram (kg) and gram (g).  Buoyancies of floats and breaking load of netting yarns or ropes are shown by kilogram-force (kgf) or gram-force (gf).

              5. Materials are indicated by abbreviations listed in Appendix 1.

              6. The size of netting yarns is shown in the denier system.

              7. The mesh size, given in millimeters (mm) is understood to be the distance between the centers of the two opposite knots in the same mesh when fully stretched..

              8. The number of meshes in a straight row along the edges indicates the width and length or depth of net panels or sections.

              9. The shape of a netting section is indicated by the cutting rate at its edge.  A tabulation of common cutting rates for a practical range of taper ratios is given in Appendix 2, together with a diagram of different cutting rates.

            10. The term hanging ratio (E) designates the ratio between the length of a given portion of the mounting rope and the length of the stretched netting hung on this portion of the rope.

            11. When there are two or more variants in construction of gear or manner of use, this is indicated in the title and opposite the drawings by Roman numerals (I, II, …….. ).  Where these variants refer to only one component part of gear, other possible ways of making this part are shown with the abbreviation ALT.

            12. Sequence in fishing operation is shown by sketches with circled Arabic numberals (  1, 2‚… ) which indicate the sequence of operation stages.

            13. Parts of gear drawn in detail are indicated by circled capital letters ( A  ,  B … )

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Abbreviations and symbols used in illustrations

1 Boat with a long propeller shaft outside the hull
   (Source : FAO catalogue of Small-scale Fishing Gear, 1975)

Common cutting rates and taper ratios
Number of meshes lost (or gained)

(Source: FAO catalogue of Small-scale Fishing Gear, 1975)

Groups of fishing gear and descriptions

1. SURROUNDING NET
                    A net roughly rectangular in shape without a distinct bag is set vertically in water; to surround the school of fish, generally of pelagic nature.  The nets are subdivided into three major types: One boat purse seine; two boat purse seine; and Surrounding net without a purse line.

2.  SEINE NET
                    A bag shaped net with two wings, normally, the wing are larger than those of trawl nets.  The net is pulled towards a stationary boat or onto a beach.  A seine of a primitive nature sometimes does not have a bag.  However, insofar as the net is pulled towards a stationary boat or beach, it is included herein.

3.  TRAWL
               A conical bag shaped-net with two or more wings, pulled by one to two boats for a period of time, to catch mainly fish or other aquatic animals that live directly on, or stay near the sea bed.  When such a gear is used in mid-water, with the same catching mechanism, the mid-water trawl is included herein.
                The trawl is also divided into three major types: Otter trawl; Pair trawl; and Beam trawl.

4.  LIFT NET
                A sheet of net, usually square, but may sometimes be conical, is stretched either by several rods, ropes, or a frame and is set either at the bottom or in mid-water for some time; and then lifted to trap the fish lying above it.

5.  FALLING GEAR
                The gear is usually a cone shaped net or other material, which is dropped to cover aquatic animals and enclose them.  Generally hand-operated in shallow waters, but some are operated from a boat for example, the stick-held cast net.

6.  GILL NET
                A net wall, with its lower end weighted by sinkers (or heavy net, as in drift gill net) and the upper end raised by floats, is set transversely to the path of migrating fish.  Fish trying to make their way through the net wall are entangled in the mesh.  A catching mechanism which is more or less similar to the gill net, is the trammel net with three wall nets, this is also included herein.  Although in this case the migrating fish are entangled between two layers of net, and not in the mesh, and a combination of different types of nets are used.

7.  TRAP
               Gear that is set or stationed in the water for a certain period, regardless of the kind of material used for their construction. The fish are naturally confined in a collecting unit, from which escape is prevented by labyrinths and/or retarding devices, such as gorges, funnels, etc. without any active fishing operation taking place.

8.  HOOK AND LINE
               This gear generally consists of line(s) and hook(s), to which edible or artificial baits are attached to attract fish or other aquatic animals.  Unbaited hooks or jig may also be used.

9.  SCOOP NET
              A bag net with a fixed or variable opening is operated in shallow waters, or from boats.  Some large scale scoop nets are operated from a motorized boat, such as the boat push net.

10.  DRIVE-IN-NET
             A bag net with two wings, scoop net and wall with a coconut leaf fence are usually set in the water against the current.  From one to two hundred fishermen with their frightening ropes and plastic hoses which emit bubbles, drive the fish to enter the bag net and/or scoop net.  A lift net is used to catch fish which are circling the net wall.

11.  DREDGE
             An iron or net basket with a hard rectangular frame at the opening.  This gear is dragged or pushed along the sea bed, usually to collect mollusks such as mussels, oysters, scallops, clams, etc.  The shellfish are held in an attached bag or sieve which allows the water, sand or mud to run out.

12.  MISCELLANEOUS
             This group covers a great variety of other fishing gears and methods, not specified elsewhere or that are based on mixed principles.  For example hand hooks, harpoons or spears, gaff, etc.