gill net

[ gil ]

noun

1. a curtainlike net, suspended vertically in the water, with meshes of such a size as to catch by the gills a fish that has thrust its head through.

gill net

/ ɡɪl /

noun

1. fishing a net suspended vertically in the water to trap fish by their gills in its meshes

Word History and Origins

Origin of gill net¹

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Balearic shearwaters are long-lived but Critically Endangered mainly because of declines driven by fisheries by-catch, as they can get caught on baited longline hooks and gill nets.

From Science Daily

Their wiggling catch arrives alive, not smushed as in a purse seine, or ripped and bleeding from a gill net.

From Seattle Times

The critically endangered vaquita has been imperiled by illegal gill net fishing for the fish totoaba, itself an endangered species whose bladder is highly valued in Asia.

From Reuters

The vaquitas are caught and drown in illegal gill nets set for Totoaba, a Gulf fish whose swim bladder is considered a prized delicacy in China, worth thousands of dollars per pound.

From Seattle Times

Particularly controversial is tribes’ use of gill nets, an effective tool that hangs in the water like a wall.

From Seattle Times