gill net

American  

[gil] / gɪl /

noun

1. a curtainlike net, suspended vertically in the water, with meshes of such a size as to catch by the gills a fish that has thrust its head through.

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gill net British  

/ ɡɪl /

noun

1. fishing a net suspended vertically in the water to trap fish by their gills in its meshes

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Etymology

Origin of gill net

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gill net

Their wiggling catch arrives alive, not smushed as in a purse seine, or ripped and bleeding from a gill net.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 15, 2024

The critically endangered vaquita has been imperiled by illegal gill net fishing for the fish totoaba, itself an endangered species whose bladder is highly valued in Asia.

From Reuters ● Oct. 3, 2023

Mexico has come under increasing international pressure to enforce gill net fishing bans throughout protected vaquita habitat.

From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2023

The essentials of the gill net fishery haven’t changed all that much over the decades.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2021

Here’s what my dad said had happened: He was out bonefishing with two doctors from New Jersey when he spotted Derek Mays stringing a gill net near Little Rabbit Key.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen