Deck scene on a shrimp trawler

Preparing the net for a trawl run

Putting the trawl in the water

Deck scene on a shrimp trawler

Net in the water during trawling operations

Net in the water during trawling operations

Nets and otterboards hanging outboard on the MISS EULA, a Vietnamese-American owned shrimp trawler operating in the Gulf of Mexico.

A double rigged shrimp trawler with nets and otterboards hanging outboard. Vessel is at anchor.

Shrimp trawling operations off the THREE SONS

Bringing the net aboard during shrimp trawling operations off the THREE SONS

Working together to secure the harvest of shrimp off the THREE SONS

Working together to secure the harvest of shrimp off the THREE SONS

Working together to secure the harvest of shrimp off the THREE SONS

Working together to secure the harvest of shrimp off the THREE SONS

Working together to secure the harvest of shrimp off the THREE SONS

Hispanic American shrimper in the Gulf of Mexico

Bow view of a double-rigged shrimp trawler

A double-rigged shrimp trawler with one net up and the other being brought aboard

Double-rigged shrimp trawler with bag of one net on board

Double-rigged shrimp trawler with bag of one net about to be opened

Double-rigged shrimp trawler dumping the catch from the bag of one net on deck

Double-rigged shrimp trawler hauling in the nets

Purse seining for shrimp from the beach

Before turtle excluder devices (TED) loggerhead turtles were casualties of shrimping operations

A turtle excluder device

A combination turtle excluder device/bycatch reduction device manufactured by Saunders Marine Machine Shop. Fish escape by swimming forward and out of the large holes in the net. Shrimp are swept into the bag at the end of the net and cannot swim out.

Turtle excluder device (TED) manufactured by Saunders Marine Machine Shop. The oval metal ring and bars deflect the turtles. The cut in the netting is where the trap door will be placed. The bars force a turtle to the trap door which will open allowing the turtle to go free.

TED's for sale. Although early in their development use of TED's were resisted, they are now a routine part of any shrimp trawl vessel. TEDS are shown for sale in the window of this Biloxi marine outfitter.

Nets, purse seine boat, and wake are seen as looking aft from the stern of a tuna boat in the tropical Pacific

A tuna seiner circling a school of tuna as seen from a spotter aircraft

Beginning to flake down the net after completing a set and beginning to retrieve the net prior to harvesting the fish.

Nets, purse seine boat, and wake are seen as looking aft from the stern of a tuna boat in the tropical Pacific. The purse seine boat will be released upon approaching a school of tuna.

Skipjack tuna caught with a one-pole rig with a barbless hook.

Purse seine being closed prior to harvesting the tuna. The small boat is used to make noise and keep the tuna within the net prior to closing.

Yellowfin tuna coming aboard during pole and line fishing operation.

Yellowfin tuna taking a barbless hook on a 3-pole 1-line rig on the R/V UNDAUNTED

Baitfish in a small net being transferred to the live well of R/V UNDAUNTED

Mass of small baitfish (mainly Sardinella) milling around in baitwell of the R/V UNDAUNTED

Diagram of tuna fishing operations illustrating possible loss of fish prior to closing net completely.

Preparing longlines for tuna fishing

A tuna longlining operation

Japanese tuna longliner at Pago Pago

Flaking down the net after completing a set and retrieving the net prior to harvesting the fish.

Closing the purse seine. This picture of early tuna purse seining operations illustrates that often dolphins and other marine mammals were caught as a byproduct of tuna fishing. Today, efforts are made to minimize the harm to marine mammal species during tuna purse seining operations.

Three-pole one-line rig catching Bigeye tuna in the Galapagos Islands area

Bigeye tuna caught with three-pole one-line rig

Experimental longline operations in the Atlantic

Commercial fishing vessels at Cordova.

Salmon purse seiner in Prince William Sound

Nature's bounty - a catch of salmon by a purse seiner