A casting net, also called a throw net, is a net used for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. It is a circular net with small weights distributed around its edge. The net is

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...

or thrown by hand in such a manner that it spreads out while it's in the air before it sinks into the water. This

technique Technique or techniques may refer to: Music * The Techniques, a Jamaican rocksteady vocal group of the 1960s * Technique (band), a British female synth pop band in the 1990s * ''Technique'' (album), by New Order, 1989 * ''Techniques'' (album), by ...

is called net casting or net throwing. Fish are caught as the net is hauled back in.Dunbar This simple device is particularly effective for catching small bait or

forage fish Forage fish, also called prey fish or bait fish, are small pelagic fish that feed on planktons (i.e. planktivores) and other small aquatic organisms (e.g. krill). They are in turn preyed upon by various predators including larger fish, seabirds ...

, and has been in use, with various modifications, for thousands of years. __TOC__

Construction and technique

Contemporary cast nets have a radius which ranges from 4 to 12 feet (1.2 to 3.6 metres). Standard nets for recreational fishing have a four-foot hoop. Weights are usually distributed around the edge at about one pound per foot (1.5 kilograms per metre). Attached to the net is a handline, one end of which is held in the hand as the net is thrown. When the net is full, a retrieval clamp, which works like a wringer on a mop, closes the net around the fish. The net is then retrieved by pulling on this handline. The net is lifted into a bucket and the clamp is released, dumping the caught fish into the bucket. Cast nets work best in water no deeper than their radius. Casting is best done in waters free of obstructions. Reeds cause tangles and branches can rip nets. The net caster may choose to stand with one hand holding the handline, and with the net draped over the other arm so that the weights dangle, or, with most of the net being held in one hand and only a part of the lead line held in the other hand so the weights dangle in a staggered fashion (approximately half of the weights in the throwing hand being held higher than the rest of the weights). The line is then thrown out to the water, using both hands, in a circular motion rather as in

hammer throw The hammer throw (HT for short) is one of the four throwing events in regular outdoor track-and-field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and Javelin throw, javelin. The hammer used in this sport is not like any of the tools a ...

ing. The net can be cast from a boat, or from the shore, or by wading. File:Kerala fisherman.jpg, Fisherman casting from rocks File:Fishing with cast-net from a boat near Kozhikode Beach.jpg, From a boat in India File:Tank fishing near Unnichai, Batticaloa.JPG, In a pond in Sri Lanka File:Katang youth casts fishing net in Laos.JPG, Boy casting from a riverbank File:Menjaring asa.jpg, On a lake in Indonesia File:Iraq (Babylonia). Euphrates River, fisherman throwing net, sunset scene LOC matpc.23035.jpg, Throwing a net on the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

There are also optional net throwers that can make casting easier. These look like a lid from a trash can, including the handle on top. The outside circumference has a deep gutter. The net is loaded along the gutter and the weights are placed inside the gutter. The net is then tossed into the water using the thrower.

Regulations and guidelines

The use of a cast net may be restricted in some areas when stated by use of sign or authorities. Some government entities in states like

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

state that most shrimp and fish under 8 inches can be caught using, “Cast nets having a stretched mesh size not greater than 1 inch in fresh waters of the state unless specifically prohibited.”. While in a state such as

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

the law “Provides that all casting nets shall be legal, without size limits, for the capture of shad, minnow,” and many other bait fish. Along with this, different states may also require a fishing license to cast net in waters. In some states, such as Texas, "it is legal only for non-game fish" and there are also regulations in place to protect endangered species. If the guidelines outlined by the states and localities are disobeyed, fines and penalties can be brought against the individual who broke the rules. An example of this being that, "The use of cast net or throw net in any other Commonwealth waters is a violation of the Fish and Boat Code and is punishable by a fine and may result in the loss of fishing privileges"

Biology

Net-casting spiders (or retiarius spiders) are stick-like spiders that build webs suspended between their front legs. When prey approaches, the spider stretches its net till it is much larger, and then propels itself onto its prey, entangling it in the web.

History

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

, in a parody of fishing, a type of

gladiator A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

called a retiarius or "net fighter" was armed with a

trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...

and a cast net. The retiarius was traditionally pitted against a

secutor A secutor (''pl.'' secutores) was a class of gladiator in ancient Rome. Thought to have originated around 50 AD, the secutor ("follower" or "chaser", from ''sequor'' "I follow, come or go after") was armed similarly to the '' murmillo'' gladia ...

. Between 177 and 180 the Greek author

Oppian Oppian (, ; ), also known as Oppian of Anazarbus, of Corycus, or of Cilicia, was a 2nd-century Greco-Roman poet during the reign of the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, who composed the ''Halieutica'', a five-book didactic epic on fishing. ...

wrote the ''Halieutica'', a didactic poem about fishing. He described various means of fishing including the use of nets cast from boats. In

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

the sea giantess Rán cast a fishing net to trap lost sailors. There is a reference in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

to cast netting. Per John 21:6: "He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish."

Notes

References

* Burnley, Eric B (2006
''Surf Fishing the Atlantic Coast
Stackpole Books. * Dunbar, Jeffery A (2001

NC Coastal fishing. Retrieved 25 August 2008. * Atos Giovanelli
''The art of throw a cast net''

External links

How to throw a cast net
YouTube.
Cast net
Cast net. {{fisheries and fishing Fishing techniques and methods Fishing nets