What does gillnet mean?
A gillnet is a fishing net with mesh openings large enough for fish to enter but too narrow for their gills to pass through. As they swim into it, the fish become entangled and are unable to escape. Gillnets may be set in a fixed position or made to drift with the current, and they are used commercially to catch species such as salmon, tuna, cod, and sardines. The word can also function as a verb: to gillnet means either to fish with such a net or to catch fish with one. In discussions of fisheries management, gillnets are often associated with debates over selective gear, bycatch, habitat impact, and sustainable harvest levels. The compound name is descriptive and memorable: the net traps fish at the gills, the organs they use to extract oxygen from the water. A gillnetter is a vessel or person engaged in fishing with this type of gear.
A fishing net with mesh openings through which fish pass but cannot escape because their gills become caught.
"The fishery monitors the number of gillnets deployed near the spawning grounds."
The word can refer broadly to this type of fishing gear or specifically to a net using this catching method.
To fish with a gillnet; to catch fish using a gillnet.
"Several crews gillnet the bay during the winter migration."
It may be used transitively when fish are the object and intransitively when describing an activity.
The standard plural adds -s and is used for individual nets or, collectively, for sets of gillnets.
"The harbour stores several gillnets on racks behind the boathouse."
A gillnet catches fish by the one part they cannot easily slip through: their gills.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does gillnet come from?
Gillnet is an English compound formed from the word gill, referring to a fish's respiratory organs, and net. The first element comes from Old Norse gill, while net descends from Old English nett. The compound became established in early modern English, with its name reflecting the net's characteristic method of entangling fish by their gills.
Related word forms
How gillnet is actually used
The noun is standard in commercial fishing, marine biology, environmental policy, and fisheries management. The verb is less common but is established, especially in descriptions of fishing activity and regulation.
Easily confused with gillnet
A driftnet is a gillnet designed to float and drift with the current, whereas a gillnet can also be fixed in place.