drift net

noun

1. 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.

drift net

noun

1. a large fishing net supported by floats or attached to a drifter that is allowed to drift with the tide or current

Word History and Origins

Origin of drift net¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

"In these serious crime cases, we find that waves of arrests look more like drift nets," Bougrine told AFP on Saturday, pointing to what she said was the indiscriminate nature of some of the arrests.

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The EU is now proposing that countries adopt biodegradable drift nets.

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In areas nearby, some fishers use illegal drift nets that drown dolphins as bycatch.

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In Somalia, he covered a devastating famine, in Singapore he reported on illegal drift net fishermen and in El Salvador he narrated stories of gang members.

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Nicknamed “walls of death” for the quantity of other sea life they catch in addition to the fish they are set for, drift nets were banned by the United Nations 30 years ago.

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