drift net
- a fishing net supported upright in the water by floats attached along the upper edge and sinkers along the lower, so as to be carried with the current or tide.
Show More
Origin of drift net
First recorded in 1840–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for drift net
Historical Examples
The drift-net lay out for a mile along the water, its brown corks heaving gently, at regular intervals.
Spiritual AdventuresArthur Symons
At most times they keep out at sea, where the hardy fishermen make use of the drift-net.
Michael PenguyneWilliam H. G. Kingston
The herring-fishery is regulated by Act of Parliament, and the legal mode of capture is by means of what is called a drift-net.
The Ocean World:Louis Figuier
The drift-net is made of fine twine, marked with squares of an inch each to allow for the escape of the young fish.
The Ocean World:Louis Figuier
As mackerel are very voracious, they greedily devour all sorts of bait, but they are chiefly taken by the drift-net.
The Ocean World:Louis Figuier
drift net
- a large fishing net supported by floats or attached to a drifter that is allowed to drift with the tide or current
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012