A harvest method in which fish are trapped in a net stretched across their migration path. The net may either be set from a drifting boat (drift gillnetting) or from a fixed position (set gillnetting). The fish become entangled by their gill plates or jaws, and can neither back out nor move forward.

A net used for nonselectively catching fish by entangling them in the webbing. The net, used with a trawl or seine, is usually set on the ocean bottom and is often lethal to the fish caught. Many states such as Texas, Louisiana, Florida and California have banned the use of gillnets in their coastal waters.

a curtain of netting that hangs in the

a general term for a net that catches fish by letting its head get through the mesh but not its body

a large flat fishing net that entangles fish as it hangs vertically in the water

a panel of netting suspended vertically in the water by floats, with weights along the bottom

A net set upright in the water to catch fish by entangling their gills in its mesh.

A gillnet's mesh size allows the heads of fish to pass through the openings but the gills get caught. Many states, such as Texas, Louisiana, Florida and California, have banned the use of gillnets in their coastal waters. Like driftnets, gillnets are associated with some bycatch as they are non-selective. In some cases, though, regulations establish where nets can be placed in the water or what time of day they can be set to help reduce the chances of catching non-targeted species.

Gillnetting is a common fishing method used by commercial fishermen of all the oceans. Because gillnets can be so effective their use is closely monitored and regulated by fisheries and enforcement agencies, such as the National Marine Fisheries Service in USA. Mesh size, twine strength, as well as net length and depth are all closely regulated to reduce bycatch of non-target species.