Definition

1. Noun:
   • A large fishing net supported by floats; it drifts with the current: A "drift net" is a type of passive fishing gear. It is a very long, vertical net that is buoyed at the top and weighted at the bottom. It is not anchored but is allowed to drift freely with ocean currents or the wind, catching fish by entanglement.

Usage

• The primary use of a drift net is for commercial fishing in open waters.
• It is deployed from a vessel and left to drift for a period of time before being retrieved.
• Due to its size and method, it can catch large quantities of target species but also poses a significant risk of bycatch (catching non-target animals).

Examples

• Noun:
  • The fishing vessel set out a ten-mile drift net to catch tuna.
  • Environmentalists argue that drift nets are harmful to marine ecosystems because they can entangle dolphins and sea turtles.
  • The use of large-scale drift nets in international waters has been banned by the United Nations.

Advanced Usage

• "To set a drift net": To deploy a drift net into the water.
  • At dawn, the crew began to set the drift net.
• "To haul/retrieve a drift net": To pull a drift net back onto the fishing vessel.
  • It took several hours to haul in the heavy drift net.

Variants and Related Words

• Drift netting (n): The practice or method of fishing using drift nets.
  • The government introduced regulations to control drift netting.
• Gillnet (n): A related type of net that catches fish by their gills; drift nets are a type of gillnet that is allowed to drift.

Synonyms

• Fishing net: A general term for any net used to catch fish.
• Gill net: A more specific term for nets that catch fish by the gills; all drift nets are gill nets, but not all gill nets are drift nets (some are stationary).

Related Phrases

• Drift net fishery: Refers to the entire industry or practice of fishing with drift nets.
  • The drift net fishery in that region has declined due to regulations.
• Ghost net: A drift net that has been lost or abandoned, which continues to drift and catch fish and other marine life ("ghost fishing").
  • The abandoned drift net became a ghost net, a deadly trap for marine animals.

Noun

1. a large fishnet supported by floats; it drifts with the current