In the sixteen years since the last edition of Von Brant’s classic work was published, fishing and fisheries have undergone vast changes. Not only has there been great progress in the development of new tools, materials and techniques, but the industry has seen an increasing need to address controversial issues such as declining fish stocks, enormous quantities of bycatch and discard and the impact of towed fishing gear on the environment. Fully revised and updated to reflect such changes, the fourth edition of this widely read and popular book offers: A unique, comprehensive survey of the evolution of fishing methods throughout the world Approximately 750 illustrations showing the extensive range of methods, techniques and equipment used in fishing across the globe Fishing gear classified according to the FAO system Additional chapters: Fishing Effects on Fish Stocks and Environment and Fishery and Gear Research All researchers, fisheries scientists, fisheries students, administrators and libraries in universities and research establishments where fish and fisheries are studied and taught will find this book a valuable addition to their shelves. Commercial and sports fishermen will also find Fish Catching Methods of the World a fascinating and vital reference.

This book grew out of Professor Von Brandt′s lifetime devotion to the study of fishing gears and catching methods from prehistoric times to the present. In it he shows how the main components of early methods – netting, lines, hooks, floats and sinkers – are still in common use even though their efficiency has been improved. His extensive travels have enabled him to include examples from many eras and many different parts of the world and his descriptions are enhanced by hundreds of illustrations. He describes gears in logical sequence from the most primitive gathering methods to the possible use of fully automated harvesting machines totally operated by computers. Also, he has developed a rational classification system for the multitude of fish devices and techniques. Although this has been done in a most scholarly way, the resultant text is alive with interesting anecdotes. This meticulously compiled edition will be invaluable to eveyone concerned with commercial fisheries as well as a delight to sport fishermen and all with an interest in fish or its capture.

In developing countries, traditional fishermen are important food contributors, yet technological information and development assistance to third-world nations often focuses on agriculture and industrial fishing, without addressing the needs of independent, small-scale fishermen. This book explores technological considerations of small-scale, primitive fishing technologies, and describes innovative, relatively inexpensive methods and tools that have already been successfully applied in developing countries. It offers practical information about all aspects of small-scale fishing, including boat design and construction, fishing methods and gear, artificial reef construction and fish aggregating devices, techniques for coastal mariculture, and simple methods for processing and preserving fish once they are caught. Fisheries Technologies for Developing Countries is illustrated throughout with photographs of the devices and construction methods described in the text.

The Northwest Coast people devised ingenious ways of catching the different species of fish, creating a technology vastly different from that of today’s industrial world. With attention to clarity and detail, Hilary Stewart illustrates their hooks, lines, sinkers, lures, floats, clubs, spears, harpoons, nets, traps, rakes and gaffs, showing how these were made and used in over 450 drawings and 75 photographs. One section demonstrates how the catch was butchered, cooked, rendered and preserved. The spiritual aspects of fishing are described as well — prayers and ceremonies in gratitude and honour to the fish, customs and taboos indicating the people’s respect for this life-giving resource. The fish designs on household and ceremonial objects are depicted — images that tell of fishing’s importance to the whole culture.

This book presents key conclusions about the controversial killing of thousands of dolphins each year during tuna fishing in the eastern tropical Pacific. Dolphins drown in nets that are set to catch yellowfin tuna, which tend to swim beneath dolphin herds. After 20 years of intense debate among environmentalists, the tuna industry, and policymakers, this fatal by-product of tuna fishing remains a high-profile public issue. Dolphins and the Tuna Industry provides a neutral examination of the scientific and technical questions at the core of the problem. Recommendations for solutions are offered in two areas: developing new techniques that promise to reduce dolphin mortality with the existing purse-seine method of tuna fishing, and developing entirely new methods of finding tuna that are not swimming with dolphins. Dolphins and the Tuna Industry provides a comprehensive, highly readable overview of the dolphin-tuna controversy, useful to experts and newcomers to the issue. It explores the processes of tuna fishing and dolphin mortality, the status of the tuna industry, and the significant progress made in reducing dolphin mortality through modifications in fishing practice. The volume includes: An overview of U.S. laws and policies relating to tuna and dolphins. An illustrated look at how tuna fishing crews use their equipment, focusing on the purse seine, which is the method most economical to the industry but most deadly to the dolphins. An overview of what is known about tuna and dolphin populations and the remarkable bond between them. A step-by-step description of the fishing process and efforts to let dolphins escape from the nets. An analysis of possible approaches to reducing dolphin kill, including more stringent regulatory approaches and incentives for the tuna industry. This book will be indispensible to environmental and animal protection groups, tuna fishing crews and processors, companies that market tuna products, policymakers, regulators, and concerned individuals.