pound net

American  

noun

1. a trap for catching fish, consisting of a system of nets staked upright in the water and a rectangular enclosure or pound from which escape is impossible.

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pound net British  

noun

1. a fishing trap having an arrangement of standing nets directing the fish into an enclosed net

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Etymology

Origin of pound net

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

A manatee was rescued from entanglement in a pound net in the waters off Windmill Point in Virginia’s Northern Neck, the state’s Marine Police wrote on Facebook Monday.

From Washington Times • Aug. 29, 2023

In its Facebook notice, the Virginia Marine Police posted footage of the manatee contained within the pound net, a fish trap with a narrow entrance.

From Washington Times • Aug. 29, 2023

Mr. Gunter also contacted the owner of the pound net, unidentified in the VMP post.

From Washington Times • Aug. 29, 2023

One weighing 16 pounds, taken in a pound net at this place in 1891, sold for $11; the following year two, with a combined weight of 23 pounds, sold for $15.95.

From New England Salmon Hatcheries and Salmon Fisheries in the Late 19th Century by Various