Gillnetting in 1900
Gillnetting
was the oldest form of commercial salmon fishing on the Northwest coast.
Early gillnet
fishing boats were large rowboats, powered by oars. Many of them were also powered by small
sails. Those were referred to as "row-sail" boats. Gill-net boats
carried from two to four men. Some were up to 26 feet long.
By the beginning of
the 1900s, larger steam-powered ships towed the gillnet fishing boats out to
their fishing grounds. At the end of the day, they would bring the gillnet
boats back to the cannery.
Gillnets were used
in large bodies of water where salmon were migrating. They were also used further upstream in large
rivers where salmon spawned. Gillnetting worked by stringing a net between two
boats, or buoys, blocking the salmon’s path. On a narrow river, a gillnet could be strung between a
boat or buoy and the riverbank. Along the top of the gillnet there were wooden
floats. Hanging from the bottom of the gillnet were stone weights. If a net was
being used in shallow water, sinkers were used to anchor it in place. The fish
tried to pass through the net, but the openings in the net were only large
enough for the head of the fish to pass through. When the fish tried to back
out, it was caught by its gills.
Image Credit: Microsoft
ClipArt Gallery.
The drawing of a gillnet was created by Jan
Frank.
The photo shown and linked to this page was
taken at the Semiahmoo Museum.